Not Just Medicine

By D'Arcy Hande, The StarPhoenix

http://www.thestarphoenix.com/news/todays-paper/just+medicine/10933920/story.html

When under scrutiny, the Sylvia Fedoruk Canadian Centre for Nuclear Innovation and its CEO Neil Alexander like to put on their suits of shining armour as the champions of nuclear medicine.

So Alexander's letter (Appropriate work, March 26) comes as no surprise. But in a StarPhoenix interview in December, he had on his more business-like jousting suit and proclaimed how SFCCNI's research could facilitate building small nuclear reactors for deployment in Saskatchewan. The core funding of $30 million for the centre at its inception in 2011 came from the Saskatchewan government. The centre's original business framework stated: "The province expects nuclear power to be considered in the range of energy options available for baseload generation capacity in the medium and long term after 2020 and that the CCNI will be able to serve as a source of expertise to inform decisions in this area."

More than half the Fedoruk Centre's board of directors has connections to the uranium and nuclear industry.

Alexander states that the centre "has no role in the mining or sale of uranium." However, research and development for the nuclear industry is a different story. A check of projects approved for funding by SFCCNI over the past three years demonstrates that there is inevitably money granted toward research on nuclear reactors and aspects of uranium mining.

Obviously the Uranium Development Partnership agenda of 2009 is still alive and well at the University of Saskatchewan's Fedoruk Centre.

D'Arcy Hande

Saskatoon

© Copyright (c) The StarPhoenix

Re: Deadly Legacy

“Appropriate Work”
By Neil Alexander, The Starphoenix March 25, 2015
http://www.thestarphoenix.com/news/todays-paper/Appropriate+Work/10921031/story.html

Re: Deadly legacy (SP, March 20). Bryan Lee's disappointment with the Saskatchewan government funding of the Fedoruk Centre appears to be rooted in a misunderstanding of the centre's activities. To date, the bulk of the centre's investment has been in using nuclear imaging techniques to develop a better understanding of cancers and other diseases in humans, animals and plants. This complements the work of the province's universities, the cancer agency and other advanced research centres.

 I invite Lee to visit the new cyclotron facility to talk with the researchers about the work they will do and the lives they believe they will save. The centre also supports social and environmental studies regarding nuclear development, such as how to have fact-based discussions on complex scientific topics, as well as research into nuclear energy, safety and materials science using neutron beams. This work is entirely appropriate for institutions of higher learning. Words used by Lee, such as "toxic" and "lethal" perpetuate fear and misunderstanding, which can lead to poor public decision-making. This is an issue that concerns me and I will be talking about it in the Tox on Tap series at the Woods Alehouse on April 28.

While the Fedoruk Centre has no role in the mining or sale of uranium, as a scientist concerned about the environment, I am well aware of the contribution nuclear science has made to greenhouse gas avoidance and the slowing of the onset of climate change - the biggest environmental challenge that faces our planet today.

Neil Alexander
Executive director, Fedoruk Centre Saskatoon

Deadly Legacy

By Bryan Lee, The Starphoenix March 20, 2015 6:03 AM
http://www.thestarphoenix.com/technology/Deadly+legacy/10905348/story.html

Neil Alexander, executive director of the Fedoruk Centre stated in an interview that Saskatchewan's future could be much brighter, richer and cleaner if the province embraces nuclear power.

Brighter? For Cameco, Areva, Rio Tinto and others including Alexander. Richer? For the same groups. Cleaner? Enriched uranium causes cancer and birth defects. Enriched uranium placed in nuclear reactors to create steam to drive an electric turbine is the most lethal, toxic material known to humankind. Reprocessing of the high level toxic material produces plutonium that is only used for military purposes.

Science has never discovered how to detoxify or neutralize this material, which future generations will have to contend with for millennia.

I am disappointed that the Saskatchewan government funds the Fedoruk Centre and that the University of Saskatchewan continues to be influenced by the corporate interests. It amazes me that a public institution of higher learning promotes the nuclear agenda.

I am further disappointed at Premier Brad Wall's comment that, "The only program for First Nations and Metis is Cameco." This comment and the premier's international travel to sell uranium certainly underscore the need for leadership in the Saskatchewan legislature.

