Moncton Forum

I just got this email.
Don't know how true it is but pretty scary. What do you guys think?
Subject: Uranium Mines
Subject: Uranium Mines, Read VERY IMPORTANT, matter of life or death Did you know that they are planning to open a Uranium Mine in Saint-Antoine ? We would be one of five sites. No ,well neither did I until my sister told me that she saw the plans at a meeting held in Moncton. Uranium is a radioactive product. What does that mean? It causes cancer(especially
leukemia) , birth defects and all around hazard to your health. Uranium dust can travel up to 100 miles from the mines. What does that mean for us? We will no longer be able to plant gardens,no more live stock,no more apple orchards,no more fishing and what about our water supply. Everything will be infected with Uranium dust. If the contract is signed, they have the right to drill a half mile hole in your yard and just leave it open. That means that the Uranium fumes can escape from that hole and really get you good. We need to join together to protect our families , our kids and grand-kids future. If this contract is signed our community will become a ghost town. Our property value will drop to nothing.The mines are not even being done to profit Canada ,it is to be ship out of the country. So we get to get sick and die for a foreign country. How nice is that? I ask that you pass this very important e-mail to everyone you know . Write to your MLA ,speak to your mayor. Please sign this petition and pass it along. Thanks

If you see blue ribbons on your land or anywhere else this is what they're about. This is not good!
Anyone wanting to sign againsed it can do so here

http://www.gopetition.com/online/18390.html

At first I thought this was just another one of those chain letter hoaxes going around. It sounds like serious stuff to me.

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Remember yesterday, respect tomorrow, live for today.

Hug a tree, it's bark is worse than it's bite.

Thanks Willie,
I know about this time last year I noticed all these blue ribbons popping up everywhere, including on my land. I live in Notre Dame but I notice them everywhere I go. I really don't like the sounds of this. I checked it all out and it is definitely legit. Do a back search on the Times site....Pretty scary
Apparently there's a meeting this Sunday at the Notre Dame club and there was one already at the capital theater.

July 11, 2007
The Daily Gleaner

Residents stake concerns about uranium prospecting

Jeremy Dickson

Residents of Cambridge-Narrows are fearful that recent land-staking by a Newfoundland mining company looking for uranium could lead to the destruction of the Canaan Washademoak watershed.

"There are a lot of concerns because the Village of Cambridge-Narrows is a recreational-type of community with a lake in the middle," said Mayor Peter Knight.

"All kinds of red flags go up when this kind of activity starts to take place.''

Under the Department of Natural Resources Mining Act, Newfoundland's Triple Uranium Resources is required to meet with landowners who have mineral claims staked on their land.

"The Mining Act states that mining companies are required to make contact with landowners before any work of a damaging nature or work that interferes with the use and enjoyment of the land takes place," said Ron Shaw, mining recorder for the Department of Natural Resources.

An information session for the public has been organized by the mayor and council for Saturday at 2 p.m.

"We certainly want to inform the public and that's why we're having the session," Knight said.

"There have been a substantial number of claims in the village in the last month so we want to get a sense from the community of where they stand on this issue."

Village resident Robina Weatherly said blue ribbons appeared on her property last week, but she doesn't know who put them there or why.

"No one has contacted us about the blue ribbons or the helicopters that have been flying over, but I know there has been staking on both sides of the Canaan River and a lot of people have received letters," she said.

By law, the Mining Act states that prospectors can stake properties without notifying the landowners because minerals beneath the land are owned by the Crown.

"Landowners don't have a lot of rights when it comes to this type of activity because of the Natural Resources Mining Act," Knight said.

Shaw said many people don't realize the rights to minerals under their land don't belong to them.

"People get shocked when they find out a claim has been staked on their land because they think they will lose something they thought they owned," he said.

According to Shaw, New Brunswick is going through its biggest mineral staking rush since 1953.

"An average number of stakes claimed in a year is usually 3,000, but we already have 11,000 to 12,000 claimed this year," he said.

"That's four times as many and it's only halfway through the year."

Shaw said the boom for New Brunswick's minerals -- including uranium -- is the result of high oil prices which have driven the prices of alternative energy sources up.

"The price of uranium today is approximately $135 per pound compared to $10 per pound two-and-a-half years ago," he said.

Weatherly, who belongs to the Canaan Washademoak Watershed Association, said the environmental group is concerned about the impact mining might have on the watershed.

"The watershed is the most important asset for the village and the countryside," she said.

"A great deal of New Brunswick has been staked, but we will have to wait to find out if there are substantial mineral deposits in those areas."

