Going Nuclear: The Origins of New Brunswick's Nuclear Industry, 1950-1983. by Adrian Kelly Egbers Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts at Dalhousie University Halifax, Nova Scotia August 2008 © Copyright by Adrian Kelly Egbers, 2008 Library and Bibliotheque et 1*1 Archives Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de I'edition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A0N4 Ottawa ON K1A0N4 Canada Canada Your file Votre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-43983-8 Our file Notre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-43983-8 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non­ L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library permettant a la Bibliotheque et Archives and Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par telecommunication ou par Plntemet, prefer, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des theses partout dans loan, distribute and sell theses le monde, a des fins commerciales ou autres, worldwide, for commercial or non­ sur support microforme, papier, electronique commercial purposes, in microform, et/ou autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. The author retains copyright L'auteur conserve la propriete du droit d'auteur ownership and moral rights in et des droits moraux qui protege cette these. this thesis. Neither the thesis Ni la these ni des extraits substantiels de nor substantial extracts from it celle-ci ne doivent etre imprimes ou autrement may be printed or otherwise reproduits sans son autorisation. reproduced without the author's permission. In compliance with the Canadian Conformement a la loi canadienne Privacy Act some supporting sur la protection de la vie privee, forms may have been removed quelques formulaires secondaires from this thesis. ont ete enleves de cette these. While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires in the document page count, aient inclus dans la pagination, their removal does not represent il n'y aura aucun contenu manquant. any loss of content from the thesis. Canada DALHOUSIE UNIVERSITY To comply with the Canadian Privacy Act the National Library of Canada has requested that the following pages be removed from this copy of the thesis: Preliminary Pages Examiners Signature Page (pii) Dalhousie Library Copyright Agreement (piii) Appendices Copyright Releases (if applicable) Table of Contents List of Tables v List of Figures vi Abstract vii List of Abbreviations Used viii Acknowledgements ix Chapter One - Introduction 1 Chapter Two - The Road to Point Lepreau: Provincial Nuclear Development, 1950-1973 16 New Brunswick's Electrification and Economic Development, 1920-1973 21 Economic Development in Postwar New Brunswick, 1957-1974 27 The Development of Canada's Domestic Nuclear Industry, 1943-1971 39 Conclusion 45 Chapter Three - Going Nuclear: The Political Economy of New Brunswick's Nuclear Development, 1971-1974 47 The Nuclear Decision Makers 52 Early Proposals for Nuclear Power in New Brunswick, 1971-1973 54 The Political Decision, 1973-1974 60 Conclusion 78 Chapter Four - Nuclear Fallout: Public Protest and the "Momentum of Economic Growth" in New Brunswick, 1973-1980 82 The Origins of Opposition, 1974 86 The "Momentum of Economic Growth": Entering the Nuclear Age, February 1975 -May 1975 91 The Maritime Energy Coalition: Challenging the Nuclear Age, 1976-1979 101 Three Mile Island, the Decline of the Nuclear Age, and Economic Realities, 1979-1980 Ill Lepreau II, 1979-1984 114 Conclusion 117 Chapter Five - Conclusion 120 Bibliography 128 IV List of Tables Table 2.1 Domestic Nuclear Reactors in Canada, 1945-1983 44 v List of Figures Figure 2.1 Premier Flemming at Beechwood Opening 24 Figure 2.2 Premier Robichaud at Mactaquac Opening 25 Figure 3.1 Hatfield and NBEPC Chairman Beside Nuclear Model, July 1974 70 Figure 3.2 Hatfield in Bricklin at Plant Opening, August 1974 71 Figure 4.1 Antinuclear Protestors Outside New Brunswick Legislature 99 Figure 4.2 The Maritime Energy Coalition Logo 102 Figure 4.3 Nuclear Reaction Cartoon 105 Figure 4.4 Poster For Alternative Energy Fair 108 Figure 4.5 NBEPC Officials Removing Protester From Between Brunneck and Dock Ill Figure 5.1 The Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station 127 VI Abstract New Brunswick entered the nuclear age in 1974 when Canada was amidst a national energy crisis. When the federal government approved a CANDU nuclear reactor for Point Lepreau, New Brunswick became the third province to develop a nuclear program following Ontario and Quebec. The Point Lepreau project was a regional development initiative that was defined by intra-provincial politics. The New Brunswick Electric Power Commission had promoted nuclear energy as early as 1961 and pushed for a multi-unit nuclear reactor from 1971 to 1973. Premier Richard Hatfield personally involved himself in the project when he incorporated the nuclear development into his 1974 provincial re-election campaign and pressured the federal government for immediate approval despite the project's minimal socio-economic