Taxpayers on the Hook for Nuclear Liability?

OTTAWA -- As the Nuclear Liability and Compensation Act is being examined by the Natural Resources Committee, the Green Party of Canada is calling on the Canadian government to ensure that responsibility for the clean up of nuclear pollution is placed on the nuclear industry, not the taxpayer.  “If there was a nuclear accident in Canada, the costs of dealing with the aftermath would be staggering and the nuclear industry would only have to contribute a miniscule amount while taxpayers would be on the hook for the rest,” said Green Leader Elizabeth May.

Under the current Act, the liability limit is only $650 million, while the Green Party has been calling for the limit to be raised to match the $13 billion amount for which US reactors are insured.  The Nuclear Insurance Association of Canada (NIAC) has now said they would accept a liability limit of at least a billion.

“Even the insurance industry has recognized that the currently low liability limit in Canada’s regulations is inadequate to deal properly with a nuclear accident,” said May. 

Before her 2007 dismissal by then Natural Resources Minister Gary Lunn, the former head of Canada's nuclear safety regulator Linda Keen had commissioned a study regarding population densities around nuclear reactors and the possible need for buffer zones.  This study has not been completed.

In an interview with the Toronto Star, Keen discussed the example of the Pickering Station.  If an accident or attack were to compromise a reactor in Pickering, it would necessitate the evacuation of almost three hundred thousand people.  “It is truly unfortunate that there is no follow through on Linda Keen’s important work,” said May.  “These issues are extremely important to consider as decisions are made regarding Canada’s aging nuclear facilities.”

The Green Party of Canada calls on the Provinces to phase out existing nuclear power and for the federal government to stop subsidizing all phases of the nuclear industry and Atomic Energy of Canada Limited and stop promoting CANDU reactors.

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Contact Information:
Debra Eindiguer
Press Secretary
C: 613.240.8921
media@greenparty.ca
www.greenparty.ca