Citizens Environment Alliance

CEA in the News

Province not prepared for nuclear disaster in southern Ontario, say safety advocates

Province has not provided any modelling of a potential accident for either facility, according to experts

June 12, 2017, CBC News Windsor

The province is not doing enough to prepare Windsor and Essex County residents for the possibility of a nuclear disaster just miles away in the U.S., says a group of activists.

"We live in the shadow of American nuclear reactors and so far the provincial government isn't adequately protecting public safety," said Derek Coronado, executive director of the Citizens Environment Alliance of Southwestern Ontario.

Amherstburg residents will be given iodide pills to protect against potential nuclear emergency At a meeting in Windsor on Monday, the group called on the province to beef up preparedness plans to include the Fermi II nuclear plant across the Detroit River and the Ohio-based Davis-Besse nuclear station.

Province has not provided any modelling of a potential accident for either facility, explained Coronado.

"The province is pretty weak on emergency response, through its nuclear response planning, and down here it's even worse," he said.

The Alliance issued a joint statement with the Canadian Environmental Law Association, saying the province needs to prepare for worst-case accidents, expand emergency preparedness zones, meet international best practices for emergency response and establish new measures to protect drinking water in the event of a nuclear accident.

"Nuclear emergency preparedness needs to be increased across Ontario so families and communities are properly protected in the event of a nuclear accident at any of the 20 reactors on the Great Lakes," said Theresa McClenaghan, executive director of the law association.