Alberta's nuclear power plans concern northern B.C. mayors

Mayors in northern B.C. near the Alberta border are concerned theyhaven't yet been consulted about the possibilitya nuclear power plant could be built in their "backyard."

Bruce Power filed a site application last month with the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission to build a nuclear power plant near Lac Cardinal in the Peace River region of Alberta. The first nuclear reactor in Western Canada, it would be located about 200 km from the B.C. boundary.

The final decision on whether the plant will be built could be three years away.

On Monday evening, the company takes its pitch to four small towns in Alberta but has not announced consultations with people in nearby cities on the other side of the B.C.-Alberta boundary.

"I believe in the philosophy our province has, with no nuclear facilities. And yet just because we're right next door to Alberta, we can have one right in our backyard," said Mayor Jim Eglin ski of Fort St. John, B.C., which is about 230 kilometres from the proposed site.

"I would have hoped they'd come over to the neighbouring communities and talk to us and we haven't seen any of that," said Eglin ski.

Aspokesperson for Bruce Power said the company will talk to British Columbians at some point later in the process.

"You know, we're here to bring them some facts. Facts are our friends. Once people get the true facts about what the technology is about, it certainly puts them at greater ease," said Bruce power media relations officer Steve Cannon.

"In Ontario where we run a facility, the people are very comfortable with it. It's part of their everyday life," said Cannon.

Butin Dawson Creek, B.C., which is a mere 16 kilometres from the Alberta border, Mayor Calvin Kruk told CBC News he doesn't share that attitude.

"I will not be supportive of a project of this size and scale and proximity to our community," said Kruk.

Nuclear power has long been discussed as a way to cut greenhouse gas emissions from Alberta's oil sands projects, where huge volumes of natural gas are burned to produce power and steam which is used to extract oil from the ground.

Bruce Nuclearsaid the first reactor could operational as early as 2017, and the plant could eventually have four reactors producing enough power to supply two million homes.