CNSC approves radioactive waste site; suggests Ontario may have jurisdiction also
On October 16, 2009, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission issued a licence to Atomic Energy of Canada Limited to expand and operate a low-level radioactive waste site in Port Hope, Ontario. This licence will allow AECL to take over the site currently operated by Cameco Corporation, expand the site to accommodate an additional 1.2 million cubic metres of radioactive waste, remediate contaminated lands within Port Hope, and then maintain the waste site for "a period of several hundred years". (official transcript, the MOE official was not able to say whether the project meets MOE requirements. The Commission Chair expressed his displeasure:
That’s very -- we’re not happy with that answer. We were hoping that some definitive answer would come our way this time. We’re very disappointed that the promised representatives from the Ministry were not here to answer those questions.
With the Commission's ruling that a CNSC licence does not preclude the need for provincial approvals, all eyes are now on the Ontario Ministry of the Environment.
Listen to Living at the Barricades.
The Government of Canada is poised to build a massive low-level radioactive waste site in Port Hope, Ontario. The environmental assessment is done. The licence has been issued. The Port Hope radioactive waste site --- a hesitating experiment that will change the future of our waterfront. We talk about such experiments on this episode, including the Red Hill Creek Expressway, industrial use of the Oshawa Harbour, and off-shore wind development on the Great Lakes. Clips today include Lynda Lukasik, Mayor John Gray and Larry Ladd. In the last segment, Mark and Krystyn also discuss the upcoming Music in this Show
