Press release - August 20, 2006
Greenpeace Canada, 21 Aug 06 - Greenpeace activists staged a picket today at the Dalton McGuinty Golf Tour, taking place at the Angus Glen golf club in Markham, Ontario. Activists held a banner stating “Nuclear Power = Bogey Time” and calling the Premier “Dalton the Duffer” for botching the province’s electricity plan. McGuinty has supported a massive nuclear power program, betrayed his commitment to phase out coal generation, and made only a minimal commitment to green power.
Greenpeace activists staged a picket today at the Dalton
McGuintyGolf Tour, taking place at the Angus Glen golf club in
Markham,Ontario. Activists held a banner stating "Nuclear Power =
Bogey Time"and calling the Premier "Dalton the Duffer" for botching
the province'selectricity plan. McGuinty has supported a massive
nuclear powerprogram, betrayed his commitment to phase out coal
generation, and madeonly a minimal commitment to green power.
"The Premier could have made a hole-in-one with green power,
butinstead, he bogied the hole by going for nuclear power. Dalton
McGuintyis the ultimate duffer on electricity issues, " said
Shawn-PatrickStensil, Greenpeace Energy Campaigner. "In the
golf-game of electricitypolicy, Premier McGuinty has totally missed
the green. He has slicedtowards nuclear power and hooked towards
coal."
The McGuinty government called a by-election for September
14thin the riding of Parkdale-High Park, vacated by Gerard Kennedy
after hedecided to run for the federal Liberal leadership. The
Liberals arealready downplaying their chance of winning the riding
and McGuinty'scontroversial electricity plan is expected to have a
high profile inthe upcoming by-election.
"As Premier McGuinty tees off in Markham, Ontarians
areincreasingly teed off about his electricity policy that offers
theworst of all worlds. Nuclear power means 60,000 tonnes of
radioactivewaste and the risk of meltdown. Coal power means more
smog, acid rainand climate change," said Dave Martin, Greenpeace
Energy Coordinator."Ontario has the green power potential to go
green, but McGuinty hasmade a political choice to go nuclear."
According to a recent study published by Greenpeace and
otherenvironmental groups, Ontario has more than double the green
energypotential to meet electricity demand in 2020 without nuclear
or coal.
In June, the McGuinty government released the
government's20-year electricity plan, calling for over $40 billion
to be spent onthe reconstruction of all of Ontario's ageing nuclear
reactors and tobuild new reactors for the first time since the
1970s. Since promisingan "open and public debate" on nuclear power
in May 2005, the McGuintygovernment has consistently blocked
meaningful public discussion, andeven exempted its electricity plan
from a provincial environmentalassessment.