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Gordon Edwards (activist)

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Gordon Edwards (b. 1940) is the president and co-founder of the nonprofit organization Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility.[1]

Gordon Edwards
Born1940 (age 83–84)
Canada
Alma materUniversity of Toronto
University of Chicago

Edwards was born in Lansdowne, Ontario and grew up in Toronto.[1] His parents were both pharmacists, and he was the youngest of five children.[1] He graduated from the University of Toronto in 1961 with a gold medal in Mathematics and Physics and a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship.[2] He later obtained two master's degrees from the University of Chicago, and in 1972, he obtained a Ph.D. in Mathematics from Queen's University.[2] He taught mathematics at Vanier College in Montreal.[1] He is known as a leading anti-nuclear activist in Canada.

Edwards gained public profile after he debated Edward Teller, the famous physicist and ‘father of the hydrogen bomb’, on live Canadian national television on October 17, 1974,[3][4] becoming known as a leading anti-nuclear activist.[5] The Great Debate was moderated by Canadian television personality and author, Pierre Berton. The resolution debated was: "nuclear power plants are necessary and should be constructed." Edwards argued against the proposition and won by 60 to 36 votes.[6] Since then, Edwards has been featured on Canadian national television broadcasts and in documentaries as a critic of the nuclear industry.[7] He was featured on two episodes of the CBC’s The Nature of Things hosted by David Suzuki. The first, in 1998, was called The Friendly Atom and considered how nuclear technology has been used for peaceful purposes and for war. Edwards and Alex Mayman, Vice-President of Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd., were interviewed in the episode.[8] The second, in 2010, was called My Nuclear Neighbour and looked at small towns in Ontario and Alberta hosting or considering nuclear reactors. The episode featured Edwards alongside Duncan Hawthorne, the president and CEO of Bruce Power, the world’s largest operating nuclear facility.[9] In 2011, Edwards was interviewed over 20 times about the Fukushima nuclear accident on CBC Television News, CTV Television News, and Canada-AM (CTV).[7]

Edwards has published articles and reports on radiation standards, radioactive wastes,[10] uranium mining,[11] nuclear proliferation,[12] the economics of nuclear power,[13] its health implications,[14] and non-nuclear energy strategies.[15] Edwards co-authored a 1976 nation-wide study of the role of the mathematical sciences in business, industry, government, education and science in seven volumes. Mathematical Sciences in Canada was commissioned and published by the Science Council of Canada.[16]

Edwards has provided consulting services on nuclear issues to governmental and non-governmental bodies at the provincial, territorial, national and international levels. He has also provided invited testimony and expert sworn testimony to legislative bodies, commissions, and courts.[17] He has worked as a consultant for governmental bodies such as the Auditor General of Canada, the Select Committee on Ontario Hydro Affairs, and the Ontario Royal Commission on Electric Power Planning.[15] In 2006, he received the Nuclear-Free Future Award in the "education" category.[18][19][20]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d Buchignani, Walter (2 July 1989). "Math teacher aims to solve nuclear puzzle; Introducing . . . Gordon Edwards". Montreal Gazette. pp. A2. ProQuest 431822022 – via ProQuest.
  2. ^ a b Saunders, Graham (17 April 2023). "Nuclear waste questions continue to multiple". The Chronicle-Journal. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  3. ^ Dotto, Lydia (November–December 1978). "The Great Nuclear Debate". Science Forum: 41–46.
  4. ^ McNeil, Gerard (3 September 1975). "Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility includes diverse array of worried citizens". The Leader-Post. Regina, Saskatchewan. p. 61.
  5. ^ Canadian Press (30 April 1981). "Nuclear foe can't give up the crusade". Waterloo Region Record, p. 65. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
  6. ^ Global Television (25 May 2015). "1974 Nuclear Debate : G Edwards vs E Teller (TV 48m)". YouTube. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
  7. ^ a b "CCNR Audio-Visual Directory". ccnr.org. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
  8. ^ "The Friendly Atom (46m)". youtube. The Nature of Things. 6 October 2015. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
  9. ^ The Nature of Things (7 July 2010). "My Nuclear Neighbour - Intro". youtube. CBC Television. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
  10. ^ Edwards, Gordon. Regulatory Challenges in the Age of Nuclear Waste and Decommissioning. 2019
  11. ^ Edwards, Gordon. Uranium: A Discussion Guide, National Film Board of Canada, 1991. ISBN: 0-7722-0233-8
  12. ^ Edwards, Gordon. Fuelling the Arms Race: Canada's Nuclear Trade. Ploughshares Monitor, v. 6, n. 2. Waterloo. June, 1985
  13. ^ Edwards, Gordon. Canada’s Nuclear Dilemma, in Energy: Ethics, Power and Policy, Journal of Business Administration, vol. 13, nos. 1 & 2, 1982
  14. ^ Edwards, Gordon. Health Implications of Pelleting Operations at the BWXT-Peterborough Plant, in A Review of Human Health and Environmental Protections in Response to BWXT Nuclear Energy Canada Inc. (BWXT) 10-year Licence Renewal for Peterborough and Toronto Facilities, 2020. Pages 35-63.
  15. ^ a b "Curriculum Vitae – Gordon Edwards, March 2024" (PDF).
  16. ^ Beltzner, Klaus P., Edwards, Gordon D., Coleman, Albert John. Mathematical Sciences in Canada. Science Council of Canada, 1976. ISBN: 0660003880, 9780660003887
  17. ^ "IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Beyond Nuclear, et al., Plaintiffs, -VS- U.S. Department of Energy, et al, Defendants" (PDF). static1.1.sqspcdn.com.
  18. ^ Hardeen, George (2006-12-12). "Six honored with Nuclear-Free Future awards at 2006 World Uranium Summit". Navajo-Hopi Observer. Retrieved 2024-09-20.
  19. ^ O'Donnell, Susan (March 13, 2020). "Dr. Gordon Edwards in NB to talk about nuclear energy".
  20. ^ "Gordon Edwards, Canada". September 26, 2023.
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