The Canadian government is pushing hard behind closed doors to bring in highly radioactive plutonium from the U.S. and Russia.
Senior Canadian officials have promised the United States that surplus plutonium from Russian and U.S. weapons used in Ontario nuclear reactors will remain in Canada forever.
A government document indicates that if Canada starts using plutonium as fuel in its generating stations, the country will become the permanent repository for some of the most dangerous waste products from the nuclear-arms race.
Yet, Canada has not been able to develop a long-term storage site for atomic waste
from its own generating stations.
Canada has been negotiating with First Nations to allow the storage of nuclear waste deep in the Canadian Shield.
Canada wants to import weapons-grade plutonium left over from up to 40,000 surplus nuclear bombs as fuel at Ontario Power Generation’s Bruce A nuclear station.
Canadian atomic plants usually use uranium but could, with a few design modifications, use plutonium.
The U.S. was worried the nuclear waste would end up in terrorist hands. But Canada is working hard to reassure U.S. officials that won’t happen.
Another government document says the percentage of plutonium in the spent weapons-grade fuel will be 68 per cent higher than if regular uranium were used.
The federal government has been lobbying aggressively for five years to have Canada burn as much as 100 tonnes of surplus plutonium in Ontario reactors.
Ontario Hydro may be starting to have second thoughts about the idea.
-SOURCE: TORONTO GLOBE AND MAIL
