Thank Goodness for these young people and for Greenpeace.  Maybe sanity will prevail. 

The battle has been waging in Ontario:

• The Government is moving ahead with plans to build new reactors, in spite of what is happening in Japan. 
• The issue of the transport of the radioactive generators from the nuclear plants through the Great Lakes to Sweden.
• The industry working with the Government.
• “Hearings” that don’t hear. 

Today’s news, Greenpeace drawing attention to the “hearings” is yet another example:  corporatocracy breeds civil unrest. 

The goals of the corporations are opposed to the goals of citizens. 

From  2004-09-13  J. K. Galbraith, “The Economics of Innocent Fraud”.   PPPs (Public Private Partnerships) 

“As the corporate interest moves to power in what was the public sector, it serves, predictably, the corporate interest.  That is its purpose.”  

1. The Greenpeace notice is followed by news reports from
2. The Toronto Star
3. The Vancouver Sun

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1.   —– Original Message —–

From: Greenpeace Canada

Sent: Tuesday, March 22, 2011 7:52 AM

Subject: LIVE: Greenpeace shuts down Darlington nuclear hearing 

With thanks to Elaine. 

Who writes 

video isn’t great but …..check it out!  Read the supportive Comments on the right-hand side

View this email online Happening now: Greenpeace shuts down Darlington nuclear hearingGreenpeace activists have shut down hearings for new nuclear reactors in Ontario by locking themselves down in front of the panel at the centre of the hearing.Watch live streaming video from inside the hearings. The four activists have locked themselves in front of the panel to prevent the hearing from continuin with a banner that reads “No nukes are safe – Stop Darlington”. Other volunteers have taped over their mouths, symbolically bearing witness to a flawed hearing process that fails to allow discussion of important issues such as catastrophic events and clean energy alternatives. The government of Ontario is moving full speed ahead to build new nuclear reactors at Darlington, just outside of Toronto, even while a nuclear disaster continues to unfold in Japan. Last week and again yesterday, Greenpeace and other groups called for the hearings to be suspended until more is known about safety concerns highlighted by the events in Japan, but this call has been ignored. Take action with us: Email Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty and Opposition leader Tim Hudak demanding Ontario choose safe and clean energy alternatives. Donate      View Online      Unsubscribe

2.       TORONTO STAR

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/957878–greenpeace-disrupts-darlington-nuclear-hearings

Greenpeace crashes Darlington nuclear hearings

John Spears Business Reporter

Greenpeace demonstrators have brought hearings into new nuclear reactors to a halt.

Around 9 a.m., demonstrations began by nine protesters, four of whom chained themselves to a table at the front of the room in a church in Courtice where a panel is hearing safety and environmental issues on the proposed new reactors.

Shortly after 11 a.m., a police officer and hearing officials asked the four chained protestsors if they would move to the back of the room.

If they didn’t move, the officer said, “you’re going to be removed, and arrested and held for a bail hearing.”

The protestors declined.

“We’re continuing to disrupt the hearings that are happening today that we feel are unjust, especially given the situation that’s happening in Japan,” said Laura Severinac, one of the four.

“We feel that nuclear energy is dirty, dangerous and expensive and we want these hearings suspended.”

The five women who had not chained themselves to the table agreed to move to the back of the hearing room with their protest sign.

But the four who had chained themselves to the table refused to budge.

“We’re not prepared to leave until they stop the hearing,” said Alex Speers-Roesch, one of the four.

The four demonstrators who had chained themselves to the table held up banners reading “No Nukes are Safe, Stop Darlington.”

Although the protest wasn’t physically preventing the hearings from proceeding, Chairman Alan Graham called an adjournment when he asked them to move.

Five of the demonstrators have taped their mouths closed.

“We don’t want these hearings to be used as a promotion for OPG’s project,” said Greenpeace spokesman Shawn-Patrick Stensil.

“This process shouldn’t be used to legitimate that project.”

Ontario Power Generation, or OPG, wants to build the new reactors.

The demonstration follows a request Monday by environmental groups who had asked the panel to postpone the hearings in light of the nuclear crisis in Japan. They had argued for a pause to that more information on the Japanese crisis could be gathered.

The panel refused to delay the hearings, and they had been due to resume this morning.

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3.        VANCOUVER SUN

http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/Greenpeace+activists+delay+nuclear+hearings/4483521/story.html

Greenpeace activists delay Ont. nuclear hearings

Postmedia News March 22, 2011 8:03 AM

Hearings into Ontario’s plans to build new nuclear reactors were delayed Tuesday following a protest by Greenpeace demonstrators.

Four demonstrators chained themselves to a table at a church in Courtice, Ont., where the hearings were being held. The demonstrators held up banners reading “No nukes are safe” and “Stop Darlington.” Five more demonstrators with a similar banner taped their mouths shut.

Allan Graham, the chair of the hearings, adjourned the second day of proceedings after the demonstrators silently refused when asked to move. The hearings were expected to resume later in the day.

The hearings are investigating environmental and safety issues surrounding Ontario Power Generation’s plans to build new nuclear reactors at the province’s Darlington nuclear power plant.

Staff from the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency and Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission were scheduled to present their conclusions on Ontario Power Generation’s environmental assessments Tuesday morning.

Greenpeace campaigner Sean-Patrick Stensil tweeted from the hearings, saying “GP activists lock down Darlington hearings.”

On Monday, Graham had rejected calls from several groups for the hearings to be postponed.

The hearings are scheduled to run until April 8.

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