SOCIAL AND ABORIGINAL COMMUNITY: CRITIQUE
Public Involvement
Public involvement is a very important part of any Environmental Impact Assessment process. Ontario Power Generation inc. successfully understands the pertinence of informing and including the general public. As seen in the "Public Involvement" section of the present website, the general public has been involved for many years in the progression of the New Nuclear Darlington project. To only name a few: phone lines, email adresses, notification letters, many information sessions and surveys were amongst the many available ways to enable the public to inform themselves and express their concerns. As far as Public Involvement is concerned, the New Nuclear Darlington project adequately and very successfully involved the general public.
Public involvement is a very important part of any Environmental Impact Assessment process. Ontario Power Generation inc. successfully understands the pertinence of informing and including the general public. As seen in the "Public Involvement" section of the present website, the general public has been involved for many years in the progression of the New Nuclear Darlington project. To only name a few: phone lines, email adresses, notification letters, many information sessions and surveys were amongst the many available ways to enable the public to inform themselves and express their concerns. As far as Public Involvement is concerned, the New Nuclear Darlington project adequately and very successfully involved the general public.
Were the public's concerns adequately addressed?
However, although every concern, opinion and comment was recorded during the process, one can argue that they have not all been adressed. For example, as described in the "Social Impacts" section of this website, Anti-Nuclear movements such as Greenpeace have been protesting against the addition of new reactors. The mere fact that these movements with many followers are protesting against this project, sets in a doubt that OPG has not been successful in adressing the community's concerns and reassuring the population. It is of upmost importance that OPG ensures that the general population surrounding the Darlington site feels reassured and confident about their safety in regards to the addition of new reactors. If not, even though the efforts they put into involving the public can be deemed satisfatory, the way in which they adressed the population's worries would not. |
Moreover, the proponent claims that once the project is up and running, the surrounding population will familiarize itself to the newly added reactors and the "negative reputation" associated with the nuclear project will diminish through time. One could argue that making a claim as such, is simply a way of avoiding an important, and ongoing problem.
Social Impacts
The EIS states that approximately 7,500 direct, other direct and indirect jobs will be created across the RSA during the Construction phase of the project. Obviously, this is positive for the surrounding workforce community. Nevertheless, the EIS does not mention that the construction phase usually represents temporary jobs. Although they do mention that approximately 7,300 direct, other direct and indirect jobs will be in effect during the Operation and Maintenance phase of the project, they do not mention that there is a big difference in the jobs created by the Construction phase and the ones created by the other phases. The individuals contributing to the construction of the reactors might not have the same abilities as the individuals that will be hired for Operation and Maintenance of the project. It is likely that the individuals hired during the construction phase may find themselves with no job after the construction of the reactors is finalized. Therefore, although the creation of employment opportunities is a good point raised by the proponent, they do not specify if these new jobs involve temporary or permanent positions within the company.
"The Panel recommends that the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, in collaboration with Health Canada, require OPG to develop and implement a detailed acoustic assessment for all scenarios evaluated. The predictions must be shared with potentially affected members of the public. The OPG Nuisance Effects Management Plan must include noise monitoring, a noise complaint response mechanism and best practices for activities that may occur outside of municipal noise curfew hours to reduce nnoyance that the public may experience."
Consequently, although these management programs are very beneficial and necessary, further efforts into making them more detailed would have been needed in order to have a complete assessment and mitigation method evaluations.
Darlington Nuclear Site Recreational Features
Like previously discussed in the Mitigation measures of the "Social Impacts" section, the Darlington Nuclear site offers a variety of recreational features available for use by people of the community. This is a very impressive way to compensate for any negative concerns the general public may have in regards to the power plant. The population can take advantage of the soccer fields, the baseball field and the wildlife trails located on the site owned by OPG inc.
