Citizens call for underground nuclear waste plan to be scrapped
Citizens concerned about plans to bury Canada’s most radioactive nuclear waste in a massive underground facility said it’s time the Nuclear Waste Management Organization went back to the drawing board.
“There is a viable alternative to the transportation and burial of high level radioactive wastes. Nuclear fuel waste should be managed at the point of generation, by making on site storage more robust, and adopting a program of rolling stewardship,” explained Charles Faust of We the Nuclear Free North during a Queen’s Park media conference on Tuesday.
Three million used nuclear fuel bundles that once powered Ontario nuclear plants are currently stored at those plants, in near ground and above ground facilities. The Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO), tasked with finding a home for Canada’s mounting volume of nuclear waste, said that’s not a long term solution.
“This repository would contain that fuel in an underground vault surrounded by rock. And, that rock would protect that material for the many years to come, many decades, and millennia, in which we need to protect that material,” said NWMO VP of Site Selection, Lise Morton.
Bill Noll, who lives near one of the proposed sites for the underground waste repository, argues that keeping the waste where it is also eliminate the very contentious site selection process currently underway.
“You have those that are supporting, and those that are not. Neighbours don’t talk to one another, but that’s what the process has done,” said Noll, who also represents Protect our Waterway - No Nuclear Waste, from the Municipality of South Bruce.
Example of used nuclear fuel bundle in Teeswater from March 2019. (Scott Miller / CTV News)
“There will be uncertainties where we employ the proximity principle. But, those are uncertainties that can be managed, and monitored, and remediated. That is where we will get greater certainty, by keep the waste at the reactor site,” said Brennain Lloyd, of NorthWatch.
“There’s only ever been one option considered, that is to create a cavern underground, bury it, and seal it, and walk away,” said Faust.
While the NWMO does have in their proposal a plan to close the facility around 2159, after 40 years of operation, and 60 years of extended monitoring, Morton said that decision will ultimately be made by people not even born yet.
“It will be future generations who decide that they have enough data, that they’ve monitored enough, and that they feel comfortable closing the repository,” she said.
We the Nuclear Free North and Protect our Waterways - No Nuclear Waste presented an 1,140 signature petition to Queen’s Park this week urging the provincial government to employ the proximity principle, and keep Canada’s high level nuclear waste above ground.
By the end of next year, the NWMO will decide if a site near Ignace in Northern Ontario, or a site near Teeswater, in Bruce County, will host Canada’s high level nuclear waste forever. Both communities will vote on their willingness to host the project, as will the Indigenous communities surrounding both areas.
The project will cost approximately $25 billion to construct, and will lead to approximately 700 operational jobs.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Iran fires air defence batteries in provinces as explosions heard near Isfahan
Iran fired air defence batteries early Friday morning after reports of explosions near a major airbase at the city of Isfahan, the state-run IRNA news agency reported.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
Nearly half of China's major cities are sinking, researchers say
Nearly half of China's major cities are suffering 'moderate to severe' levels of subsidence, putting millions at risk of flooding especially as sea levels rise.
Prince Harry formally confirms he is now a U.S. resident
Prince Harry, the son of King Charles III and fifth in line to the British throne, has formally confirmed he is now a U.S. resident.
Judge says 'no evidence fully supports' murder case against Umar Zameer as jury starts deliberations
The judge presiding over the trial of a man accused of fatally running over a Toronto police officer is telling jurors the possible verdicts they may reach based on the evidence in the case.
Health Canada to change sperm donor screening rules for men who have sex with men
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
Colin Jost names one celebrity who is great at hosting 'Saturday Night Live'
Colin Jost, who co-anchors Saturday Night Live's 'Weekend Update,' revealed who he thinks is one of the best hosts on the show.
Sports columnist apologizes for 'oafish' comments directed at Caitlin Clark. The controversy isn't over
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball's highest scorer Caitlin Clark's first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
'Shopaholic' author Sophie Kinsella reveals brain cancer diagnosis
Sophie Kinsella, the best-selling author behind the 'Shopaholic' book series, has revealed that she is receiving treatment for brain cancer.