NB Power Responds To CCNB Criticism

NB Power responding to the Conservation Council's claim Point Lepreau is 40 times more likely to suffer an earthquake leading to a nuclear accident than previously thought.

The Crown utility says Point Lepreau is safe and the misleading comments by the Conservation council are an attempt to undermine trust in the generating station.

In a release, NB Power refers to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission who state the structures and systems have been designed to safely survive earthquakes.

It goes on to say that Point Lepreau is located in an area of much lower seismic hazard risk than Fukushima.

Point Lepreau Reactor: Safe Or Dangerous?

How well would the Point Lepreau nuclear power plant handle an earthquake?
The Conservation Council's Action Group is pointing to the preliminary results of a new study released by NB Power.
Chris Rouse of the Action Group tells Tide News it shows a severe nuclear accident at Lepreau is 40 times more likely than originally thought. He says the next significant earthquake to hit New Brunswick is expected in Passamaquoddy Bay. "From research done from Natural Resources Canada that shows if a 6.0 earthquake happened within 10 kms of Point Lepreau, it would cause a lot of damage."

Rouse charges the nuclear power plant at Lepreau no longer meets internationally accepted safety goals. He goes so far as to say Point Lepreau is now one of the most dangerous reactors in North America.

More Charges For Snook?

Even more alleged victims are coming forward against former Common Councillor Donnie Snook.
Police Chief Bill Reid says their main concern is working with them and putting the charges together. He says, "We're still working interviewing people, talking to parents, children, etc. So that will be an investigation we will be working on for quite a while."
Reid couldn't specify how many more people have come forward, but doesn't believe it will push back Snook's bail hearing on March 11.

40-year-old Snook is facing 8 charges in total, relating to child pornography, child exploitation, and sexual interference with a child under 16.

Future Of Covered Bridge To Be Discussed Tonight

The future of the Maxwell Crossing covered bridge, which was damaged severely on January 21st after a car went out of control, will be discussed at a public meeting. The covered bridge, built in 1910, is located just outside of St. Stephen.
Vern Faulkner of the Local Service District tells Tide News people are worried the covered bridge will be replaced by a boring, concrete run of the mill bridge.
He says, "The bridge does not appear to be significantly damaged. I mean, it looks nasty in the sense that there's a lot of material that was knocked out. To the untrained eye, it looks like there's enough of an opportunity to basically rebuild it, it just a matter of where the money comes from and who is going to do the work." Faulkner adds, it's not a write-off. "A lot of siding was destroyed, but a number of pillars, even though they've been destroyed, doesn't seem like it's affected the structural integrity. The horizontal surface of the bridge is still intact and the roof line is still intact."

Faulkner tells us, people who live in the area fear the Department of Transportation doesn't see the bridge as they do. "A heritage facility that is used and enjoyed by hundreds of people and in many cases, could and can be part of a tourism venture because a lot of people come to New Brunswick to see the covered bridges."

You can have your say at the meeting to be held tonight at the St. Stephen Middle School auditorium beginning at 7:00.
(Photo by Murray Weeks)