It is a very positive initiative that OPG has included recreational features on their site. Other nuclear power plant sites, like Bruce Power Nuclear Plant, for example, does not offer recreational activies on their site. Although the Bruce Power generating station is located right by Provincial parks, they are not responsible for them, do not own them and it does not offer the activity span like the Darlington site does. The addition of these activities render the site more family-friendly and partake in improving the negative connotation some people may have in regards to nuclear power plants.
- Employment
The EIS states that approximately 7,500 direct, other direct and indirect jobs will be created across the RSA during the Construction phase of the project. Obviously, this is positive for the surrounding workforce community. Nevertheless, the EIS does not mention that the construction phase usually represents temporary jobs. Although they do mention that approximately 7,300 direct, other direct and indirect jobs will be in effect during the Operation and Maintenance phase of the project, they do not mention that there is a big difference in the jobs created by the Construction phase and the ones created by the other phases. The individuals contributing to the construction of the reactors might not have the same abilities as the individuals that will be hired for Operation and Maintenance of the project. It is likely that the individuals hired during the construction phase may find themselves with no job after the construction of the reactors is finalized. Therefore, although the creation of employment opportunities is a good point raised by the proponent, they do not specify if these new jobs involve temporary or permanent positions within the company.
- The "Stigmatization" of community image and character
- Lack of certain Mitigation Measures
- Traffic Management and Nuisance-Effects Management programs
- The Panel Report recommended the following
- contingency plans to address the possibility that the assumed road improvements do not occur
- consideration of the effect of truck traffic associated with excavated material disposal on traffic operations and safety
- further analysis of queuing potential ontoHighway 401
- consideration of a wider range of mitigation measures, such as transportation-demand management, transit service provisions and geometric improvements at the Highway 401/Waverley Road interchange."
"The Panel recommends that the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, in collaboration with Health Canada, require OPG to develop and implement a detailed acoustic assessment for all scenarios evaluated. The predictions must be shared with potentially affected members of the public. The OPG Nuisance Effects Management Plan must include noise monitoring, a noise complaint response mechanism and best practices for activities that may occur outside of municipal noise curfew hours to reduce nnoyance that the public may experience."
Consequently, although these management programs are very beneficial and necessary, further efforts into making them more detailed would have been needed in order to have a complete assessment and mitigation method evaluations.
Darlington Nuclear Site Recreational Features
Like previously discussed in the Mitigation measures of the "Social Impacts" section, the Darlington Nuclear site offers a variety of recreational features available for use by people of the community. This is a very impressive way to compensate for any negative concerns the general public may have in regards to the power plant. The population can take advantage of the soccer fields, the baseball field and the wildlife trails located on the site owned by OPG inc.
It is a very positive initiative that OPG has included recreational features on their site. Other nuclear power plant sites, like Bruce Power Nuclear Plant, for example, does not offer recreational activies on their site. Although the Bruce Power generating station is located right by Provincial parks, they are not responsible for them, do not own them and it does not offer the activity span like the Darlington site does. The addition of these activities render the site more family-friendly and partake in improving the negative connotation some people may have in regards to nuclear power plants.
Impacts on Aboriginals
Ontario Power Generation has had a Native Circle in place for many years now. The company takes a lot of heart in including Aboriginal communities in assessments of new projects as well as for ongoing operations of existing projects. No residual adverse impacts were identified by the proponent affecting aboriginal communities. As previously mentioned in the Mitigation part of the "Aboriginal community impacts" section of the present website, no mitigation measures were brought forward. However, follow-up programs and monitoring were proposed and are stressed by the Aboriginal communities in order to ensure that their concerns are heard throughout the progression of the project. Because of the extensive mutual relationship that exists between OPG and surrounding communities, and because the Aboriginal communities agree that no residual impacts will directly affect their activities, it can be assumed that the proponent has done an adequate assessment for Aboriginal Impacts. As long as the communities' concerns and feedback are continuously recorded and addressed, OPG will continue to have the great relationship it presently has with First Nation communities |