| Jun 28, 2007


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Feature Article - June 28, 2007

Letters to the Editor

It's right in my backyardGeorge White is misinformed on two main things: the legitimacy and position of local Native people AND the harmful effects of uranium mining. He appears to live in his own little world though he is quick to point out Randy Cota's conflict of interest as an OPP officer. He tells us he has sought legal advice but there's one big problem here that overrides this specific situation and the whole picture of Native land claims. Let me put it metaphorically. Suppose someone steals some goods and sells them to you.Then the rightful owner comes forward to claim the goods.Who gets the goods? What's more, who gets to decide who gets the goods?Is it the person who sold the stolen goods, the person who bought the stolen goods or the person who rightfully and originally owned the goods?

George White is not telling the truth about his deal with the “Sharbot Lake group”, as he calls them, and Doreen Davis, at least not according to Bob Lovelace, Harold Perry, Frank Morrison and others who were at the council meeting on Sunday.There the two Algonquin factions agreed to work together to oppose the uranium mine, period. George even has the nerve to say that he is working with the Algonquins to protect sacred burial grounds and to provide employment for local Natives.Which is all such total rubbish as to be unworthy of response.Yet he got to say so on national CBC radio! The only thing I agree with George on is the part about Randy Cota's conflict of interest as chief of AAFNA and OPP officer.I don't think it's right and I don't understand why Bob and Harold go along with this. An OPP should not be a Native chief in the first place, plain and simple.The OPP takes an oath to the Crown just like the lawyer does and therefore cannot serve two masters. Bob Lovelace is a very knowledgeable Algonquin historian. He was able to tell me that the uranium seam which runs from Kaladar to Snow Road does affect the watershed that flows into Tyendinaga territory. As far as I am concerned this matter does also concern the Mohawk people as well. George White is also in dreamland when he talks about the 50's.Is he not aware of the great struggle in northern Saskatchewan over uranium mining, the devastation to the people and the land and the recent flooding of the Cigar Lake Mine, October 2006? This mine was the largest single, most concentrated deposit of uranium in the world which Cameco (and shareholders, Cogema Resources Inc (37%)[fr], Idemitsu Uranium Exploration Canada Ltd. (8%)andTEPCO Resources Inc.) saw fit to mine with expensive robots since they know how very toxic radiation is. Scott Gemmill of Gemmill Sand and Gravel, says only 20 people oppose the mine but he doesn't know how many are for it in this community.I wish he'd pay for a good survey; he'd be in for a surprise. I'll bet I can name 20 off the top of my forgetful head who oppose uranium mining. I don't think we have time to wait for people who doubt the effects of radiation to get the picture.Don't we all have enough folks dying of cancer? Neither do we have time to wait for the resolution of Native land claims.The Ontario Algonquin land claim is a recently filed claim so it would be near the end of the line of over 800 claims before the Canadian courts, who of course have no real authority to settle these disputes in the first place.Meanwhile the ravaging of the land goes on and the media are as complicit as ever.That includes CBC, the best of the bad but still not good. Jenn TsunMore on Uranium

I am writing in response to an article in your paper on June 21 entitled “Frontenac Ventures Corporation Outlines Exploration Plans”. Statements attributed to George White, founder of FVC, in your article and some of those he made in a CBC radio interview on the morning of June 25 have given rise to some confusion in my mind.

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In his radio interview he stated, to the best of my recollection, that seepage had leached uranium out of Precambrian rock (the type we have here) to a depth of 6 feet (2 metres) over the past 10,000 years. This presumably contributes to normal background radiation and is deemed “natural”. He is planning to dig up, crush and expose this rock. Information I have suggests that the average lifespan of a uranium mine is 12-15 years, lets be generous and say 20. He will do in 20 years to a 200-400 metre layer of rock what mother nature did to 2 metres in 10,000 years. This would be exposing the environment, according to my rather elementary math, to potentially 400 [m]/20[yr] divided by 2[m]/10,000[yr]=100,000 times the normal background radiation from this source. This seems like rather a lot. Perhaps it is not all released at once. We do know these tailings ponds remain strongly radioactive for many, many years after the mine closes. Help me out, here, George, what happens to all this radioactivity?

Core drilling, now. This is to be done with a 9/8 inch bit, which I assume will make a hole a bit over 1 inch wide, and 200-400 metres (roughly 600-1200 feet) deep. This will presumably go through aquifers as well as strata containing uranium and its highly radioactive decay products. Many of these are soluble. Water can move through a 1 inch hole, I’ve seen it happen. We live in an area of fractured bedrock. Up is not the only way for water and dissolved radioactive compounds to get out of these holes. Can you explain to me how capping is going to reliably keep these things in, and out of our ground water and our wells?

Tailings ponds, again. You indicated that tailings would be safely contained. How long are we talking about, here, George- 77,000 years, the half life of thorium, the principal radioactive isotope left after the uranium is taken away? Were you aware that these tailings containments have a rather discouraging tendency to release their contents by leaching, leaking or outright breach?

And did you tell us about radioactive dust, from rock crushing operations, and radioactive radon gas, released as ore is broken up, and quietly forever as thorium decays in tailings? And lung cancer rates from this? I personally think the people living around here might want to know about these things.

