Question Period Note: Radioactive Waste Projects

• Protecting the health and safety of Canadians and the environment is our Government’s top priority when it comes to nuclear energy.
• It is the responsibility of radioactive waste owners to fund and implement waste management solutions that protect public health and safety, and the environment.
• All existing radioactive waste in Canada is being safely managed according to international standards at facilities that are licensed and monitored by our world-class regulator - the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission.
• The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) will only approve projects if it concludes that they are safe for people and the environment, both now and in the future.
If pressed on long-term ownership and responsibility for the three operated nuclear sites operated by Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL):
• Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) is under contract with Atomic Energy Canada Limited (AECL) to manage AECL’s sites.
• AECL will own and be responsible for any disposal facilities on its sites over the long term.
• The three projects are undergoing environmental assessments by the CNSC. The Commission will only approve these projects if it concludes that they are safe for people and the environment, both now and in the future.
If pressed on the NWMO’s deep geological repository site selection process:
• The Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) is responsible for implementing a long-term plan for managing Canada’s nuclear fuel waste that protects public health and safety, as well as the environment.
• The NWMO is moving forward with interested communities to identify a safe site in a willing-host community for a deep geological repository.
• Once a community is chosen, the project will be subject to an impact assessment. For now, the NWMO is engaging early and taking time with communities to get this right.

If pressed on Ontario Power Generation’s proposed deep geologic repository:
• The environmental assessment of the Ontario Power Generation (OPG) repository project is well advanced, and the decision on the project will be made by the Minister of Environment and Climate Change.
• OPG’s repository project will only proceed if it is safe for Canadians and the environment, now and in the future.
If pressed on inadequacies of deep geological repositories and Canada’s radioactive waste policy:
• The International Atomic Energy Agency – the world’s leading authority on nuclear safety - considers deep disposal in geological formations as a sustainable and safe way to manage high-level waste.
• Several countries including Sweden, France, and Finland are moving forward with this option.
• Under Canada’s Framework, radioactive waste owners are responsible for funding and implementing waste management solutions that protect public health and safety, and the environment.
• The approach has led to several projects coming forward that, if approved, would provide clear pathways for the safe disposal of almost all (~95%) of Canada’s waste.
• All radioactive waste in Canada is being safely managed according to international standards at facilities that are licensed and monitored by our world-class regulator - the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission.

Canada’s radioactive waste owners are advancing projects for the safe, long-term management of their radioactive wastes. Each project has attracted public and media interest. Most notable is interest in the proposed near surface disposal facility at the federal Chalk River Laboratories site.

None