Chalk River Nuclear Fiasco

The real issue at Chalk River.   We were all outraged at the shut down of the Chalk River Nuclear Reactor and then the forced reopening by the government.  Firing Linda Keen is a knee jerk reaction by a Harper government wanting to appear to be doing something.   The real question is why is this 50 year old reactor still running.  Two new reactors at Chalk River were supposed to come on line in 1999 and 2000.  These new generation reactors named Maple 1 and Maple 2, designed to use weapons grade Uranium, were supposed to be the first of Canada's  new generation reactors.   These new generation reactors have failed to acquire a license for operation as they are having a problem with runaway chain reactions.  The original price for these reactors was 136 million$.  In 2004, already 5 years behind schedule they were 160 million over budget.   There is a licensing review in September to see if the safety issues have been addressed.  To date the cost overrun is sitting around 300 million bringing the total to over 460 million to date and still no functioning safe reactor.   The McGuinty Government has promised over 46 billion to the nuclear power industry to build new generation reactors.  By my estimate that probably means over a 100 billion of our money by the time cost overruns are accounted for.  This for a technology that is not safe and is not reliable.  The average nuclear plant is on-line less then 60% of the time and no reactor has even approached its designed life span.   Despite the safety concerns and design problems with the new reactors, the McGuinty government has promised to wave the environmental assessment for the new reactors.  If nuclear power is so safe,  how come there is an exemption for nuclear accidents in all home owners insurance policies.  Yes I challenge you to take out the papers and read it for yourself.   We are about to be inundated with new adds from the Nuclear power industry, paid for with our tax money,  about the safety, reliability and cost effectiveness of nuclear power and how it is the answer to global warming.  These reactors are not safe.  They are not reliable.  Considering the time frame it takes to build one, they will not be ready in time to stop climate chaos.  What they are is the most expensive and unreliable way to boil water we have ever invented.  They discharge radioactive Tritium into our water and leave a legacy of waste for our children and their children to clean up for the next 100 thousand years.