Bryan Lee

Metis representative on the U of S Senate

Christopher Lake

© Copyright The StarPhoenix

Radioactive Trinity: a Study

USSWORD senators recently completed a study of the partnerships and collaborations of Government, Industry and the University of Saskatchewan. Read the full study here.

 

The Dominion Article: Green Bitumen?!

How is the University of Saskatchewan aiding nuclear development for tar sands extraction? Hande and Bigland-Pritchard explore the issue in The Dominion's latest issue.

"Largely outside public purview, and in close collaboration with the University administration, the Canadian Centre for Nuclear Innovation (CCNI) was established in 2011 with $30 million of government seed money, as was reported in Briarpatch earlier this year. In the CCNI Business Framework, the government establishes that CCNI must meet expectations for nuclear industry enhancement over the next seven years. In a linked move, the Hitachi business group was also funded to conduct "research into the design and feasibility of small reactor technologies," according to a 2011 Saskatchewan government news release."

Read more...

Important Petition

Stop plans to build small nuclear reactors in Saskatchewan to power oil extraction from the Alberta Tar Sands.

The petition is really important and could use our help. Click here to find out more and sign. 

VOTE NOW! U of S 2013 Senate Elections

VOTE NOW! U of S 2013 Senate Elections

The 2013 University of Saskatchewan (U of S) Senate elections are upon us (May 6 – June 28, 2013). As the U of S Senate is "the University’s window on the Province, and the Province’s Window on the University,” all members of U of S alumni are invited to elect Senate representatives.

The U of S is in the midst of a critical transformation period. Within the last year, the U of S has selected a new President, a new Secretary, and a new Chancellor.  The recent development of the “Global Institute for Food Security” and ongoing collaborations with corporations like Cameco through the Canadian Centre for Nuclear Innovation have deepened concerns about corporate influence, research priorities and how these collaborations may negatively impact Saskatchewan residents, particularly First Nations and Métis people in Northern Saskatchewan. Finally, a new “TransformUS” initiative to implement drastic cuts to the majority of U of S programs has sparked vocal opposition from both faculty and students.

Amidst these transformations, it is important to have strong community, faculty and student representation. I firmly believe that a representative, accountable and active Senate can provide a much-needed voice for the people of Saskatchewan. If you are a member of the U of S alumni, please exercise your right to vote. The following candidates represent similar concerns and are widely representative of the Saskatchewan public at large.

Members at Large: Autumn Carlson, Sandra Finley, Mary Jean Hande, Joseph Wickenhauser.

If you live in one of the 4 following districts, you can vote for your district representative as well. If you don’t know which district you live in, please see the Map of Senate Districts.

District 2 (Moose Jaw, Chaplin area):

Tenielle McLeod

District 11 (Prince Albert, La Ronge, Key Lake area): 

Laura Burnouf

District 12 (Uranium City, Shellbrook, Blaine Lake area): 

Patricia Grayston

District 14 (Regina): Malinda Meegoda

All pertinent information for voting (including candidate profiles) can be found on the U of S Secretary’s website. To vote, you must use your username (NSID) and click on the “vote” tab on the paws.usask.ca website. If you do not know what your NSID is, be sure to contact the U of S Secretary at university.secretary@usask.ca.

Thank you for your continued support and your interest in the future of the University of Saskatchewan.

Rejected USSWORD motions

The following motions were presented by USSWORD senators and rejected because the Senate Executive Committee, "was guided by the principles underlying the draft procedures and bylaws that will come before Senate at the upcoming meeting, and also by the belief that these matters are outside the purview of Senate." A discussion of the proposed bylaws can be found here. 

Motion A

  

PRESENTED BY: Mary Jean Hande, Member at Large and Jordan Miller, Member at Large

DATE OF MEETING: April 21, 2012

SUBJECT:             Clarification as to actions taken by the Board of Governors Chair and the                                    President to avoid potential conflict of interest.

