LOOKING BACK & AHEAD 3 OCT 2018 7:30PM
“Looking Back & Ahead – BPEG & Ontario’s Energy Landscape”
Barbara Bobo, BPEG media committee
Ziggy Kleinau is 89 and his eyesight has failed but he is as energetic and passionate as ever about the environment. So he came back to his beloved Bruce Peninsula from his retirement home in Hamilton recently to speak to the Bruce Peninsula Environment Group, the organization he co-founded almost 30 years ago and which thrives to this day. A long time crusader for all things green, well before it was a word on everyone’s lips, Ziggy worked tirelessly to encourage what is now becoming commonplace — alternative energy, recycling, and generally living ecologically.
In his talk at BPEG’s monthly meeting in Christ Church Parish Hall on Oct. 3, Ziggy began by graciously mentioning the names of many of those who helped the community and the group achieve its environmental goals, among them BPEG co-founder Linda Hoita, councillor Tom Boyle and his waste management efforts, Johanna and Bob Large, who established the first Farmers Market at the arena, and Megan Myles, who was influential in reviving the market at its present site at the beach in Lion’s Head, where it remains enormously popular, Glen Estill and his groundbreaking energy tours … the list of volunteers and their achievements goes on … Ziggy, who for many years had an off-the-grid home near Lion’s Head and was a tireless advocate for renewable energy, recounted various events around the building of Bruce Power’s nuclear plant near Inverhuron Provincial Park. The power station is government owned, but currently leased to Bruce Nuclear. Ziggy noted that the Candian Nuclear Safetly Commission which licenses nuclear power stations has never turned down a licensing request. Ontario has 20 reactors operating under license from the CNSC according to Ziggy.
Our second speaker, Janet McNeill (janet.mcneill@gmail.com) is active in raising public awareness and in the monitoring of our nuclear plants in Ontario.. Janet has worked for years in promoting public awareness of the hazards of the nuclear industry and pointing out that just two grams of Cesium-137 (one of the products of nuclear fission) equivalent in weight to one American dime, would contaminate an area the size of Central Park in New York City.
Janet also spoke about a new program to help individuals build radiation monitors. The device is called the Safecast bGeigie Nano, and is built from a kit available from Durham College. Mobile workshops are available at their website (shop.kithub.cc/products/safecast-begged-nano).
There is much work to be done in keeping our lovely peninsula and the waters that surround it safe and accessible to all inhabitants. And interestingly, according to these speakers, nuclear is still more expensive that other methods of power production, and perhaps we need to be reminded of the dark side of nuclear more often as well.
Next meeting on November 7th, BPEG’s Potluck and Annual General Meeting at Anglican Parrish Hall, Lion’s Head.
