Feds’ Move to Bypass Federal Review by Designating NWMO’s Nuclear Waste Scheme as a “Project of National Interest”
October 31 – Comment period on PONI designation quietly extended
The federal government has quietly announced an extension to the comment period on their controversial proposal to guarantee approval of the NWMO nuclear waste scheme. Comments may be emailed to DGRComment-CommentaireDSCGP@mpo-bgp.gc.ca, before the revised deadline of January 15, 2027. Read We the Nuclear Free North’s November 3 media release HERE.
TAKING ACTION BY OCTOBER 26
| On September 18th the federal government announced its next step to short-circuit the review of theNuclear Waste Management Organization’s plan to transport, process, bury and abandon all of Canada’s high-level nuclear fuel waste at a site in the heart of Treaty 3 territory in northwestern Ontario. Notice was posted in the Canada Gazette that the Nuclear Waste Management Organization’s (NWMO’s) Deep Geological Repository (DGR) project for all of Canada’s nuclear fuel waste is proposed for designation as a “Project of National Interest” under the Building Canada Act. This designation would guarantee project approval and would circumvent the Impact Assessment process. |
The Notice also indicates a reduced scope of any project review, eliminating long-distance transportation and long-term safety from whatever evaluation the federal government might employ in developing their conditions of approval.
Key point: if the NWMO’s project is actually defensible and a sound safety case can be made for the nuclear waste transportation and burial scheme, there should be no hesitation on the part of the nuclear industry or the federal government to have it subject to a comprehensive and independent assessment.
October 26 is the deadline to comment on the Notice and argue for a full public review.
Send your message today: Don’t cancel the impact assessment already underway!
Government of Canada News Release: Canada takes next step in potential listing of Deep Geological Repository project under Building Canada Act
Gazette I Notice of October 26 Comment Deadline
We the Nuclear Free North Media Release
We the Nuclear Free North action alert: Send a message to the feds!
THERE’S MORE: BILL C-39 INTRODUCED ON SEPTEMBER 21st, Unbuilding Canada’s Environmental Protections
| C-39, The Build Canada Strong Act, launched the day Parliament resumed on September 21st, is designed to steamroll over environmental protections and project review processes to accelerate construction of road, rail, ports and nuclear projects. There’s no summary from the Legislative library yet, but you can follow Bill C-39 HERE. |
The bill delivers the May 8th discussion paper‘s threat of transferring impact assessment of nuclear project’s from the independent Impact Assessment Agency to the nuclear industry led Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission.
Given PM Carney’s penchant for speed nothing is certain, but we should expect parliamentary committee hearings this fall. [Government News Release]
COMING UP! OCTOBER 8TH ONLINE STRATEGY AND RESPONSE SESSION
Join our online session on October 8th (7 pm Eastern 6 pm Central) to share analysis and action in response to the double header out of Ottawa, the Gazette I notice to designate NWMO’s project as a “Project of National Interest” and so bypass public review and Bill C-39 to end independent impact assessments of nuclear projects. Register HERE.
Visit the web page ASSESSING NUCLEAR RISK to learn more.