Reace Black, a director with the watershed association, said more than just salmon habitat could be affected.

"Our big concern is the salmon population, but we are also concerned with the impact of mining on people's groundwater supply," Black said.

Despite people's immediate concerns, Shaw said residents shouldn't jump to conclusions.

"People are worried that as soon as stakes go up that mining will begin right away, but that is not the case. People need to remember that we also have strict land reclamation laws in effect with mining companies so even if mining takes place, the land is used temporarily."

Rob Krienke, a representative of Triple Uranium Resources who will attend Saturday's session, said the company hasn't finished staking in New Brunswick.

"We have at least 1,500 claims so far in New Brunswick and once we determine if there is uranium, then we formulate an exploration plan," Krienke said.

According to Shaw, approximately 2,000 out of an average of 3,000 claims per year in New Brunswick expire because companies don't find what they're looking for.

Weatherly said she hopes residents of Cambridge-Narrows come to the information session to voice their concerns.

"It's very important that the populace speaks up and in the event of any mining, all environmental laws should be adhered to."

Dr. Sandy McAllister, another concerned resident, said he expects reaction to be negative.

"I don't want this to happen and I'm sure others will agree with me on Saturday," he said.

"We hope the meeting will bring out the truth about the situation and will let our residents have a say in the matter."

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Remember yesterday, respect tomorrow, live for today.

Hug a tree, it's bark is worse than it's bite.

What are your rights?
Conservation council holds information session Sunday on N.B. uranium exploration


TIMES & TRANSCRIPT STAFF
Published Thursday March 27th, 2008
Appeared on page A1

Property owners in New Brunswick who find uranium mining prospectors driving stakes and placing markers on their land don't have the right to send the surveyors packing, but they do have the right to be kept informed if and when the exploration company starts moving equipment onto their land to start drilling test holes.

"Landowners are always supposed to be notified if a company is prospecting on their land, but it doesn't always happen," says Ron Shaw, the recorder of mines who looks after prospecting licences for the Department of Natural Resources. "New Brunswick is the only jurisdiction in Canada that requires this, mainly because we don't want landowners to be surprised when they find their property has been staked."

Right now, there are several companies scouring the rural areas of southeastern New Brunswick, staking claims and actually drilling test holes in search of uranium. Last year, the province signed an agreement with CVRD Inco Ltd., granting the mining company five-year exclusive rights to search for uranium in southwestern New Brunswick. The area consists of a 136,000-hectare area between Sussex and Moncton.

Uranium is a dense metal which is found in most rocks and geologists believe it could be found here in New Brunswick. Prices of uranium have been on the rise in recent years due to short supply. Uranium is mainly used as fuel in nuclear power generators, but critics also say it is also used in nuclear weapons. While safe underground, critics of uranium exploration say test holes could act like chimneys to allow toxic chemicals from the metal to escape to the surface. These chemicals could poison the air and any nearby water supplies and remain for many years.

The recent activity in New Brunswick has prompted the Conservation Council of New Brunswick to call a public meeting for this Sunday, March 30 at 7 p.m. at the Capitol Theatre in Moncton. The purpose of the meeting is to educate the public and invited government representatives of the dangers of uranium prospecting and mining, while encouraging the public to engage in an open dialogue on the matter. The meeting will address many factors of the issue, including government laws, possible water contamination, economic and social impacts, and possible health effects of uranium.

Guest speaker at the meeting will be Melissa Fontaine. Her family operates an organic strawberry farm near Cocagne. One of the family's two water wells was contaminated during a test drilling operation. Paul Fontaine told the Times & Transcript this week that the contamination was the result of hydrogen sulfide and not uranium. The water is safe to drink but has a rotten egg smell that makes it unsuitable for drinking or washing. Fontaine said the drilling company expects to return this spring in an effort to repair the damage and drill a new well for the farm.

Shaw said the actual rights of property owners in New Brunswick are blurry when applied to natural resources, because the government retains the rights to what lies beneath our individual, ground-level properties.

He explained that back in the mid-1700s, when what is now New Brunswick was still part of Nova Scotia, land grants to private citizens gave people the ground-level property, but retained the rights to any gold, coal, lead or other valuable natural resources that might be found in the rock below. In essence, that means landowners own the land, but nothing beneath it.

Under the terms of the mining act, prospectors do not have to advise landowners that they are going to stake a claim. This means they can drive stakes and put up markers, but not in a way that they will damage the property or interfere with the owner's use of it.

Prospectors are not subject to the trespass act, which means they can cross your property without permission.

If a property owner tries to remove the markers, they can actually be fined.

