Critics accuse nuclear safety official of acting as industry cheerleader

As reported by Gloria Galloway in an article in The Globe and Mail entitled "Critics accuse nuclear safety official of acting as industry cheerleader":

Opposition politicians and environmentalists are questioning the priorities of the man responsible for nuclear safety in Canada after a string of incidents in which he publicly defended the industry and was dismissive of concerns about potential hazards – a stance that runs contrary to his mandate at the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission.

The CNSC was established by the federal government to protect the health and safety of Canadians and to regulate the use, possession and storage of all nuclear substances in Canada. No part of its mission entails promotion of the country’s reactors. But, in the more than eight years that Michael Binder has served as president of the CNSC, he has repeatedly extolled the merits of the nuclear industry and chastised critics who voiced concerns about potential hazards. [see entire article here]

This news article followed a letter, signed by a binational coalition of environmental groups, including Beyond Nuclear, to the Canadian federal Minister of Natural Resources, Jim Carr, who has oversight on the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission. The coalition letter, sent on Oct. 11th, was spearheaded by Ziggy Kleinau, of the Bruce Peninsula Environment Group. (See the French language version of the coalition letter, here.)

 The letter stemmed from a scathing report by the Canadian Federal Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, regarding significant failures by the CNSC to do its job to protect public health, safety and the environment from nuclear power's risks. Given the two highest CNSC officers' acknowledgment of the accuracy of the Canadian Federal Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development's report, and their refusal to tender their resignations, the environmental coalition urged Minster Carr to relieve the two CNSC leaders of their duties.

See The Globe and Mail's coverage of the Canadian Federal Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development's scathing report about CNSC's failures, here.

Beyond Nuclear -- a "serial intervenor" in the words of the CNSC -- has been involved in many Canadian nuclear proceedings over the past decade. This has included butting heads with CNSC staff, Commissioners, and even its President -- Dr. Binder himself -- on numerous ocassions!