Ottawa Resolution requests for a Regional Assessment of nuclear waste disposal projects

To:  The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Environment and Climate Change

House of Commons   ON   K1A 0C6            

Re:  City of Ottawa Resolution on Chalk River Nuclear Waste Disposal

Dear Minister Wilkinson,                                                             

I am writing to support a Resolution of Concern  (http://concernedcitizens.net/2021/04/14/city-of-ottawa-passes-resolution-of-concern-about-cnls-radioactive-waste-activities/)passed on April 14th by the City of Ottawa about Nuclear Waste disposal projects on the shore of the Ottawa River at Chalk River and Rolphton Ontario.  

These projects proposed by Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) are 1) a Near Surface Disposal Facility (NSDF) at Chalk River and 2) the in situ disposal of a decommissioned reactor at Rolphton. Both projects deviate from norms established by the International Atomic Energy Agency. The City of Gatineau and other municipalities in Quebec including Montreal have opposed the NSDF.

Several million people live downstream from these projects in the cities of Ottawa, Gatineau, Montreal, Quebec City and many smaller communities. Their safety from toxic nuclear waste and other water- borne pollutants is in question.

The Ottawa Resolution requests that as Minister of Environment and Climate Change you initiate a Regional Assessment  (https://www.canada.ca/en/impact-assessment-agency/services/policy-guidance/regional-assessment-impact-assessment-act.html) of nuclear waste disposal projects in the Ottawa Valley under the Impact Assessment Act (2019.).  Safety concerns to be addressed should include:

1. the import, transfer and storage of nuclear waste from other sources in and beyond Canada, 

 2. the proposed Chalk River Near Surface Disposal Facility (NSDF) and in situ entombment of the decommissioned reactor at Rolphton along with measures to prevent their deterioration due to environmental stressors including earthquakes, precipitation and water seepage that could be sources of contamination of the Ottawa River,

3.  protection of the river during site demolition and waste transfer activities,

4. timely provision of environment monitoring data downriver, and

5. prompt notification of spill/release events.

A full Regional Assessment should include full consultation and participation of First Nations and indigenous communities to ensure that their rights, knowledge and community priorities are respected. It would analyze the regional context, consider the cumulative effects of existing and proposed waste sites, and help to inform future impact assessments. The objectives should include protection of drinking water and an analysis and monitoring of relevant health indicators in the Ottawa Valley.

These measures are critical in managing radioactive waste and ensuring that the Ottawa River Valley will enjoy a future free from nuclear pollution. We look forward to reports on the health of the Ottawa River valley and its inhabitants.  Thank you for your support.

Yours Sincerely,

Barry Stemshorn

<Personal information removed>

Gatineau (Aylmer),

Quebec, <Personal information removed>

cc. Greg Fergus, MP Hull-Aylmer 

cc. Honourable Seamus O’Regan, Minister of Natural Resources        

cc. Maxime Pedneaud-Jobin, Mayor of Gatineau 

cc. Jim Watson, Mayor of Ottawa

cc. The Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (Ottawa Valley)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/montreal-area-mayors-unanimously-oppose-nuclear-waste-dump-in-chalk-river-ont-1.4637533