"These markers are just as legal as the surveyor pins that mark property lines," Shaw said.

If a mining company wants to drill test holes, use equipment or do anything else on private land, they must make a deal with the property owner and agree to compensate the owner for any damage or loss of land that might occur. They must also keep the property owner notified every step of the way and adhere to environmental guidelines while doing the work, especially around water sources.

If mining companies feel they have enough to justify setting up a mine, they must go through the red tape of both the provincial and federal governments. Uranium mines are subject to federal legislation. In this case the mining company would likely make a deal to purchase the property.

Last year, Shaw talked to over 600 property owners last year who received notices in the mail that their land would be subject to test drilling. He said most were happy after having the process explained to them, some others were irate and wanted the prospectors off their land immediately.

Shaw isn't sure how far a property owner could take a legal fight to keep miners off their land.

While most of the claims are on rural properties, woodland, Crown land and farms, there is a possibility that the mining prospectors could move into municipalities or subdivisions. Shaw said he's not sure how far a town or city's legal fight to keep them away would be, but noted again all work must be done with the landowner's permission.

By Tracy Glynn and Craig Johnson, For the Times & Transcript

Published Monday August

6th August 2007

New Brunswick is rapidly becoming prey to dozens of local, national and international mining companies. Prospecting is happening at an unprecedented rate, and New Brunswickers deserve to know what this means for them, for their property, and for their communities, all of which will be affected in a future of increasingly predatory mining development.

The resurgence in mining interest throughout the world is largely driven by an international growth in demand for metals and minerals for manufacturing and production in China and India, and by a renewed interest in nuclear power. The latter has drastically increased the global hunger for uranium, and countless areas throughout the world are feeling the pressure of increased prospecting, including New Brunswick's own Turtle Creek. In the last eight months alone, 12,000 new mining claims have been registered with the Department of Natural Resources.

With this rise in international demand comes a rise in the value of these mined resources -- naturally, when prices rise, there is more money to be made. This also means that areas where it previously wasn't profitable to mine now suddenly begin to become profitable, drawing the interest of companies hungry for profits and for expansion into new markets.

However, in response to this rise in prospecting and mining efforts has come an equally strong backlash. Communities around the world are mounting opposition in an effort to preserve their land, safeguard their water from contamination, and protect their citizens and children from the adverse health and societal impacts of mining projects.

Uranium is found throughout Canada and is typically concentrated, underground, in hard rock and sandstone. Uranium has been mined and utilized as energy for electricity, weapons, and military submarines and at times in the production of radioisotopes for medicine and scientific research. However, radioisotopes can be artificially produced and do not actually require uranium for their production.

Uranium has been mined in the Northwest Territories, Ontario and continues to be mined heavily in Northern Saskatchewan. Significant deposits of uranium have also been discovered in Nova Scotia; however, New Brunswickers should note that as a result of strong public opposition and inquiry, the prospecting and mining of uranium have been banned in Nova Scotia.

Uranium mines in northern Saskatchewan have made headlines over the years for leaving a toxic legacy of arsenic, long-lived radionuclides and other heavy metals in nearby lands and waters. Effluent from uranium mines is unambiguously defined as a toxic substance under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act.

Here in New Brunswick, the areas of Turtle Creek, Cambridge Narrows, as well the north of the province are experiencing the pressure of increased prospecting, and many community members and landowners are rightly infuriated by the appearance of prospecting tags upon their land, largely driven by this resurgence of interest in uranium.

This represents a violation of their property, and their rights as landowners in the province -- these New Brunswick citizens are perfectly justified in raising concerns over the implications of these tags for the future of their land.

New Brunswick's Mining Act is currently outdated, having remained unchanged since the 1980s. It stipulates that mining companies are not required to notify landowners prior to staking their land because minerals found beneath the surface are said to be owned by the Crown. Prospectors are only required to notify landowners of any work that would damage the environment or disrupt the land. Landowners in Cambridge Narrows are calling for the Mining Act to be reviewed and amended.

Fortunately, in a recent article, our Minister of Natural Resources assured us that "a mine will not be allowed to open if the environment will be adversely affected." (Letter to the Telegraph-Journal, July 26, 2007). Then, one might ask, what's the problem?

If this statement were true, no mine would ever be opened, not in New Brunswick or anywhere else in the world, since there isn't a single mining activity in the world that has not adversely impacted the environment in which it takes place.

Mining is an inherently destructive and polluting activity, entailing impacts for the surrounding soil, wildlife, waterways, and human populations during virtually every phase of production, from mining to smelting and eventually manufacturing.

