Bruce Power and Kincardine will share the spotlight in a CBC documentary to air in February.
My Nuclear Neighbour,a one-hour Reel Time Images film will air Feb. 11 at 8 p.m. on CBC'sThe Nature of Thingswith David Suzuki.
The documentary follows the lives of two Peace River women, Lorraine Jensen and Brenda McSween, after they find out about Bruce Power Alberta's plans for a nuclear facility.
"We wanted to take a look at their point of view of a new plant literally being built in their backyard, along their fence line," director Donna Zuckerbrot said in a recent interview.
"You will get the sense they're initially very fearful and you'll see how their view transforms as we go along. It shows both sides of the issue, where people have very strong opinions."
Zuckerbrot said the story evolved over a year from a resurgence of the nuclear industry as a solution to climate change to a focus on the differences between the widespread acceptance of nuclear power in Kincardine and attitudes in the Peace River area. Peace River is shown as a pristine Alberta farming community where the nuclear issue has bitterly divided neighbours between anti-nuclear environmental groups and those promoting nuclear energy for economic and social benefits.
"It's a portrait of two towns," she said. "We tried to keep it simple. In Kincardine there's only a small handful of people who don't support the industry . . . Peace River has a lot of farmers who like the community the way it is."
Zuckerbrot began her research for the film with a meeting at The Kincardine News newspaper in late 2008. She went on to interview Kincardine Mayor Larry Kraemer, Books and Beans' owner Rob Millar, Don Arscott of The Kincardine Scottish Shop and many others. The filmmakers also followed the women during their visit to the Bruce Power Beach Party, where they again interviewed many others for their point of view about how nuclear power has affected Kincardine and area.
"The film began as a focus on the nuclear renaissance, but later moved into My Nuclear Neighbour," said Zuckerbrot. "It was a difficult film to do this way while remaining neutral."
The film's media release refers to Kincardine as "one of the wealthiest rural towns in the province" because of the nuclear plant and "not surprisingly people here have learned to live in harmony with the largest nuclear facility in North America."
Zuckerbrot said the women's opinions changed through the course of the shooting, as they had initially "built up a monster in their minds" while researching the negative aspects of the technology and horror stories of nuclear power.
Their view of Kincardine and Bruce Power president and CEO Duncan Hawthorne also changed, as a tour of the plant and one-on-one meeting helped "humanize" his intentions, his passion and faith in nuclear technology.
"They somehow thought he was a bad guy at first, but it couldn't be farther from the truth when it comes to someone like Duncan," she said. "He takes them on a tour and explains what they do. But he's not at all naive when it comes to some of the perceptions people have about nuclear power."
She credited Bruce Power for its openness in providing them information, allowing them to film at the site and talk to their staff. Zuckerbrot said she enjoyed her time in Kincardine and quickly found people's comfort level with nuclear power made asking about opposition to the industry a somewhat "awkward question."
"People seemed to have worked out the problems over time and it's no longer an issue," she said. "It was both interesting and surprising."
The film isn't an essay on nuclear power, she said, but a story that asks: What would you do if there was a nuclear plant proposed near you? How would you go about finding information?
The intention was to show both sides in a "very solid way," Zuckerbrot said. "You can't in one hour cover the entire story. It doesn't say it's good or bad, we want people to decide for themselves."
The film will also be available for viewing online after it airs by visiting www.cbc.ca/documentaries
