Transportation an essential consideration

As a resident of Northwestern Ontario, I believe that the transport of nuclear waste through our area is a serious threat that must be addressed before building a deep geological depository can proceed.

Our highways are notoriously dangerous, with published results of annual enforcement blitzes by the provincial Ministry of Transportation showing steady decline of compliance with vehicle safety requirements since deregulation was implemented in the 1980s. The most recent report I read showed a failure rate over 70 percent. Drivers similarly were lacking in qualification and/or documentation in more than two thirds of those checked. The probability of any shipment being involved in an accident may be small, but a large number loads moved long distances over a long time period can make an environmental catastrophe likely, if not inevitable.

 The potential problems with rail transport are perhaps less obvious, but they exist, only often in areas where the public is not affected and news media lack access. The fact that the national railways are owned or controlled by foreign investors concerned only with profits does not make them an attractive alternative to road transport.

If the idea of burying nuclear waste can be supported through scientific evidence, then it should be done as close as possible to the sites where it is generated.