WINGHAM, ONT. -- It appears someone took a chainsaw to anti-nuclear waste signs near Teeswater this week.
Members of the Protect our Waterway-No Nuclear Waste group say that several of their signs were either cut down or cut in half by a chainsaw.
“This is a planned act of property destruction,” said Ron Groen, Protect our Waterways board member. “This was not a spur of the moment thing,” he believes.
The group has placed yellow signs around the Municipality of South Bruce to demonstrate their displeasure with plans to bury Canada’s most radioactive nuclear waste under 1,500 acres of farm fields north of Teeswater.
The issue has divided the community, with some in favour of the project, and the hundreds of jobs it would create. While others oppose the idea of burying nuclear waste anywhere within the Great Lakes basin.
“This is an emotional issue, but damaging the property of residents and landowners in close proximity to the optioned and purchased [Nuclear Waste Management Organization] land would appear counter productive to winning the favour of those people who directly surround the proposed dump site” said Michelle Stein, president of Protect Our Waterways.
Members of South Bruce-Willing to Listen, who want to see the project move forward, also condemned the vandalism, saying on their group’s Facebook page, “People have a right to their opinions, and while we may not agree, we are all neighbours here and we need to act as such. Very disappointing.”
Bruce County council is considering a motion next week to support the science behind the project.
If approved, Bruce County would be endorsing the Nuclear Waste Management Organization’s plan to bury Canada’s high-level nuclear waste in a deep geological repository, as the best option for the country.
