NUCLEAR WASTE IN CANADA
Welcome
For decades the nuclear industry has been skirting the question of what to do with the nuclear wastes they generate through the use of nuclear power by talk of "geological disposal". Their idea is to bury the highly radioactive wastes - hazardous for time periods many times longer than known history - deep below the surface of the earth. The problems are many. First, the risks of transferring and transporting the wastes, potentially long distances. Second, the "technology" of deep burial is unproven. Third, the radioactive hazards will long outlast any containers.
For decades the nuclear industry has been skirting the question of what to do with the nuclear wastes they generate through the use of nuclear power by talk of "geological disposal". Their idea is to bury the highly radioactive wastes - hazardous for time periods many times longer than known history - deep below the surface of the earth. The problems are many. First, the risks of transferring and transporting the wastes, potentially long distances. Second, the "technology" of deep burial is unproven. Third, the radioactive hazards will long outlast any containers.
IMPACT ASSESSMENT LAUNCHED OF NWMO'S NUCLEAR WASTE TRANSPORTATION AND BURIAL PROJECT
January 2026 - A federal review of the Nuclear Waste Management Organization’s nuclear waste transportation and burial project was launched on January 5th with a 30 day comment period on the Initial Project Description closing on February 4th. The NWMO has excluded transportation from its Initial Project Description, proposing that transportation issues not be part of the federal review. Read more HERE.
Register for January 28 (6 pm CST, 7 pm EST) preparatory webinar HERE.
Read more in the We the Nuclear Free North e-newsletter: January 6 E-Bulletin Announcing Launch of Impact Assessment
Register for January 28 (6 pm CST, 7 pm EST) preparatory webinar HERE.
Read more in the We the Nuclear Free North e-newsletter: January 6 E-Bulletin Announcing Launch of Impact Assessment
Important Links and Documents for Initial Project Description Review and Comment Period Closing Feb 4
The Impact Assessment Agency web page about the NWMO DGR project review includes key documents and notices related to the review, as well as posting of public comments. The current comment period is on the Initial project description, and there are two versions: the summary document is 92 pages long, and the full document including the Initial Project Description is 1,322 pages BUT only the first 262 pages of that document is the detailed (well, more detailed than the summary) version of the Initial Project Description. There is also a 10 page summary at the beginning of the full IPD.
10 pg Executive summary (of the Summary IPD) Summary IPD Full IPD Public Comments All Records
The Impact Assessment Agency web page about the NWMO DGR project review includes key documents and notices related to the review, as well as posting of public comments. The current comment period is on the Initial project description, and there are two versions: the summary document is 92 pages long, and the full document including the Initial Project Description is 1,322 pages BUT only the first 262 pages of that document is the detailed (well, more detailed than the summary) version of the Initial Project Description. There is also a 10 page summary at the beginning of the full IPD.
10 pg Executive summary (of the Summary IPD) Summary IPD Full IPD Public Comments All Records
In Canada, there are three different nuclear waste burial schemes that the industry has publicly acknowledged: one failed, one being promoted full force, and one waiting in the wings.
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CONTINUED NUCLEAR WASTE GENERATION
In addition to the massive stockpiles of already created radioactive wastes, the nuclear industry and federal government are working together to create more. Uranium mines and mills continue to operate in Saskatchewan with more proposed, uranium is refined and converted to nuclear fuel in Ontario, a fleet of reactors continue to operate in Ontario and New Brunswick, with reactors at the Bruce and Darlington Nuclear Generating Stations undergoing refurbishment. Add to this, the federal government is in the throes of a bromance with both Small Modular Reactors and large not-yet-designed mega-reactors.
In addition to the massive stockpiles of already created radioactive wastes, the nuclear industry and federal government are working together to create more. Uranium mines and mills continue to operate in Saskatchewan with more proposed, uranium is refined and converted to nuclear fuel in Ontario, a fleet of reactors continue to operate in Ontario and New Brunswick, with reactors at the Bruce and Darlington Nuclear Generating Stations undergoing refurbishment. Add to this, the federal government is in the throes of a bromance with both Small Modular Reactors and large not-yet-designed mega-reactors.
A NATIONAL REVIEW OF RADIOACTIVE WASTE POLICIES AND STRATEGIES WAS LAUNCHED IN NOVEMBER 2020 AND CONCLUDED IN 2023 WITH THE NUCLEAR INDUSTRY IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT. LEARN MORE HERE
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