The Proximity Principle Petition collected over 2,000 signatures, and was presented at the Ontario Legislative Assembly on May 30, 2023.
View a copy of the Proximity Principle petition.
The Petition asks that Ontario adopt the Proximity Principle with respect to the management of radioactive wastes, and to direct Ontario Power Generation to further its development of robust extended storage systems at or near the point of generation.
The Proximity Principle, embodied in much European legislation, dictates that wastes be managed close to their points of production. If adopted, the Proximity Principle would dictate that nuclear waste in southern Ontario be managed near the nuclear power reactors where it was produced.
Due to a petition formatting issue, 1,141 of the collected signatures were presented in the Legislature.
UPDATE: MINISTER’S RESPONSES, as of March 2024
Ontario’s Minister of Energy, Todd Smith, responded to the petition. View the Ontario Minister of Energy’s Response to the Proximity Principle petition.
We the Nuclear Free North replied to Minister Smith’s response on Nov. 24, 2023, offering further information and requesting a meeting. View We the Nuclear Free North’s reply to Minister Smith regarding the Proximity Principle petition.
Minister Smith replied to We the Nuclear Free North’s reply, on March 7, 2024, indicating that he was too busy for a meeting, and asserting that the safety of Canadians is being ensured by the Provincial and Federal governments. View Minister Smith’s reply.
Download our May 30, 2023 Media Release: Petition Demands Nuclear Fuel Waste Be Managed Close to Points of Generation at Nuclear Generating Stations
Download our Backgrounder on High Level Nu
We the Nuclear Free North 