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A crowd fi lled the room for the Future of Uranium in Saskatchewan Public Consultation Process, a process initiated by the Government of Saskatchewan; the consultation held a meeting in La Ronge June 16. The consultation began with the viewing of three videos, a SaskPower presentation Powering your future, which offered an overview of the ancticipated power needs for Saskatchewan in the future; a video presentation by Dr. Richard Florizone, who chaired the Uranium Development Partnership (UDP); and a video from Clean Green Saskatchewan, outlining concerns about the possible increased used of nuclear power in the province. Several people voiced concern about both the process of the consultation and the prospect of the possible building of a nuclear reactor in Saskatchewan. A major concern expressed by several people was the presentation of one option, nuclear energy, when others are available.

Saskatchewan Party and New Democratic MLAs have voted unanimously in favour of a motion supporting "consideration" of further development of the uranium industry. Saskatchewan is the world's biggest uranium producer, but it doesn't have any refineries or a nuclear power plant. The nuclear issue has been debated all week in the legislature in advance of a major report expected Friday from an advisory panel called the Uranium Development Partnership. Saskatchewan Party MLAs have been trying to drive a wedge between NDP ranks on the nuclear issue, saying some supporters are pro-development and some are against.

Saskatchewan's public consultations on uranium development rolled into a major oil town, Lloydminster, where many people talked about nuclear energy - and emphasized their opposition to such energy. Lloydminster, a border community with residents from Alberta and Saskatchewan, is home to a heavy-oil upgrader plant and relies heavily on the oilpatch for jobs. While the community is tied to the energy industry, participants at the public forum showed little affection for nuclear reactor development in Saskatchewan. Several hundred people packed a college gymnasium for Wednesday evening's event. Representatives from a grass roots coalition calling itself Save Our Saskatchewan were on hand and expressed opposition to nuclear energy.

There is a buzz around northwest Saskatchewan now that Bruce Power has made its presence known. Last week, the Ontario-based nuclear power company held three public open houses in the area to update residents about plans to build a nuclear power plant along the North Saskatchewan River. The open houses, held in Prince Albert, North Battleford and Lloydminster late last week, came alongside meetings organized by grassroots organization Save Our Saskatchewan (SOS) which aimed to shed light on what nuclear power is and the effect it will have on the province. In the last month SOS has held meetings in Paradise Hill, North Battleford, Prince Albert, Shellbrook, and most recently Hillmond on Monday night. Following the latest SOS meeting, secretary Meggan Hougham said the group is making a lot of headway. "We had a really good turnout again at this meeting," she said. Continued After Advertisement Below Advertisement "There were a lot of good questions and debate. People have the same negative concerns but some people asked pro questions. We are working hard to get out and give people answers."

A grassroots group called Save Our Saskatchewan has formed in northwest Saskatchewan with a goal to bring information about a potential nuclear power plant to the community. "We're working on trying to get the information out," said Meggan Hougham, secretary of the recently formed group, which she describes as citizens "very concerned" about nuclear power. A meeting and question and answer period with Jim Harding, a former professor at the University of Regina, will be held at 7:30 p.m. today at the community hall in Paradise Hill, located northeast of Lloydminster. Bruce Power, the company proposing to build a nuclear reactor in Saskatchewan, has spoken with landowners near the small community about locating the reactor in the area.

A new report has found that most Saskatchewan residents oppose building a nuclear power plant in the province, but that doesn't mean the idea has hit a dead end, according to the government. The 166-page report released Tuesday gathered reaction from public consultations held on the future of uranium development in Saskatchewan. There were more than 1,400 responses specifically on the nuclear power issue and 84 per cent of those opposed the idea. Energy Minister Bill Boyd suggested that's not a sign to stop, but says his "foot is off the accelerator." "When I look at this report, it's neither a green light nor a red light for the future uranium development. It's more like a yellow light - take any next steps with great caution," said Boyd. "There's no question there's strong opposition, I've never said that there wasn't. Of the people that attended the meetings, there was a very strong concern about the future in this area."

