"We left them to die and hoped they would never ask any questions"

Having not been warned about the hazards, Dene men even slept on burlap bags of pitchblende.These powerful words come from Andy Orkin, an Ontario lawyer who worked on behalf of the Deline First Nations people, among the very first indigenous victims of the Atomic Age. Deline, Northwest Territories, Canada is home to a traditional Dene tribe, the only indigenous people on the mighty Great Bear Lake near the Canadian Arctic. Orkin is quoted in Part 1 of Pat McNamara's Nuclear Genocide in Canada. 

The book opens by describing Port Radium, the first uranium mine in Canada, which commenced operations in 1933. Local indigenous men were hired to haul pitchblende, uranium ore containing then-coveted radium, in burlap sacks (see photos at left). Although the Canadian mines department had already alerted the federal government to the hazards, the men of Deline were not warned. They began dying of various cancers -- diseases unknown previously to the tribe -- at an alarming rate, in 1960.

Eventually, the Canadian government admitted the men's exposure to hazardous radioactive materials was to blame, but the "Village of Widows" had long since already figured that out themselves. As nuclear widow Cindy Kenny-Gilday of Deline said:

"This village of young men are the first generation of men in the history of Dene on this lake
to grow up without guidance from their grandfathers, fathers and uncles. This cultural, economic,
spiritual, emotional deprivation impact on the community is a threat to the survival of the one and only
tribe on Great Bear Lake. Itʹs the most vicious example of cultural genocide I have ever seen and it's in my own home."

The Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility has posted a 1998 "Call for a Federal Response to Uranium Deaths in Deline" by the Dene First Nation People of Great Bear Lake.

Pro-nuclear attack on freedom of speech in Alberta

An article by Canadian anti-nuclear activist, researcher, and author Pat McNamara documented a pro-nuclear attack on an anti-nuclear billboard in Alberta that occurred in 2009. The attackers defaced an anti-nuclear message by painting profanity and a Nazi swastika on it (see photo at left), as well as lodging a Molotov cocktail at it in an apparent attempt to burn it down. Fortunately, the attack did not result in physical injuries. 

Concerns about Davis-Besse extend across U.S./Canadian border

NRC inspector examines cracks in Davis-Besse's shield building wallCanada's Windsor Star has extensively quoted Derek Coronado of Citizens Environment Alliance of Southwestern Ontario (CEA) about his concerns with the Davis-Besse atomic reactor, located about 50 miles south of Windsor, across Lake Erie, in Ohio. On October 20th, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued a Preliminary Notification of Occurrence (PNO) about cracking in Davis-Besse's shield building wall.

David Lochbaum, Director of the Nuclear Safety Project at the Union of Concerned Scientists, responded by writing NRC, questioning whether or not NRC has adequately inspected cracking in the Davis-Besse atomic reactor's exterior shield building, and whether this aspect of the design can still fulfill its radiologically protective function against external threats, such as tornado missiles.

Beyond Nuclear has joined in coalition with CEA, as well as Don't Waste Michigan and the Ohio Green Party, to oppose a 20 year license extension at Davis-Besse. The environmental coalition has won standing and the admission for hearing of several contentions against the license extension sought by FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company (FENOC) at its problem plagued Davis-Besse atomic reactor. 

FENOC and NRC staff called upon the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board (ASLB) to reject CEA's standing, as Derek Coronado lived a mere 127 feet beyond the 50 mile emergency planning zone radius around Davis-Besse. At the March 1, 2011 ASLB oral hearings in Port Clinton, Ohio, the environmental coalition's pro bono attorney, Terry Lodge of Toledo, said in response to the three administrative law judge panel that "Not since Commodore Perry captured the British Navy during the War of 1812 have Canadians been so insulted in Port Clinton." The ASLB agreed, describing the call for the 127 foot cut off as about 1,000 feet beyond the realm of the absurd and frivolous, and granted CEA standing in the proceeding.

TransCanada Pipelines also a nuclear utility!

Bruce nuclear power plant, part owned by TransCanada PipelinesCongratulations to environmental allies who have successfully pressured the Obama administration to postpone -- and hopefully ultimately cancel -- TransCanada Pipelines' proposed Keystone XL Pipeline for Canadian tar sands crude oil. But tar sands crude oil isn't the only "dirty, dangerous, and expensive" energy source TransCanada dabbles with. According to its website, it also owns 48.8% of the 3,000 Megawatt-electric (MW-e) Bruce A nuclear power plant, and 31.6% of the 3,200 MW-e Bruce B nuclear power plant. Bruce -- a 9 reactor and radioactive waste complex located in Ontario on the shore of Lake Huron just 50 miles from Michigan -- is the largest nuclear power plant in the Western Hemisphere, and the second biggest in the world. TransCanada entered the nuclear power business despite warnings by NIRS in late 2002 about serious financial and environmental risks. (A primary bone of contention over the Keystone XL pipeline is its proposed route over the irreplacable Ogallala Aquifer; the Waste Control Specialists radioactive waste dump in Texas also threatens the Ogallala.)

Dave Martin, Canadian anti-nuclear campaigner, 1954-2011

A typical Dave laugh, while training the next generation in non-violent environmental activism. Photo courtesy of Greenpeace Canada."He left behind a lot of people who loved him" are the concluding words of Elizabeth May, head of the Green Party of Canada and a Member of Parliament, in a Greenpeace tribute to the life of Dave Martin, one of Canada's top anti-nuclear activists of the past generation. Dave passed on this morning after a four year battle with prostate cancer. Greenpeace's memorial also pays tribute to the life and work of Irene Kock, Dave's partner in life as well as anti-nuclear activism, who tragically died in a car accident in 2001.

Bruce Cox, the Executive Director of Greenpeace Canada, where Dave has worked since 2004, said "Dave was our Climate and Energy Coordinator and later Energy Policy Analyst until he took his sick leave. He was an extraordinary individual that made our province, and indeed our country, a better place to live. More importantly his good nature, warm laugh and helping hand made many of us step a little lighter and shine a little brighter just for knowing him."

Gordon Edwards of the Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility said "Dave was an indomitable campaigner of unquenchable passion, who taught himself how to speak the language of the economist, the politician and the bureaucrat to communicate more effectively his unwavering perception that nuclear energy is a huge mistake. And his effectiveness was second to none. He and Irene Kock did outstanding work at a time when the odds seemed truly impossible; they were an inspiration to all who knew them. Since Irene's passing Dave has been the fountainhead of nuclear activism within Greenpeace and in the heart of the nuclear beast -- Ontario -- along with his tremendous colleague Shawn-Patrick Stensil. He will be sorely missed but joyously remembered."

Beyond Nuclear's Kevin Kamps has many such joyous memories of Dave and Irene. They worked and played together, as friends and colleagues, in a common campaign for a Nuclear-Free Great Lakes since the mid-1990s. Dave and Irene's legacy will live on. As but one of countless examples, the "Great Lakes Nuclear Hot Spots" map they created in 1990 is still commonly used by anti-nuclear activists throughout the Great Lakes basin.

Update on September 12, 2011 by admin

A website has been set up for friends and colleagues to share their memories and tributes to Dave at http://rememberingdavemartin.ca/

Update on September 17, 2011 by admin

NOW Magazine in Toronto has published a tribute, entitled "Remembering Dave Martin, Greenpeace icon." Gordon Edwards of Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility has posted a sampling of Dave's (and Irene Kock's) prolific writings at the CCNR website.

Update on November 10, 2011 by admin

A memorial service was held for Dave Martin in Toronto on November 4th. Kevin Kamps of Beyond Nuclear, a colleague and friend of Dave's since the mid-1990s, attended.