Last night Pickering City Council decided to defer voting on Councillor Brenner’s and Regional Councillor Ashe’s motion calling for the decommissioning of the Pickering Nuclear Station “as expeditiously as possible” until their Jan. 27, 2020 Council meeting.
Council wanted time to further study the issue, but we are sure they will find that immediate dismantling is the best choice for Pickering. Here are just some of the reasons:
1. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, immediate dismantling is “the preferred decommissioning strategy” for nuclear plants.
2. Immediate dismantling will permit most of the Station’s 600-acre site to be returned to the local community by 2034 and open the door to the revitalization of Pickering’s waterfront.
3. Immediate dismantling will permit the people who currently work at the Pickering Nuclear Station to be involved in its dismantling. These are the people who know the station best and know how to safely deal with radioactive materials.
4. Immediate dismantling will create 16,000 person-years of employment in Pickering between 2024 and 2034.
5. Immediate dismantling will enable the City of Pickering to become a world leader in nuclear decommissioning. To date, 159 reactors have been shut down around the world, but only 19 have been decommissioned. It is forecast that another 207 reactors will be shut down by 2030. By immediately dismantling the Pickering Nuclear Station, the City of Pickering and OPG can develop decommissioning expertise that they can market across Canada and around the world.
Please click here to sign our petition calling for the immediate dismantling of the Pickering Nuclear Station after it closes in 2024. Ask your friends and neighbours to sign it too. And mark your calendars to attend the Pickering City Council meeting on Jan. 27th.
With best wishes for the holiday season and 2020!
Angela Bischoff, Director