An international environmental group has some serious concerns about the expansion of the province’s uranium industry.
The Sierra Club of Canada claims it has “evidence . . . . of previously undisclosed large-scale contamination from northern Saskatchewan uranium mines”.
The findings will be presented at a hearing of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission in La Ronge on Oct. 3.
The group claims Cameco’s existing mines massively exceed local and international standards for emissions.
A local environmental group that is working closely with the Sierra Club is “The Committee for Future Generations”.
Secretary Candyce Paul says no one has taken a close look at how the uranium industry is impacting the health of local residents and too many questions remain unanswered.
“Every time we ask about the impact, every time someone tries to talk about the impact we are shut down, the only thing they (Cameco) wants to talk about is the benefits,” she says.
Paul, who is a member of the English River First Nation, says there are alarming rates of cancer in the community.
She says 50 people out of 750 have developed some form of cancer which equates to one in 15.
Paul adds an independent study is needed to determine what impact uranium mining is having on the health of area residents.
“We would like to get a real health study, we would like to answer once and for all whether this is a safe thing to be doing,” she says.
The Sierra Club claims inadequate regulations, poor monitoring and lack of compliance add up to increased human health risks, as well as damage to the environment.
The group says a proposed 30% expansion of three Cameco mines will make a bad situation worse.
Details of their findings will be released next week in La Ronge.
Cameco could not be reached for comment.