benefits. The Maritime Energy Coalition, an environmental protest movement, limited New Brunswick's nuclear development by changing the public's perception of nuclear energy with the aid of international advocacy groups. vii List of Abbreviations Used ADB - Atlantic Development Board AECB - Atomic Energy Control Board AECL - Atomic Energy of Canada Limited CCNR - Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility DOE - Department of Environment DREE - Department of Regional Economic Expansion EAP - Environmental Assessment Panel EARP - Environmental Assessment Review Process EMR - Department of Energy, Mines and Resources GDA - General Development Agreement MEC - Maritime Energy Coalition NEP - National Energy Program NBDFE - New Brunswick Department of Fisheries and Environment NBEPC - New Brunswick Electric Power Commission Vlll Acknowledgements I have been continually reminded over the past year about the strengths of my family members, friends and professors that have all guided me through the Master's research and writing process. I am grateful for Dr. Jerry Bannister's guidance with his sound advice, creativity and a sense of humor. I would like to thank Dr. Claire Campbell and Dr. Shirley Tillotson for their interest and insightful suggestions that have strengthened this project. I am also indebted to my colleagues in the Master's program who have provided valuable information and comic relief when needed. I have great appreciation for the staff at the Public Archives of New Brunswick who led me to the sources with their kindness, expertise, patience and reliable photocopier. Thanks to all of you. I am particularly grateful to my family for their love and support over the past year and Josie Marcille who has provided her care and guidance. I am indebted to all who have made this a gratifying experience. Thank you. IX Chapter One Introduction New Brunswick's introduction to the nuclear age has not been neatly tucked into the folds of Canadian history: it is a continuing debate that inhabits the minds of many Canadians and has found precedence in our contemporary discussion of energy, politics and the environment. In July 2005 Premier Bernard Lord announced his provincial government would proceed with the $1.4 billion refurbishment of the Point Lepreau nuclear generating station. "It balances environmental concerns with economic development," Lord explained, "it is realistic because it allows us to continue to pursue our objective to ensure diversity and security of our energy supply." The refurbishment began in April 2008 and is scheduled to end in December 2009. Steering clear of the project, the federal government decided not to invest in the refurbishment; New Brunswick taxpayers will pick up the tab. More recently, in the spring of 2008 Shawn Graham's new Liberal government in New Brunswick began negotiations with Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) to build a second nuclear reactor at Point Lepreau.2 Graham announced the negotiations with AECL were to achieve commitments from the nuclear industry to create jobs and attract investment to the province.3 New Brunswickers are questioning how their province developed a nuclear program in the first place and what the environmental and economic consequences are of expanding the province's nuclear program. For the first time in decades, Canadians are worried about 1 Quoted in Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, Powering the Future: Point Lepreau Refurbishment Press Release, "Province to proceed with refurbishment of Point Lepreau," (29 July 2005), p. 1. Rob Linke, "Full Steam Ahead: Liberals ignore their consultant's advice to follow Ontario's lead on second CANDU reactor," The Telegraph Journal, (1 March 2008), p. Al. 3 Ibid., p. Al. 1 energy resources. The conditions in Canada and internationally have encouraged provincial governments and their public utilities to re-examine nuclear energy as a viable energy option that would benefit the provincial economy while at the same time address some pressing environmental issues. New Brunswick's current debate over nuclear energy is strikingly similar to what the province had experienced when it became the home of Atlantic Canada's first nuclear program in the 1970s. However, the manner in which the province originally entered the nuclear age remains largely unexamined. This thesis confronts the basic question: how did New Brunswick develop a nuclear program at Point Lepreau? The Canadian nuclear industry expanded after the Second World War as a federally controlled industry. Despite the political orientation of the nuclear industry, New Brunswick's introduction to a nuclear program was defined by the characteristics of provincialism. A rapid shift in Canada's national energy policy after the 1973 oil crisis encouraged nuclear development within the nation; however, the strongest push for nuclear technology emanated from the provincially-owned New Brunswick Electric Power Commission (NBEPC) that planned to develop a multi-unit nuclear export industry as early as 1961.