COMMENTARY — Deep River wants waste facility

The citizens of Deep River, Ont., want to play host to Canada’s first low-level radioactive waste disposal facility. More than 70% of voters in a September, 1995, referendum were in favor of locating the facility in their town of 4,200.

“This is a strong vote of confidence for the nuclear industry,” says Vern Kiss, Cameco’s executive assistant to the chief executive officer. “The people of Deep River believe low-level radioactive waste can be permanently disposed of in a safe and environmentally responsible manner.” The proposed permanent disposal facility would use underground cells to contain about 1 million cubic metres of historic waste, primarily from the Port Granby and Welcome waste management facilities near Port Hope, Ont., as well as from various sites in the town. This low-level radioactive waste was generated by Eldorado Nuclear, a federal Crown corporation, which began operations in the 1930s. The assets of Eldorado were purchased by Cameco when it was created in 1988. Although the federal government has agreed to foot the bill for historic waste cleanup, Cameco will contribute up to $25 million toward this initiative.

In July, Deep River’s town council negotiated a community

agreement-in-principle with the task force appointed by the federal government to find a voluntary site for a disposal facility. The task force estimates the entire project may cost $253 million during the next 15 years.

The town’s agreement also includes $8.7 million in funding for capital projects and guarantees 10 years of stable employment at the Chalk River laboratories, near the proposed site. The facility will also be designed to accept about 145,000 cubic metres of waste

at the Chalk River laboratory, which is part of Atomic Energy of Canada, a federal Crown corporation.

Port Hope’s town council was to hold a similar referendum but was unable to negotiate an agreement with the task force. The town withdrew from the process, leaving Deep River as the only municipality to identify itself as a volunteer host community.

“It is now up to the federal minister of natural resources to decide whether to accept the agreement that has been approved by Deep River and recommended by the task force,” Kiss says. He notes, however, the facility would still be subject to regulatory review by the Atomic Energy Control Board before any licence to build and operate could be granted.

— From “The Source,” a newsletter published by Cameco.