Ontario Chiefs invite Iroquois Caucus to meet on transportation of Radioactive Liquid from Chalk River

03/21/2017

The Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke (MCK) wishes to advise the community that Grand Chief Joseph Tokwiro Norton and Ratsénhaienhs Clinton Phillips will be in Toronto tomorrow (Wednesday) to participate in a meeting with Ontario chiefs to discuss the fight against a plan to truck 23,000 liters of highly radioactive liquid from the Chalk River facility on the Ottawa River to a site in South Carolina.

Neither the Iroquois Caucus nor the Anishinabek were ever consulted on this plan.

The meeting was called by Anishinabek Grand Council Chief Patrick Madahbee in the aftermath of an Iroquois Caucus statement on February 16th condemning the plan. Tyendinaga Chief R. Don Maracle and Akwesásne Environment Portfolio Chief Troy Thompson have also confirmed their attendance, along with several Ontario Regional Chiefs.

“We just saw a fatal accident near Kingston, Ontario in which poisonous chemicals were spilled – and look at the chaos that it caused,” said Ratsénhaienhs Phillips, who holds the MCK’s Environment Portfolio. “We’re talking about radioactive liquid that is infinitely more dangerous being transported using public roads. People should be very concerned with this proposed action.”

“The Iroquois Caucus and the Anishinabek chiefs stand firm in our resolve to have the authorities stop this ill-advised plan,” he added. “A large number of communities surrounding the Great lakes and along the St. Lawrence River corridor are greatly concerned but it seems to falling on deaf ears.”

“It’s time to open some ears,” he concluded.”