DECISION REQUESTED:

                        It is recommended:

That the Senate assembled here asks clarification from the Board of Governors as to whether or not Ms. Hopkins and Dr. MacKinnon recused themselves from the discussion and vote regarding appointment of the CCNI board of directors on December 9, 2011 and, if they did not, to determine if these governors were in a conflict of interest by participating in that discussion and vote.

                       

SUMMARY:

The University Conflict of Interest Policy (http://www.usask.ca/university_secretary/policies/operations/4_01_01.php) sets out that it may constitute a conflict of interest should employees or governors of the University:

·       Accept gratuities, gifts or special favors from entities or individuals with which the University does or may conduct business; or

·       Influence the appointment of family members, relatives and affiliates to positions at the University.

The University Board of Governors appointed the board of directors for the Canadian Centre for Nuclear Innovation (CCNI) at its meeting of December 9, 2011.

The Digest of Board of Governors minutes indicates that Cameco vice-president Engie Ozberk was among those appointed to the CCNI board of directors. However, this digest of minutes does not indicate whether or not President Peter Mackinnon and Board of Governors Chair Nancy Hopkins recused themselves from the discussion and vote regarding appointment of the CCNI board of directors on December 9.

In light of the fact that Ms. Hopkins is a shareholder and member of the Cameco board of directors, and that Dr. MacKinnon accepted a gift of an excursion to Cameco’s northern operations and its lodge on Yalowega Lake in 2009, as reported to the Board of Governors in October 2009, there is reason to believe their apparent failure to recuse themselves from the above mentioned discussion and vote constitutes a conflict of interest.

Motion B

PRESENTED BY: Sandra Finley, Member at Large and Mary Jean Hande, Member at Large

DATE OF MEETING: April 21, 2012

SUBJECT: Developing an explicit policy to outline standards of conduct regarding political endorsements by University administrators

DECISION REQUESTED:

                        It is recommended:

That the Senate assembled here urges the University Administration and the Board of Governors to develop an explicit policy to outline the standard of conduct regarding political endorsements by University administrators.

                       

SUMMARY:

The Bylaws of the University Board of Governors (III. 5) stipulate that it is the responsibility of all governors “to protect and defend University autonomy.” To that end it has always been convention that the University President maintains public neutrality in partisan political affairs.

However, in the 2011 provincial general election the current University of Saskatchewan President publicly endorsed the candidacy of the current Minister of Advanced Education.

In one of his election campaign brochures, the Minister Norris, candidate in Saskatoon Greystone, quoted Dr. Mackinnon as saying, “"Rob Norris is the finest minister responsible for post-secondary education that I have been privileged to work with in my thirteen years as President of the University of Saskatchewan."

The President gave explicit permission to the Minister to use this quote for his campaign material as documented in an article in The Star Phoenix: “Norris's office asked for permission and MacKinnon said he did not object” (David Hutton, October 28, 2011). In fact, the President stated that the Minister "was entitled to use it” and the Minister noted that, "(Endorsements are) appreciated as they arrive" (ibid). These facts are corroborated by reports of private conversations with both Dr. MacKinnon and Mr. Norris.

ATTACHMENTS:

1.     David Hutton’s October 28, 2011 article in The Star Phoenix, “MacKinnon comment a conflict: prof.”

Sask government uses U of S Nuclear Centre to pin a fig leaf over tar sands development.

Uranium production for the tar sands

Vancouver Cooperative Radio interviews author of "Follow the Yellowcake Road." 

Mark Bigland-Pritchard's SP article: Reactor Research Centre's Agenda

It is difficult to avoid the conclusion that the CCNI is the nuclear industry's chosen back-door route to achieve the goals which the people rejected so overwhelmingly, and that the Wall government is fully behind this anti-democratic move. Indeed, Enterprise Saskatchewan's 2010-2011 annual report bragged that the government was implementing 18 of the 20 recommendations in the rejected UDP report.

Meanwhile, Saskatchewan's universities are conducting scarcely any work on the renewable energy technologies (wind, solar, small hydro, sustainable biomass, etc.), smart grids and energy efficiency measures that are transforming electricity grids worldwide. A Canadian Centre for Renewable Energy Innovation would be a much better use of our money economically, environmentally, and socially.

