uranium mining in the region

As if the threat of sulfide mines wasn't enough, Michigan and surrounding states and provinces may soon be the target of uranium mining proposals. The region is ill-prepared for this potential. This 2006 piece from Save the Wild UP puts it well:

Given that the price of uranium has risen from $7 per pound in 2001 to $40 per pound today, and that exploration for uranium is taking place in the Upper Peninsula, it becomes “when”, not “if” uranium mining appears imminent. Present and future world energy needs demand more nuclear production, so that even low-grade uranium ores may become profitable.

http://www.savethewildup.org/facts/?id=403

Over in Ontario, things are even hotter. Courtesy of Kay Cumbow:

Blockade and Hunger Strike Call For a Moratorium on Uranium Mining in Ontario

 On June 28, 2007, the Ardoch Algonquin and Shabot Obaadijiwan First Nations of Eastern Ontario, along with many supporters, began a blockade of the Frontenec Ventures Corporation’s staging area for uranium mining exploration in 30,000 acres around Lake Sharbot. The First Nations claim aboriginal and jurisdictional rights to the land.

 The protesters are calling for a moratorium on uranium mining in Ontario. Such a moratorium has passed into law in Nova Scotia.  On October 19 2007, the blockade was lifted when the Ontario government agreed to twelve weeks of mediated negotiation with the First Nations and signed an agreement pledging to consult the nations on the future of the mining operation. Robert Lovelace of the Ardoch Nation said “the direct action was very important and I think very successful”. Chief Doreen Davis of the Shabot Obaadijiwan and Co-Chief Paula Sherman of the Ardoch Algonquin issued a statement saying that “We are cautiously optimistic that this matter can be resolved and believe that this proposal provides the parties with the opportunity to do so.”

 The Ontario Provincial Police are trying to cultivate a good relationship with the local communities and largely refrained from interfering in the protest even after a judge handed down an injunction to break it up. In 1995 an unarmed Chippewa protester, Dudley George, was shot dead by the Ontario Provincial Police during an occupation by First Nations claiming territorial rights in Ipperwash Provincial Park.

 The two First Nations are being sued by the mining company and have filed a $10 million counterclaim. They are also seeking $1 billion from Ontario for breach of fiduciary duty and breach of duty to consult. It is also an election year, so the issue has been very ticklish politically.

 A supporter from the local settler community, Donna Dillman, 53, aka Gramma Donna, resolved to stage her own protest and started a hunger strike on October 8 in a tent trailer on the blockade site. Now closing in on 50 days, Donna has taken her protest to Queen’s Park next to the Ontario government’s seat in Toronto. This has renewed the pressure on the government with almost a tag team effect. Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty stated that Dillman should not endanger her health. This outraged Dillman who said “this is about our grandchildren and the future health of the province, why should my health be considered and not theirs?” Said Dr. Gordon Edwards, President of the Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility “The brave men and women who are blockading the Sharbot Lake site are not only protecting their own land, they are also protecting the Ottawa River and the entire Ottawa region from radioactive contamination”

 Gramma Donna has been keeping a blog at www.ccamu.ca , the official website of the Community Coalition Against Mining Uranium.