That company Cameco, which you described in your radio interview as having safe, world class mines- according to information I have, as recently as 1975 they and/or their parent company Eldorado were dumping tailings directly into Lake Wollaston in Saskatchewan, and in 1989 a spill occurred which released 2 million litres of radioactive, heavy metal containing fluid into this same lake. If these are environmentally “safe” mining practices, would you like to define “safe” for me, I don’t quite understand how you justify this term. Or perhaps this is as safe as it gets.

I’m really left wondering, George, whether we’re getting the whole story on this uranium mining thing. Perhaps you could set me straight.

Linda Harvey

Credit to othersThank You for the article entitled “Volunteers of the Year Honored in South Frontenac”. I'd like to give credit to others who deserve to be honored as much as me.

Preserving the history of Bedford and establishingan historical society could not become a reality without the help of others. Betty O'Connor's internet research is an inspiration and Bill's stories give a glimpse into the vastness of local history stored in the minds of settlers’ descendents. Nancy Jenkins, with Bedford roots, travels the roads of Bedford gathering photos and records of schools, etc. and Marty Humphrey and Sheila Simsstep in wherever there is a need.

Thanks gotoa multitude of others too large to list for their many contributions.

Recently the Bedford Historical Society established a research centre in the Bedford Community Hall at Glendower. It is open on Tuesdays,1pm 7pm June, July, and August. There is no charge.

Anyone wanting to visit or want a visit, contribute, or help preserve the history of Bedford can call 613- 273-7241. Photos are copied while you wait. - June Quinn

Do you ever wonder?

Do you ever wonder, do you ever ponder, why most folks never go to church except for weddings, baby dedications, and funerals? Some folks also go at Christmas time, and Easter.

Did you know - that God provides, food, clothes, housing, that new skidoo, four wheeler, 350 Ford truck, fishing tackle, sunflowers, Bell towers, chocolate, and everything else you can think of! All of these things come from God's green earth, the good earth God created because he loves us - that is, you and me. I see churches poorly attended and not supported - in this Denbigh area, for one; we have five churches in the area, churches that would love to have a lot more people show up for Sunday services. How about You? Do you think you could come out to one of these churches, next Sunday morning? The New Apostolic, Catholic, Free Methodist, Luthern, and United Churches around here need you to come and support them with your presence. You will be SURPRISED how your life will change for the better all round - mentally, physically, spiritually. Give God, and the Church itself, a chance. God can change your attiutude from “woe to me” to “THANK YOU, LORD” for what you have given to me and mine. God bless you all.

Donna Carr

A note from Dwain

A friend of mine was readin' in the paper that scientists have beenexperamentin' on jelly fishes - the big ones in the ocean that glows in the dark. The scientists took the gene that makes 'em glow an' put it into pigs. Now they've got pigs that glows in the dark.

But you just wait awhile folks, 'cause pretty soon we're all gonna be glowin'up here in the Frontenacs,if that uranium mine gets goin'.

Jeffy, I'm respondin' to yer recent interview with George White of Frontenac Ventures regardin’ the proposed exploration work for his uranium mine. Ya quotes'ol Georgeyas saying there are no environmental impacts fromdrilling andextractingcore samples. I'd like ta put in my two cents about one thing Georgey had ta say. Diamond drillin', as White said, goes into the earth for hundreds of meters. When it's finished yer left with a hole, hundredsof meters deep. They don't fill the hole in, they cap it. But there's stilla hole down there, under the cap - hundreds of meters deep. Now, when they drill a water well, they put in a casing ‘cause earth and fractured rock from drillin'the wellcould fall into the well and contaminate yer drinking water?

Now, if it's true you need a casing ta protect the water, would it not stand to reason that, when your drillin' fer uranium, and you leaves a hole, that dirt and fractured rock would fall into the hole? And, if there is uraniumin that dirt and fractured rock, is that not going to contaminate the water that's down there?Also, somewhere down those holes, is the water table. Would that dirtand fractured rock not pollute the water table?

I've heard that specialists who areinto uranium say that it has a unique effect on the water table. It can cause the water table to move up and down. So, now we've got holes, and I understand not just a few holes, but a dump truck load of holes, hundreds of meters deep. And, we have the water table, maybe moving up and down. Now, have you ever used a bottle brush? It seems to me that the water table could act just like a bottle brush. That same water would also move through the cracksand fishers in the rock,possibly carrying radiation - that is if there is uranium, down those holes. And Georgey seems ta think there is, or else why's he spendin' all that money drillin' holes that could be goin' into our water table?

Those same specialistssay it takes from four to six days for the water up here to reach theOttawa River. Now, that could be a good thing. Cause if it end up comin' out of the taps of the politicians in Ottawa, we might get rid of some of them.

The problem here is folks,that, on it's way to Ottawa, that water could end up in our wells. And, not only could it end up in our wells, it could end up in places like Almonte, CarletonPlace, Pakenhametc., etc.

Now, I'm just an 'ol coot, but I understand 'ol Georgey White is seventy-four. Maybe 'ol Georgey has been hangin' aroud to many uranium mines.

Dwain Scudder, A.K.A. Frank Morrison

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