Read more...

D'Arcy Hande's Briarpatch article on nuclear power, tarsands extraction, and the co-option of the University of Saskatchewan

Follow the Yellowcake Road

Nuclear power, tarsands extraction, and the co-option of the University of Saskatchewan

D'Arcy Hande

"After reviewing this brief history of collaboration between industry, government, and the university, one may be struck with a profound sense of the surreal. It is as though, like Dorothy, we are transported to an alternate reality, the Land of Oz. Here, all the talk is about the bright future of nuclear medicine and glittering isotopes. But go down the shady side path into the forest, and one encounters the dark underside of the nuclear agenda and its connection to tarsands extraction."

Read more... 

SP Article on Corporate Influence at the U of S

U of S senators want more public input 

Rory MacLean

October 11, 2011

University of Saskatchewan senators who this summer called for the board of governors chair to resign because of her ties to Cameco Corp. are now saying the senate itself has a democratic deficit.

They formed the group University Senators in Saskatchewan Working to Revive Democracy (USSWORD) earlier this year to criticize the corporatization of the university.

The group was created after environmental lawyer Stefania Fortugno penned a letter that accused board of governors chair Nancy Hopkins of having a conflict of interest between her financial interest in Cameco and position as chair of the search committee for the next university president.

Elected senator Mary Jean Hande said a number of senators and faculty have since voiced their support for USSWORD, but are afraid of repercussions if they should be seen as aligning themselves with the group.

"They're afraid to speak out about these things because they're worried about repercussions," she said. "They're worried about bullying and they're worried about harassment."

Hande wouldn't specify exactly how many senators are involved, but she admitted it is less than half of the 28 elected to the body.

It's been difficult for the group to communicate with the other senators, said Hande, because communication is vetted by the senate secretary and the senate email list has recently been disabled.

Motions submitted by USSWORD to be put on the last senate meeting agenda calling for an investigation into Hopkins' apparent conflict of interest were rejected twice for being out of order.

"They told us there wasn't enough time to discuss these motions at the meeting, so they basically rejected them. They don't have the power to do that," said Hande.

Hopkins earlier denounced the accusations as "absurd," saying they stemmed from the fact that Cameco is in the nuclear business, "which is a big flashpoint for many people."

A recent chart issued by USSWORD outlining different corporate ties at the university reveals a nuclear focus, bearing the title Radioactive Trinity: A study of partnerships of government, industry and the U of S, though it also outlines links to several oil companies among university governors. These connections call the university's autonomy into question, said Hande.

"The university is a public institution. Its role is to serve the university community. That type of influence takes the university away from the influence of the people of Saskatchewan. We're concerned that the university is being transformed into some sort of think-tank for the energy industry."

USSWORD will be bringing three motions to the next senate meeting and is asking any interested members of the public to attend. The Occupy Saskatoon protesters will attend the meeting, which starts at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday in Room 150 in the College of Law building.

PROTEST COMES TO SASKATOON

The growing Occupy Wall Street movement demonstrating against corporate power and economic disparity hits Saskatoon on Saturday.

The Occupy Saskatoon event starts at 9:30 a.m. at the University of Saskatchewan, where the rally will support a group of academic activists and elected officials speaking out against corporate influence at the university.

The rally then marches to downtown Saskatoon and stops at Friendship Park for the day-long demonstration.

Occupy Wall Street is a continuous demonstration that has attracted thousands of people to New York to protest corporate influence in American society and government.

Read more: http://www.thestarphoenix.com/business/senators+want+more+public+input/5529876/story.html#ixzz1aV0CjbM9

Senators intend to present motions regarding Autonomy, Corporatization, Transparency and Communication at U of S Senate Meeting

The following are summarized motions that were submitted to the U of S Secretary, by elected senators, for inclusion in the October 15^th U of S Senate Meeting Agenda.  The motions were twice rejected by the Senate Executive on the basis that they were not “in order” and that they would like to “ensur[e] that sufficient time is given to the substantive issues that are on the fall meeting agenda.” As they are currently drafted, the U of S Senate Bylaws do not restrict individual Senators from placing motions on the agenda and the Senate Executive has conceded that these motions can be presented at the Senate Meeting for inclusion in the agenda.

