The Aftermath of Disaster: A windowsill of a children's kindergarten room.

On April 26,1986, an accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Plant caused a horrific fire that dispersed 190 tons of toxic, radioactive materials into skies above the homes of seven million people, including three million children.

In Canada we are told we are safe from nuclear disaster. We have a Nuclear Safety Commission. The Nuclear Safety Commission has a mandate: "All organizations must be well-prepared to respond to emergencies. In the unlikely event of a nuclear emergency, the overall responsibility for the federal nuclear emergency plan rests with Health Canada. The CNSC's emergency preparedness and response involves cooperation and planning with licensees, municipalities, provincial and federal government agencies, and international organizations."

"This accident at Chernobyl is much more than the worst technological disaster in the history of the nuclear age – it is also a grave and continuing humanitarian tragedy." (Kenzo Oshima, UN Undersecretary General for Humanitarian Affairs}

In Canada, we take our environmental responsibilities seriously. We have a Canadian Environmental Assessment Act that protects the environment from nuclear harm.

The consequences of the Chernobyl explosion were far-reaching. Scientists estimate the life of the radioactive fallout to be between 300 and 900 years. A short nineteen years after the accident, communities within the estimated 155,000 sq. km contaminated zone (and possibly Beyond) are impacted every day – physically, emotionally, culturally, economically, environmentally.

In Canada, we take a strong stand against nuclear arms. We have signed and honoured a non-proliferation treaty
that has been in effect since 1946.

"The accident at Chernobyl was approximately 400 times more potent than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. However, the atomic bomb testing conducted by several countries around the world during the 1960s and 1970s contributed 100 to 1,000 times more radioactive material to the environment than Chernobyl." (United Nations)

In Canada, we fund research; we fund international aid; and, we fund public information programmes about safe nuclear energy.

The UN reports that, between 1991 and 1997, countries (Belarus, Ukraine, Russia) affected by the accident requested $736 million (usd) for research into the long term effects of nuclear contamination on health and on agriculture. In response, less than 1.5% of the funds requested was pledged. The UN also reports that the expected cost of the crucial Shelter Implementation Plan, (the plan to repair ‘Sarcophagus', the protective containment dome over the damaged reactor) is $795 million usd.

In Canada, we take our international responsibilities seriously. We send delegates to participate in "a wide variety of relevant multilateral discussions, symposia and conferences".

Non-profit, non-governmental and private initiatives from all over the world provide on-going support to the people living the Chernobyl legacy.

Internationally, the government of Canada lauds nuclear energy as green energy, as an answer to global warming, as a clean and safe technology.

A woman named Elena wrote a story about her journey to the dead zone. Some have tried to discredit Elena's story. Whether fact or fiction, the invitation stands: ‘read her words and decide for yourself'.


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Threads: Green Energy


Page last modified on June 10, 2005, at 05:58 PM