Over 100 Great Lakes Mayors and Elected Officials unite and urge Canadian Minister of Environment and Climate Change to halt the nuclear waste dump on the shore of Lake Huron

On November 30th, 2017, 104 Great Lake Mayors and elected officials signed an open letter to Catherine McKenna, the Canadian Minister of Environment and Climate Change, urging her to halt the Ontario Power Generation (OPG) proposal to bury nuclear waste on the shore of Lake Huron.

The mayors and elected officials combined represent approximately 16 million people. The letter describes OPG’s failure to consider alternative sites, reminding the Minister that her decision will affect 40 million Canadians and Americans who rely on the Great Lakes for drinking water.

SOS Great Lakes thanks the 104 mayors and elected officials who voiced their opposition and who continue to protect the Great Lakes from nuclear waste.

If you would like to stand with us to fight OPG’s plan, write now: http://www.sosgreatlakes.org/sayno

Great Lakes Congressional leaders urge the U.S. to oppose OPG’s planned nuclear waste dump

A bipartisan coalition of U.S. Congressional representatives from the Great Lakes Region have come together to urge the U.S. Secretary of State to stop plans to bury radioactive waste on the shore of Lake Huron.

Letter to Secretary Rex Tillerson, signed by 32 Members of Congress 

In a letter to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, 32 Congressional representatives urged him to protect the Great Lakes and to convince the Canadian government to select an alternative site for the storage of nuclear waste. The letter states that nuclear waste storage within the Great Lakes basin carries heavy risks that could be fundamentally devastating to the entire region and would constitute “a potential catastrophe of epic proportions."

SOS Great Lakes, along with 224 towns, counties, and cities, and millions people in Canada and the United States, is fighting Ontario Power Generation's (OPG) plan to store up to 400,000 cubic metres of radioactive waste in a repository less than 1 km from Lake Huron.

We want to thank the 32 elected representatives for standing up for the Great Lakes and the 40 million people who rely on them for drinking water, jobs, and their way of life. 

Please continue to voice your opposition. The Great Lakes Basin is no place for nuclear waste.

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Read more from The Buffalo News

Read more from the Detroit Free Press

Learn more about the plan to store nuclear waste on the shore of Lake Huron.

Want to know more? Listen to Claire McCormack interview the Director of SOS Great Lakes

On January 24th, 2017, Claire McCormack interviewed Rod McLeod, Director of SOS Great Lakes, on The Open Line (560 CFOS).

They discussed our organization and Ontario Power Generation's (OPG) plan to bury nuclear waste in a Deep Geologic Repository (DGR) on the shore of Lake Huron. 

Listen to the rest of the interview with Rod McLeod to learn more about SOS Great Lakes and OPG's plan:

1. What is the Deep Geologic Repository Project (DGR?)

2. What is SOS Great Lakes?

3. What is OPG's Plan to Bury Nuclear Waste in the Great Lakes Basin?

4. What Goes in the DGR?

5. What is OPG's Reasoning Behind the DGR?

6. Hosting the Nuclear Waste Repository

7. The Great Lakes Community 

The full podcast is available on the 560 CFOS website. 

HAPPY WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY

IT’S TIME TO STAND WITH NATURE AND WITH THE GREAT LAKES 

Today, June 5th 2017, Canada is hosting World Environment Day and this year the theme is “connect with nature”.

World Environment Day is an annual day of awareness and action for the protection of the environment and has been a catalyst for change since it was established by the United Nations in 1974. 

It is an opportunity for individuals to do something to take care of the environment and became an agent of change. We believe taking care of the environment means protecting the Great Lakes from the threat of nuclear waste.

Today, we ask you to say:

I’m with nature,

I’m with the Great Lakes,

they are no place for a nuclear waste dump.

• Follow us and share our posts on Facebook and Twitter 
• Get in touch with your government and tell your elected representative(s) that you oppose the burial of nuclear waste on the shore of Lake Huron. 
• There are many ways to Get involved

For more information about the plan to bury nuclear waste on the shore of Lake Huron click here

Find out what you can do during Canadian Environment Week

Take a picture of a place that matters and share it!

Listen to Ellen Dailey, VP of SOS Great Lakes, discuss the Nuclear Waste Dump on Lake Huron: Environmental Assessment, Risks, and Resistance

On April 5th, 2017, the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency asked Ontario Power Generation (OPG) to provide additional information regarding their plan to bury nuclear waste in a Deep Geologic Repository (DGR) on the shore of Lake Huron. 

The Agency chastised OPG for its superficial exploration of alternative locations and emphasized that indigenous peoples’ perspectives need to be better represented. This is the SIXTH time OPG has been asked to provide more information on the project. 

Tomorrow, on May 26th, 2017, OPG will respond to the Agency's April 5th request for more information. 

Listen to our Vice President, Ellen Dailey, discuss the risks of building a nuclear waste dump near the lake and why we should fight to protect it. 

SOS Great Lakes attends the Great Lakes People's Summit

On Wednesday May 17th, 2017, Jill Taylor (President of SOS Great Lakes) attended the Great Lake People's Summit hosted at the Canadian Environmental Law Association (CELA) office in Toronto, ON.

The Summit was a wonderful opportunity for SOS Great Lakes to connect with representatives of environmental groups from all around the Great Lakes Basin including Ontario Headwaters Institute, Freshwater Future Canada, Ontario Metis Nation, Environmental Defence, WWF-Canada, Chippewas of the Thames First Nations, Sierra Club Ontario, and Lake Ontario Waterkeeper.

During the day, we work with other experts and stakeholders to strategize on Ontario public policy priorities for the Great Lakes Basin and develop collective action plans. Priorities that were identified included researching fish health and consumption guidelines, reducing exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), improving storm water management, and increasing education & engagement on issues impacting the Great Lakes.

Over the next 12 months, the priorities will be reviewed and action plans will be implemented. A follow up meeting will take place in the fall of 2017 so that progress can be reviewed and strategies can be updated.