Panel Report

1.1 Review Process

In April, 1991, the governments of Canada and Saskatchewan announced a joint federal-provincial environmental assessment review to study several uranium mine developments in northern Saskatchewan. The Joint Federal-Provincial Panel on Uranium Mining Developments in Northern Saskatchewan was appointed in August, 1991, to conduct a public review of the proposed developments. Included in the review was a proposal to mine the Cigar Lake ore body, where test mining activities were already underway. [The federal referral was made by the Minister of Energy Mines and Resources, on behalf of the Atomic Energy Control Board, citing Section 11(b) of the Environmental Assessment and Review Process Guidelines Order; the provincial referral was made by Saskatchewan Environment and Public Safety, citing the Environmental Assessment Act and the Public Enquiries Act.] The Cigar Lake Mining Corporation (CLMC), a consortium of four companies, was designated as operator.

After consultation with interested stakeholders, the joint panel issued Guidelines for the Preparation of Environmental Impact Statements and Government Information Requests for the Cigar Lake and McArthur River Projects (Guidelines), in September of 1992. Responding to the Guidelines, CLMC submitted its environmental impact statement (EIS) for full-scale mining at Cigar Lake, on October 4, 1995.

The panel conducted an information meeting with the proponent in January of 1996 to discuss the adequacy of the information submitted in the EIS. This meeting supplemented the comments received from members of the public, from organizations and from provincial and federal government departments and agencies. To facilitate a complete understanding of the proposal, the panel requested additional information from CLMC on February 20 and May 22, 1996. CLMC responded to these requests on April 1, 1996 and July 12, 1996, respectively.

When the panel concluded that sufficient information to adequately review the project was available, public hearings were scheduled in Regina, Saskatoon, and nine northern communities. The panel accepted locations for the community hearings in northern Saskatchewan based on the advice of the Environmental Quality Committees. [Environmental Quality Committees consist of representatives appointed by the communities that are impacted by uranium developments in northern Saskatchewan.] However, scheduling arrangements, which had been confirmed in advance with the communities, had to be changed to accommodate several chiefs and mayors who withdrew their invitations a few days before the sessions were to take place. The panel rescheduled all sessions, and held hearings in Regina, Saskatoon, La Ronge, and Pinehouse in September and October, 1996.

Shortly before the hearings were due to begin, the proponent announced its intention to revise its plans for the JEB Tailings Management Facility and, on August 26, the panel requested CLMC to prepare comprehensive information on its revised proposal. The panel's intent was to deal with the tailings disposal issue at separate sessions of public hearings, after the new information had undergone the customary review phases.

Information on the revised tailings disposal plan was submitted by the proponent on October 31, 1996, with additional information being requested by the panel on December 12. On May 2, 1997, the panel received sufficient information to permit a comprehensive review of the proposed revisions and the supplementary public hearings were held at La Ronge, Saskatchewan, in August, 1997. After the completion of all sessions of public hearings, the panel prepared the following report.

The governments of Saskatchewan and Canada made $75,000 available for participant funding to help the public take part effectively in the review. The funds were intended to assist recipients in reviewing the EIS and in preparing for and participating in the public hearings. The allocation of funding was done by an independent committee, with no involvement by the panel. A summary of the participant funding allocations is found in Appendix F.

1.2 Panel

1.2.1 Membership

The Joint Federal-Provincial Panel on Uranium Mining Developments in Northern Saskatchewan was appointed on August 22, 1991. Donald Lee, Professor of Chemistry at the University of Regina, is Chairperson of the panel. Other panel members are:

• James Archibald, Professor and Acting Head of Mining Engineering at Queen's University; and
• Richard Neal, Professor of Biology and Associate Dean (Academic) of the College of Arts and Science, University of Saskatchewan.

Annalee Yassi, Associate Professor and Director of the Occupational and Environmental Health Unit, University of Manitoba, participated in the Cigar Lake review until her resignation in August, 1996. John Dantouze, Vice-Chief of the Prince Albert Grand Council, served as a panel member until October 1, 1996, when he resigned.

1.2.2 Mandate

The mandate of the panel is three-fold: to review the environmental, health, safety and socio-economic impacts of the proposed Cigar Lake Project; to determine from its review whether the project is acceptable or unacceptable; and to provide full opportunities for public consultation and review. Complete terms of reference for the panel are contained in Appendix B.