Uranium: Baby

September 24, 2007

Uranium: Baby

If Frontenac Ventures has its way, it will drill for uranium samples which many say will spoil the land, air, and water for the thousands of local residents, cottagers and tourists. The company’s staked land encompasses a large part of North and Central Frontenac, a watershed region that is linked to Ottawa via the Mississippi River.

Once exposed to the open air, uranium dust can travel for thousands of kilometres. Uranium tailings (waste left behind after mining) are radioactive, and remain so for millions of years. The company plans to use one of the local lakes to "bury" the tailings left over from uranium exploration and mining. In this Land ‘O’ Lakes, each lake connects to the next, up to the Mississippi River, which connects to the Ottawa River.

To date, Parliament has made no statements about the mining project. Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty, demonstrators say, has the power to call an immediate moratorium on uranium mining in Ontario. To the chagrin of many local residents, McGuinty has not spoken to the issue of uranium mining.