That these motions were rejected by the Senate Executive, is just another example of the impoverished democratic climate on the U of S Senate, and emphasize the urgency of having motions such as these on the agenda. These are substantive issues that deserve proper consideration and discussion at the upcoming U of S Senate meeting and these Senators intend to see them discussed. If you’re concerned about Autonomy, Corporatization, Transparency and Communication at the University of Saskatchewan, we encourage you and all Saskatchewan community members to attend the October 15^th U of S Senate Meeting to show support for these motions.

Summaries of the three motions:

1. In light of an astonishing number of harassment and intimidation cases at the University of Saskatchewan, the senators seek clarification from the Board of Governors around the apparent dysfunctional role of the University administration in matters of dispute mediation and resolution.

2. In the past year alone, it was brought to the attention of the Board of Governors that their chair, Nancy Hopkins, appears to be in a significant conflict of interest by concurrently serving as a Cameco board member; and corporate and government interference has resulted in the inappropriate earmarking of $30 million of public money for the U of S Canadian Centre for Nuclear Innovation. Concerned that these instances represent a growing trend, the senators request clarification of issues regarding the apparent inability of the Board of Governors to protect the university autonomy from corporate and government influences. 


3.  At present, communication amongst U of S senators is restrictive and vetted by the University Secretary. USSWORD senators seek the formation of a committee to facilitate communication amongst all senators.

What: University of Saskatchewan Senate Meeting

When: 9:30AM, October 15, 2011

Where: Room 150, College of Law , University of Saskatchewan

Infographic Update

An updated infographic with footnotes has been added to the infographic page.  The infographic visually represents what appears to be a high degree of interconnectedness between the university, the government, and industry.

University/Corporate Connections

UPDATE: A new version of the chart, along with footnotes, is available here!

The following is a draft of a chart that graphically displays some of the connections between the University and the nuclear and oil industries.  It requires careful perusal, but raises some questions about the corporatization of the university.  A more developed and refined version will be available soon, so stay tuned.

Neil Jones' response to SP article "Senators want board chair to step aside"

President for all

BY NEIL JONES, THE STARPHOENIXAUGUST 23, 2011

In the story, Senators want board chair to step aside (SP, Aug. 17), University of Saskatchewan president Peter MacKinnon says "Universities' relationships with corporate donors are long term, and typically involve university staff, not board directors."

I see this as intentional obfuscation.

The issue here is that Nancy Hopkins, in chairing the Presidential Search Committee, plays a central role in the selection of the most powerful member of university staff. She also has a pecuniary interests in Cameco of more than $1 million. As such, she has a clear interest in serving the corporation through her committee's eventual choice.

Mackinnon and Hopkins also seem to have given up on the idea of the university as a primarily publicly funded institution. Hopkins calls this vision "unrealistic," and MacKinnon insists that serving corporations (his "communities") is "inevitable."

This is liable to be a selffulfilling prophecy. When a university stops lobby-ing for public funding and opts instead for corporate "donations," the door is open for governments to withdraw support.

Under MacKinnon the U of S has effectively taken the stance that public funding is no longer valued. We need a new president who will reverse this stance, and insist upon a restoration of public funding for academic institutions.

The next U of S president should be someone who values public say in the direction of research and education and who sees the university as primarily serving the interests of all Saskatchewanians - not just corporations.

Neil Jones

Nuclear Research Centre, Cameco, and the Next President of the U of S

The following is a link to the update posted by Sandra Finley earlier this year, summarizing the government contribution of funding to the university for a nuclear research centre, the involvement of Cameco, and the search  for the next president of the University.  It includes a summary of the situation up to that point, as well as analysis and commentary:

The Battles: Discussions by Sandra Finley

USSWORD in The Star Phoenix

Today the Saskatoon Starphoenix printed an article summarizing the presidential search controversy thus far:

Senators Want Board Chair to Step Aside

In the article, Mary Jean Hande says:

"I think it would be very difficult to maintain that public research goal and vision of the university if it was run by somebody who was working in the corporate sector as well."