New Brunswickers deserve to be aware of what this rise in prospecting means for their area, and what it means for their future, and the future of their land, lest they become prey to the profit-driven motives of large mining companies eager to stake their claims to New Brunswick soil.

Tracy Glynn and Craig Johnson are members of the Conservation Council of New Brunswick.

Uranium mining has no place in N.B.

Published Tuesday August

7th August 2007

Times & Transcript -
To The Editor:

This letter is in response to the July 24 article in the Times & Transcript on Page A5: NB Must Pursue Uranium.

Reading the comments made by our Minister of Natural Resources, Donald Arsenault, one is lead to conclude that our government is again putting profit over the health of the people of New Brunswick. We are being shafted by our government again! This government has got its head stuck in a hole of "self-sufficiency" with no regard for common sense.

First, the mineral uranium, be it rough or refined, has been classified by the Environmental Protection Agency as a hazardous material. In Nova Scotia, where there is a moratorium against uranium mining, the issue is controlled by the Minister of Environment. Our Minister of Natural Resources should not have control of this dirty mineral, as you can see that he has a very different agenda.

Our Premier is looking for "short-term gain for long-term pain". I suggest he take a tour of Northern Saskatchewan and see for himself the devastation of the rivers and lakes, and confirm the increased cancer rates in that area. Our Premier doesn't seem to think of our children. The greed for profit has created tunnel vision.

The mining company, Inco, has a terrible track record on the environment and is currently under litigation for the polluting in Sudbury in 1994. In 2005 the Globe and Mail gave Inco a failing grade for corporate social and environmental responsibility.

Uranium, if mined at all, should not be in a populated area or near watershed. This potential strip of uranium follows the Cobequid Mountain Range which is densely populated. The Minister says, "Jobs!" Well, 20,000 mining workers have died as a direct result of cancer from uranium. Who wants that kind of job? Open pit mining will cause uranium to be airborne, or hydrogeology, another method of mining, will demand water from our water table and produce uranium-laden mud puddles which have leaked and ruined water for life.

Nuclear energy is a mistake. Our climate is becoming much more unpredictable. The reactor in Japan which has been damaged, leaking radioactive water, Chernobyl, Three-Mile Island and the related deaths and cancer; this is not the future I choose for my family or yours. If a windmill fell over as a result of an earthquake, we would just stand it up again.

Minister Arsenault says we shouldn't let this boat go by because of the high price of uranium. Again, that's profit over health. As for allowing prospectors on our land to explore, we the people of New Brunswick, must protect ourselves.

We need to heed the example of the Fontaines. They are a family that live near me and had an exploration company bully their way on to their organic farm in 2005. A hole was drilled behind their house at a depth of 1400 feet where a vein of bad water was struck under tremendous pressure. They could not cap the water so they let it run into the nearby brook.

The next day the vegetation was dead around the brook. Eventually, two weeks later, they capped the well at a level of 75 feet. This, of course, contaminated the drinking water to their house. To this day, their problem has not been fixed.

Our Health Minister, Mike Murphy, went to inspect and he followed up with a letter to the company. CBC did a news segment on their predicament, and as yet, these actions have still not yielded a
resolution. It will be two years this November that the Fontaines have to carry water from their livestock well which is 500 meters away.

So, due to the sloppy procedures and unpredictability of drilling, we can tell the prospectors, "Due to Fontaines' Law you will not explore on my property!"

If someone is getting harassed by exploration companies, we will stand together to fight! This government is out of their minds. I don't think uranium mines and tourism are on the same page. Mr. Graham, I strongly suggest touring devastated Northern Saskatchewan before you make a huge mistake.

Mike Milligan,
Shediac River

10 Things You Should Know About Uranium Mining

1."Exploration crews searching for uranium will receive radiation exposure from uranium and its associated radioactive decay products in the drill core cuttings" (Radiation Protection Guidelines for Uranium Exploration. Saskatchewan Labour Department, Occupational Health and Safety Division: http://www,labour.gov.sk.ca/safety).

2. "Whether or not [uranium] mining is conducted in open pits or underground, there are environmental health hazards and impacts to workers and the general public that need to be considered. These include radiation hazards from radon gas, radium, thorium, and non-radioactive contamination from dust and heavy metals such as arsenic, lead, and nickel" (Health Canada, Environment and workplace health. Canadian Handbook on Health Impact Assessment. Volume 4, Chapter 5.4 Uranium Mining. http://hc-sc.gc.ca/ewh-semt).

3. Radiation is one of the few exposures for which the cause-effect relationship with childhood leukemia has been established (Belson et al. 2007). Children are 20% more sensitive to radioactivity because their cells are actively dividing.

