Some protesters used magnets on Saturday to draw more attention to a ship carrying about 100 tonnes of toxic waste that tried to unload its cargo in Canada.

With Vancouver harbour police watching, Greenpeace activists put on a show for the media, pulling up to the side of the Wanhe and attaching a bright sign that read: "Toxic PCBs: Return to Sender."

It was the latest in a series of protests since the ship showed up from Asia a few days ago. The crew was turned away from Vancouver and then Seattle before returning to Canada again.

The hazardous waste containing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) came from a U.S. military base in Japan.

The United States banned importation of its own PCB waste three years ago. That's when a U.S.-owned company set up a disposal plant in Kirkland Lake, Ont.

The Wanhe was bringing the toxic material from old electrical equipment to Canada for processing, even though the Ontario government banned importation of PCB waste last year.

Greenpeace demonstrators slapped the Return to Sender sign on the vessel Saturday, even though they had already won their fight the day before.

Late Friday, officials confirmed that the 14 containers of hazardous material was being sent back to Japan.

But the protesters are now demanding an inquiry into why the ship came to Canada in the first place without special permits that would let it unload the toxic cargo legally.

"We know that the Department of the Environment found out about it in the press, and that's very concerning," says Darryl Luscombe of Greenpeace International.

"When asked about that, they claimed that this was low-level waste and they didn't have to be notified," he adds.

Regardless of whether the shipment was below Canada's legal limit for toxic waste, the protesters say that bringing it to this country was wrong.

Greenpeace is calling on the federal government to impose a blanket ban on the importation of all hazardous waste.

-- viewer (justp@ssing.by), April 08, 2000

Answers

Activists can't stop plutonium shipment

A group of anti-nuclear activists has lost a bid to stop a shipment of plutonium from entering Canada.

A joint U.S.-Russian experiment will see if plutonium from decommissioned nuclear weapons can be used in reactors.

The American and Canadian activists say the experiment violates an arms-control agreement signed by Washington.

The plutonium is expected to be shipped this summer.

-- viewer (justp@ssing.by), April 08, 2000.

Good for Canada! Hooray for Greenpeace. We are drowning in toxic waste. Check our EDF's Scorecard. Sorry link illiterate.

-- gilda (jess@listbot.com), April 09, 2000.