“I really don’t know why the province hasn’t accepted its responsibility to protect its citizens”, says Gail Cockburn, grandmother of four.
“Is it because if they don’t talk about it, they don’t have to deal with it?”
For decades, Gail has worried about the lack of nuclear emergency plans for her community, Whitby, which is sandwiched between the Darlington and Pickering nuclear plants just outside Toronto.
That’s why she joined Durham Nuclear Awareness (DNA) following the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, which afflicted thousands with thyroid and other cancers. A nurse, Gail had read extensively on radiation and wanted to warn others of the risks.
“Next thing I knew, I was doing activism”, she laughs.
Since the 80s, DNA has been raising awareness about nuclear risks and calling for increased public safety. They even polled locals and found overwhelming support for planning for a large-scale nuclear accident -- but the nuclear industry, municipalities, and provincial government still dismissed them
But the Fukushima nuclear disaster, Gail says, “woke people up.”
She watched as hundreds of people called for the government to prepare for Fukushima-scale accidents at hearings held by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission.
In response to public pressure, the Commission forced reactor operators to mail potassium iodide (KI) pills to everyone within 10 km of Durham’s reactors - something DNA had been calling for since the eighties.
But this response isn’t extensive enough to protect people from the long shadow of nuclear plants, Gail says -- both Fukushima and Chernobyl’s radiation traveled long distances with the wind.
“Hopefully we never need these plans. But you can’t hide your head in the sand, or it will be chaos - just like in Fukushima.”
Japan was unprepared for Fukushima, she says, because authorities pretended a major nuclear accident couldn’t happen.
“And that’s what we’re concerned about. People need to know ahead of time what to do.”
Despite raising concerns since the Pickering reactors were built in the 70s, Gail still has more questions than answers.
“Are there going to be buses to take the kids out of school? I think of people I know who are my age and disabled -- what are they going to do?”
But in spite of everything, Gail still has hope.
Even though it’s intimidating, Gail says, “people are writing letters, speaking at hearings” since Fukushima.
This pressure has forced the Ontario government to ask Ontarians whether we should be prepared for a Fukushima-type accident or not.
Ontario is holding its first ever public consultation on nuclear emergency response.
This is “a great chance for all of us to make our voices heard”, says Gail.
People speaking out reminds government they’re here to protect people not industry.
After all these years, thanks to people like Gail, the government is finally asking the right question.
Please join Gail in in ensuring they hear the right answer.
Tell Premier Wynne Ontarians deserve the most robust-nuclear emergency plans in the world.
The provincial nuclear emergency plan review closes on Friday July 14, 2017.