“The experts have spoken . . .”
UN atomic agency cites dangers of radioactive dump project on Ottawa River
The United Nations’ International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has completed an 11-day review of Canada‘s handling of radioactive waste -- and protection measures. The 24-member team included 20 regulatory experts from 17 countries. Although the proposal to create a mega-dump of radioactive materials along the Ottawa River at Chalk River was one focus, the review looked at similar plans in Manitoba.
The IAEA announced September 13 that its final report will recommend “The Government of Canada enhance (its) policy and strategy for radioactive waste management,” and that “The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission should consider better aligning its radiation protection requirements with IAEA safety standards”. These are serious warnings from an agency that has traditionally supported the nuclear industry.
This review mission was conducted at the request of the federal government, following a 2018 public request for an investigation into Canada’s nuclear waste polices and practices by five First Nations and 40 civil society groups specifically concerned with the dangers of the Chalk River proposal.
One of the signatories to this request, Dr. Gordon Edwards, president of the Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility, has charged that the federal government’s failure to develop policies and strategies for nuclear waste has given the SNC-Lavalin consortium free rein to deal with Canada’s $8 billion radioactive waste legacy that is spread across the provinces of Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec. Edwards and other signatories argued that plans to pour concrete over old nuclear reactors (Rolphton, Ontario) and to create a massive radioactive waste dump beside drinking water sources do not meet international safety standards.
“The Government of Canada is missing a golden opportunity to develop leadership and excellence in nuclear waste management”, adds Johanna Echlin of the Old Fort William (Pontiac) Cottagers’ Association. “We call upon all media, the public and candidates to press for an urgent reform of Canada’s approach to nuclear waste matters.” Echlin added that these projects must meet and exceed IAEA standards to provide protection “for centuries to come.”
“This announcement is a confirmation of our concerns about how nuclear waste is being mishandled in Canada,” said Gilles Provost, of the Ralliement contre la pollution radioactive. “And now world experts from the IAEA are saying the same thing.”
The IAEA is a United Nations organization that recommends safety standards for nuclear plants and nuclear waste facilities; it has 171 member states. It also administers an international convention on the management of nuclear waste to which Canada is a party.
Aylmer Bulletin Team in
collaboration with Gilles Provost,
Ralliement contre la pollution
radioactive; FR