4. Uranium mining creates risks to workers and the community in several ways: through radioactive dust and radon released from exploring, milling, and tailing piles. (Stephens and Ahern 2001. Institute for Environment and Development. World Business Council for Sustainable Development)

5. Uranium enters the body by ingestion or inhaling airborne uranium – contain dust particles or aerosols. Uranium is absorbed from the intestine or lungs, enters the bloodstream, and is rapidly deposited in the tissues, predominately kidney and bone excreted in the urine. (Taylor and Taylor 1997)

6. "Inhalation of radon and radon progeny [daughter products] lead to radiation exposure of the bronchial tissue of the lung with a resultant risk of cancer" (Health Canada: Environmental and Workplace Health. Exposure Guidelines for Residential Indoor Air Quality Section 4.B.2 Radon). Risks of lung cancer in uranium workers, who have been exposed to higher levels of radon, or to longer periods of low exposure, are 2 to 5 times higher than unexposed workers. (Stephens and Ahern 2001. Institute of Environment and Development. World Business Council for Sustainable Development).

7. "The current Canadian guideline for residential radon levels is two to four times weaker than European and Australian guidelines, more than five times weaker than American guidelines, and more than three times weaker than the World Health Organization recommendation" (www.davidsuzuki.org).

8. Residents living near uranium mining operation have a higher risk of genetic damage than people living further away. (Au et al 1998). "radon is the second most significant cause of lung cancer after smoking tobacco, and accounts for approximately 9 to 15 percent of lung cancer deaths" (www.davidsuzuki.org).

9. Miners exposed to uranium are at increased risk of various degrees of genetic damage. . (Stephens and Ahern 2001. Institute of Environment and Development. World Business Council for Sustainable Development).

10. Uranium mining is a federal responsibility, but according to the British Columbia Medical Association to a Royal Commission on Uranium Mining, "the Atomic Energy Control Board is unfit to regulate uranium mining".



Terms and Definitions

Genotoxic
A term used to describe toxic agents that can cause mutations in genes (DNA). Known genotoxins include X-rays and other forms of radiation, some synthetic chemicals, and viruses. Since genes are passed down to the next generation, the damage induced by genotoxins can be inherited.

Mutations
Sudden changes in the genetic material of a cell. Mutations occur naturally at a low rate but may increase as a result of radiation, some chemicals, and viruses. Some mutations are beneficial but the majority of mutations are harmful.

Radiation
A stream of particles, alpha, beta, and/or gamma particles, from a radioactive source like X-ray or uranium.

Uranium
A radioactive element and is the mineral uraninite which also contains radium, thorium, polonium, lead and helium.

Plutonium-239, Radium-224, Radium-226, Radium- 228, Radon-222 and Thorium-232 and their decay products
These are classified as known carcinogens by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). X-rays and gamma radiation are also classed as known carcinogens by the IARC.

Half-life
The time it takes for half of the original radioactive material to transform into daughter products, which may or may not be radioactive.

Radium-226
Has a half-life of 1602 years

Radon-222
A radioactive gas. It is one of the decay products of radium 226. Radon occurs naturally particularly in the areas underlain by granite. In 2007, Health Canada changed the exposure action level for radon on "normal occupancy areas" from 800Bq/m3 to 200Bq/m3.

CBC news

Sounds like somebody is trying to produce fear in people so as to buy up land real cheap.

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"I wanna see some wrasslin."

beansprout wrote:

Sounds like somebody is trying to produce fear in people so as to buy up land real cheap.

I hope you're right. It's working for me. I don't like the looks of it. Hope it's all a bunch of bs but doesn't look like it.

The world is getting messy and a lot of rich people want a safe clean place to live. If they can buy up lots of Newbrunswick they can develope it anyway they like. They would still be able to make money in the big cities while living the life of relaxation associated with Newbrunswick. Think of the real estate potential. Be prepared for somebody's version of 100 reasons why Newbrunswickers should leave their province in a few years. Tha uranium idea is just a smokescreen to mask the massive land takeover.

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"I wanna see some wrasslin."

You may be right, you do have a point. Seems we are fighting one thing after another.
There is a public meeting tomorrow at the Notre Dame center at 1:00. I plan on attending to see what is up with this. When I get back I'll let you know what I found out.

every time someone wants to create work around someone complains that it this or that    ..but the also complain we have no work and low  paying jobs in nb   so make up your minds to you want work and high paying jobs and prosperity  a or do you want to stay like this

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stupidity governs the world