Nuclear power may be too large and too costly for Saskatchewan, Premier Brad Wall says. He made the comments this week in what appears to be another indication of his government's diminishing enthusiasm for nuclear power. Earlier this week, a report was released on public consultations on the government's Uranium Development Partnership, a bid to explore the future of nuclear energy in the province. The report showed an "overwhelming" rejection of nuclear power from respondents.

Those working in, and living near, nuclear-power plants - such as the one being considered for construction in Saskatchewan - are more likely than the general population to develop cancer or die from it, according to a research paper being released Tuesday. The 30-page Exposure to Radiation and Health Outcomes, commissioned by the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, found that chronic exposure to low doses of radiation causes the higher risk. A 15-country, 12-year, 407,391-person study of nuclear-power workers found the employees are twice as likely to die from all causes of cancer than the general public because of the extra radiation exposure, said the report written by Saskatchewan-based health researcher, Mark Lemstra. But in Canada, one of the 15 countries studied, reactor workers are 7.65 times more likely to die from all causes of cancer

The new leader of the Green Party of Saskatchewan says the nuclear power debate prompted her to seek the position. "Definitely for the short-term future our role is pretty clear," Larissa Shasko said of her party. "We are the only political party in Saskatchewan that stands united against nuclear power and uranium in Saskatchewan." The 27-year-old, a Moose Jaw resident who studies political science at the University of Regina, said she expects the Green party to be active in the coming months as members oppose the idea of a nuclear power plant in the province.

The NDP opposition says the provincial government should study renewable power - such as wind and solar - in addition to nuclear energy. Hearings on the future of uranium and nuclear energy are scheduled to begin next month. They're taking place amid a growing debate about the future of the industry in Saskatchewan. Ontario-based Bruce Power has said a nuclear power plant for Saskatchewan is feasible, while a government advisory panel is advising that some expansion of the industry should be considered. However, the NDP says a focus on nuclear options is not enough. Once people have all of the information - including about wind, solar and other renewable energy options - then they can make a decision about what kind of power mix to have in the future, NDP members say. "If you're going to spend $10 billion, why don't we find out the full picture in terms of what we compare it to?" NDP MLA Darcy Furber said.

Nurses in Saskatchewan say they appreciate the value of nuclear medicine but do not want the province to build a nuclear reactor so that it can start manufacturing medical isotopes. The Saskatchewan Union of Nurses (SUN) presented its views Tuesday to Dan Perrins, who is heading the public consultation process on uranium development on behalf of the provincial government. Rosalee Longmore, the president of SUN, presented Perrins with a study that reviewed the medical literature on nuclear reactors. The union also released the results of an email survey of its members. According to the union, 822 nurses responded to the two questions posed. Prior to asking the questions, the survey outlined for the nurses four examples of health concerns related to nuclear reactors.

Nuclear power may be too large and too costly for Saskatchewan, Premier Brad Wall says. He made the comment this week in what appears to be another indication of his government's diminishing enthusiasm for nuclear power. Earlier, a report was released on public consultations on the government's Uranium Development Partnership, a bid to explore the future of nuclear energy in the province. The report showed an "overwhelming" rejection of nuclear power from respondents. Energy and Resources Minister Bill Boyd has said the government has become increasingly cautious on nuclear energy's potential because of the cost.

Nuclear power may be too large and too costly for Saskatchewan, Premier Brad Wall says. He made the comment this week in what appears to be another indication of his government's diminishing enthusiasm for nuclear power. Earlier, a report was released on public consultations on the government's Uranium Development Partnership, a bid to explore the future of nuclear energy in the province. The report showed an "overwhelming" rejection of nuclear power from respondents. Energy and Resources Minister Bill Boyd has said the government has become increasingly cautious on nuclear energy's potential because of the cost.

