Small nuclear reactors hold potential for Canada
If this title offer a credible claim, let’s hope the government doesn’t screw it up like everything else it touches!
Small nuclear reactors hold potential for Canada
This is certainly an optimistic claim given the current commitment that the Liberal/NDP Government leaders have shown for “green” wind and solar technology suppliers.
Disclosure #1: I am in no way a supporter of the “net-zero greenhouse gas emission goals by 2050” that plans promoted by the Government of Canada and referenced in this article.
https://www.cdhowe.org/media-release/small-nuclear-reactors-hold-potential-canada
Disclosure #2: I not not consider the C.D. Howe Institute to be as “nonpartisan” as it professes under the About Us tab in its web site, which reads:
“#1 Awarded Think Tank in Canada
The C.D. Howe Institute is a registered charity, and an independent not-for-profit research institute whose mission is to raise living standards by fostering economically sound public policies. Widely considered to be Canada's most influential think tank, the Institute is a source of trusted policy intelligence, distinguished by research that is nonpartisan, evidence-based and subject to definitive expert review.”
I have listened to many C.D. Howe Institute podcasts in the past year. I agree with most of the About Us statement except for the “nonpartisan” part. There are Canadians like me you want much Less Government control and taxation in our lives. Since the podcast host and guests are usually public employees who receive their compensation from taxpayers, it’s difficult to believe their nonpartisan claim. The maxim “don’t bite the hand that feeds you” applies to most people whenever financial and career incentives exist.
My reasons for not trusting or respecting Large Government bureaucracies?
There are many, but here is a summary:
I possess no confidence in the leaders of our public institutions to place the interests and priorities of average Canadian above their own self-serving career interests.
I don’t trust the mainstream political parties or their elected politicians as lawmakers. They have always been under the sway of crony relationships with powerful special interest groups who leveraged the passage of legislation that serves their own interests at the expense of everyone else.
I don’t trust most of the employees of our public institutions, especially those working under labour union contracts, to respect the fact that their first priority must be to serve the people who pay their salaries, benefits and pensions. If this is a condition of employment that they cannot accept, then they should seek employment outside of the government.
I don’t trust the judgement of Institutes like the C.D.Howe that employ eggheads who only consider Canadians issues from the perspective of government involvement. Why not also consider the possibility that non-government actors could address those same issues in a more cost-effective and timely manner?
Small nuclear reactors is a topic of great interest to me. I am currently in the final edit phase of my new eBook: “What to do about CLIMATE CHANGE - a Libertarian proposal”. In it, I propose a free market alternative to address the concerns of high CO2 emissions of industry. Likewise, I would hope that free market businesses would take the lead in the development of the SMR (Small to Medium Reactor) market with a minimum (if any) involvement by governments.
Several questions arose for me
When a saw the announcement of this podcast episode about small nuclear reactors, some thoughts came to mind given the nature of the book that I have been writing. I have not listened to the episode yet, but when I do, I will be hoping to get answers to:
Who are the manufacturers of small nuclear reactors?
Where are they made?
What are their sources of funding?
How involved is the Canadian government in this sector from a legal and regulatory perspective?
Who are the non-government (business) entities, if any, that are involved in bringing SNRs to market. What barriers to entry do they face?
