To Whom It May Concern: I am writing to ask you to take measures to stop exploration and mining of uranium in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Mining uranium from open pits or by underground excavation results in large stockpiles of radioactive and toxic waste rock and tailings. These mines and waste sites contaminate water and result in the release of radon gas into the atmosphere for centuries, even millennia. These wastes will be a toxic inheritance that our children and their children will need to manage in perpetuity. Recently, Nova Scotia's all-party Resources Committee voted unanimously to uphold the non-legislated uranium mining moratorium. In New Brunswick, a resolution is being tabled in the provincial legislature on April 24th, calling for a moratorium on uranium mining and prospecting. I am writing today to ask you to establish a legislated ban on uranium mining and exploration in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. In addition, each province should establish formal mechanisms to ensure the public is fully engaged in decisions surrounding uranium mining and exploration. I am deeply concerned that if we permit uranium mining and exploration, we will create more problems than we can fix and will put the environment and human health at risk. By engaging in supplying the nuclear power industry, we are also diverting much-needed attention and support for truly sustainable solutions to climate change, such as wind power. I would like you to consider the following impacts of uranium mining: - People living around uranium mines are at risk of exposure to radioactive materials released into water and air as gas or dust. Uranium miners are exposed to greater amounts of radiation than considered acceptable to the general public. Miners who are exposed to high doses of radiation or low levels of radiation over long periods are 2 to 5 times more likely to develop lung cancer. - Uranium mines, mills, and waste sites release radioactive contaminants, heavy metals, and other pollutants into watercourses and groundwater. Effluent from uranium mines and mills is classified as toxic by the Canadian Environmental Protection Act. Extracting uranium by leaching the ore from the ground using harsh chemicals - sometimes thought to be less damaging than open pit or underground mining - will result in groundwater contamination that cannot be avoided. - Uranium mining and waste storage sites release radionuclides, radon gas, and heavy metals into the atmosphere. Milling, which uses acidic or alkaline chemicals to refine uranium, results in the release of greenhouse gases such as nitrous oxide, volatile organic compounds, and carbon dioxide. - Aside from direct damage to landscapes and watercourses, uranium mines create contaminated zones polluted by radioactive waste and heavy metals. Fish sampled from lakes around uranium mines in Saskatchewan have concentrations of nickel, cadmium, and other heavy metal that are up to 43 times higher than normal levels. Caribou that consume lichens from around uranium mines in Northern Canada are laden with radiation, with consequences for consumers of caribou meat. - Nuclear power plants fuelled by uranium are barriers to combating climate change. This is because nuclear power plants are too costly and take too long to construct to address our urgent need to combat climate change. Ratepayers in Ontario are currently paying back billions of dollars for cost over-runs at their nuclear power plants. Even when risk to human health and the environment are not taken into consideration, using nuclear energy to reduce a tonne of greenhouse gas is seven times more expensive than natural gas and one and a half times more expensive than wind power, according to data from CIBC World Markets and the Ontario Power Authority. I would like you to provide details on how you will respond to these concerns, and I look forward to your response. Sincerely,