Mayor: Manitoba should consider nuclear

[CBC News, 10 December]A local mayor has called for the Canadian province of Manitoba toconsider building a nuclear power plant, and has set up a working groupto develop a proposal to bring nuclear generation to the region. BlairSkinner is mayor of Pinawa, a community of about 1500 residents and thelocation of Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd's (AECL's) Whiteshell nuclearresearch and testing laboratories, currently being decommissioned afterover 35 years of operation. According to Skinner, the cost of buildinga nuclear reactor - including full capital costs, waste disposal andend-of-life decommissioning - would be comparable to the cost of a newhydro plant. He also voiced his opinion that nuclear power is moreenvironmentally friendly than building a new hydroelectric plant.Manitoba is in the centre of Canada between Ontario and Saskatchewan.Canada currently generates about 15% of its electricity from 18 nuclearreactors.