News Briefs
Issue date: 11/27/07 Section: News
Dion, however, believes that Canada should be setting an example for the rest of the world, despite Harper's misgivings.
Harper believes that climate change should be combated as individual countries rather than as collective, as different countries have different goals as set by two previous international meetings, APEC and G8.
Prime Minister Harper believes that specific and attainable goals should be set for all countries, rather than all of them as a collective.
According to Dion, by not agreeing with the guidelines of the new climate change proposal, Canada is standing in the way of a positive change.
Explosives left on Native reserves
It seems as though the Canadian Military has a problem cleaning up after themselves, as abandoned explosives left from military exercises have been scattered over a dozen Native reserves across the nation.
The explosives that have been left date back to World War II, and could be anything from bombs to anti-tank mortars and, potentially, even torpedoes. For the 25 reserves affected, the weapons that are laden throughout the land are classified as unexploded ordnance (UXOs), meaning that they have yet to detonate.
The land that is affected was originally leased from the reserves to be used mostly during World War II. After the war was over, the land was returned, but not all of the weapons were taken away. According to the report, no affected land can be conclusively reported safe.
After a contractor inspected the land in 2005, there were 731 sites that still contained UXOs, but recent investigation shows that there could be even more.
While most areas have been made aware of the potential UXOs that are still there, the danger is always present for many First Nations, as much of the land has weapons still present that have been there since 1910.
Starting in January, the Defence department plans to begin a process of determining which land still contains explosives. By sifting through archival records from Indian and Northern Affairs and National Defence, conducting airborne geophysical surveys and interviewing local residents, as well as using an advanced version of a metal detector, the department hopes to free the land of UXOs. The process, however, could take many years.
Harper believes that climate change should be combated as individual countries rather than as collective, as different countries have different goals as set by two previous international meetings, APEC and G8.
Prime Minister Harper believes that specific and attainable goals should be set for all countries, rather than all of them as a collective.
According to Dion, by not agreeing with the guidelines of the new climate change proposal, Canada is standing in the way of a positive change.
Explosives left on Native reserves
It seems as though the Canadian Military has a problem cleaning up after themselves, as abandoned explosives left from military exercises have been scattered over a dozen Native reserves across the nation.
The explosives that have been left date back to World War II, and could be anything from bombs to anti-tank mortars and, potentially, even torpedoes. For the 25 reserves affected, the weapons that are laden throughout the land are classified as unexploded ordnance (UXOs), meaning that they have yet to detonate.
The land that is affected was originally leased from the reserves to be used mostly during World War II. After the war was over, the land was returned, but not all of the weapons were taken away. According to the report, no affected land can be conclusively reported safe.
After a contractor inspected the land in 2005, there were 731 sites that still contained UXOs, but recent investigation shows that there could be even more.
While most areas have been made aware of the potential UXOs that are still there, the danger is always present for many First Nations, as much of the land has weapons still present that have been there since 1910.
Starting in January, the Defence department plans to begin a process of determining which land still contains explosives. By sifting through archival records from Indian and Northern Affairs and National Defence, conducting airborne geophysical surveys and interviewing local residents, as well as using an advanced version of a metal detector, the department hopes to free the land of UXOs. The process, however, could take many years.

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