Bumbling nuclear waste disposal technicians opened spent reactor fuel rods and spilt radioactive material on the ground in front of the Delta Bessborough Hotel Thursday afternoon. And people laughed, because this political vaudeville act was a protest against the closed-door Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) hearings. The two-day meetings at the hotel were held as part of the search for a long-term nuclear waste storage facility. The NWMO, a not-for-profit established by Canada's nuclear industry, has identified Saskatchewan, Ontario and Quebec as possible sites for deep geological storage. Coalition for a Clean Green Saskatchewan held a protest with about 20 people outside the hotel. Some supporters jumped into a media scrum with reporters and posed their own questions to a NWMO spokesperson. "What gives you the hubris, the arrogance to make us think we can solve this problem," said Jim Penna, in reference to the U.S. government's failed $90 billion Yucca Mountain nuclear waste storage project.

Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall is moving to build a nuclear reactor and transform his province into a producer of medical isotopes - and a player in atomic research - to step into the gap left by the failure of the Chalk River reactor. Mr. Wall ran on a platform that included a pledge to build up a full-fledged nuclear industry in Saskatchewan, which already produces nearly a quarter of the world's uranium, but does little beyond extract the ore.

The Saskatchewan NDP is unhappy that a Freedom of Information request on uranium development yielded documents with several paragraphs blacked out. But as displeased as the Opposition is, the Saskatchewan Party government is just as upset, saying there was no reason to black out anything. Enterprise Minister Lyle Stewart says his government has been open about the whole process until now. NDP Leader Lorne Calvert says the public deserves complete transparency from the government on such an important matter.

The Uranium Development Partnership (UDP) failed to consult the 100,000 Saskatchewan Metis citizens for its report to the provincial government on nuclear power, says the Metis Nation of Saskatchewan. No phone calls were made, no e-mails were sent and no meetings were held to solicit the opinion of the Metis nation, despite the inclusion of Metis in the report's recommendations, said president Robert Doucette at a press conference Monday morning. "There's been no contact," he said.

Two provincial NDP leadership candidates are calling on their compatriots in the legislature to oppose a motion by the Saskatchewan Party supporting the development of nuclear power in the province. Ryan Meili and Yens Pedersen released statements Tuesday condemning the possibility of a nuclear reactor on Saskatchewan soil. The motion, proposed by Meadow Lake MLA Jeremy Harrison, will be debated in the legislature on Thursday. Pedersen urged his party's 20 MLAs to vote against the motion, saying to do otherwise could alienate NDP voters.

* Says more information and consultation needed * Bruce Power, gov't panel had urged reactor be built By Cameron French TORONTO, Dec 17 (Reuters) - The Canadian province of Saskatchewan, a top uranium producing region, said on Thursday it will not go ahead with construction of Western Canada's first nuclear power plant due to uncertainty about costs. However, the government left the door open to future development and raised the possibility of co-operation with the neighboring Prairie provinces of Alberta and Manitoba.

* Says more information and consultation needed * Bruce Power, gov't panel had urged reactor be built By Cameron French TORONTO, Dec 17 (Reuters) - The Canadian province of Saskatchewan, a top uranium producing region, said on Thursday it will not go ahead with construction of Western Canada's first nuclear power plant due to uncertainty about costs. However, the government left the door open to future development and raised the possibility of co-operation with the neighboring Prairie provinces of Alberta and Manitoba.

The greatest threat that a nuclear power plant poses to Saskatchewan people isn't necessarily to water usage or even to human life in the near-impossibility of a meltdown. The greatest threat is to our wallets -- and the Saskatchewan Party government needs to start coming clean about how serious its potential financial support of a reactor really is.

Recently, I attended a debate organized by the Saskatchewan Council for International Co-operation regarding pro- and anti- positions on developing nuclear energy in Saskatchewan. More than 1,000 people showed up between events in Saskatoon and Regina. While each debater was a long-term, respected advocate of their position and well-informed on issues and potential positive and negative impacts of the uranium cycle, unfortunately these were many of the same arguments for and against nuclear energy that I heard 20 years ago. Some things have changed since then, however, and were largely missing from the debate.