Campaign to Stop Radioactive Waste Dump Near the Ottawa River - Sierra Club Canada

Nuclear waste radiation symbol over the Ottawa River The campaign to stop the construction of a radioactive waste dump near the Ottawa River arose as part of years of grassroots action in which local citizens gathered information, conducted research and worked with First Nation allies to raise awareness about risks to water and to species at risk located at the proposed site. In spite of almost a decade of activism and advocacy, the federal nuclear regulator, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, issued a decision in January 2024 that allows construction of the waste dump. As a grassroots campaign to protect water, biodiversity and respect for Indigenous Rights, this campaign is part of our strategic commitment to a Decade of Change.

The goal of the SCCF’s Decade of Change is to inspire an engaged and empowered community that acts together to:

Champion a society powered by 100% clean energy
Recognizes and upholds the rights of nature
Embraces Social and environmental justice with democratic decision-making
Lives within the earth’s resources and supports a circular economy
Give everyone a sense of belonging in the outdoors

At Sierra Club Canada Foundation we are advancing this vision via

Grassroots action and alliances
Unique Programs and projects
High impact Advocacy

We Going to Court to Protect Water and People from Nuclear Waste

The plan to build a dump for a million tonnes of radioactive waste and other toxic substances in a giant hillside mound one kilometer from the Ottawa River / Kichi Sibi is reckless and threatens clean, fresh water for millions of people downstream.

The so-called “Near Surface Disposal Facility” (NSDF) would actually be a landfill for the toxic and radioactive waste that accumulated as the legacy of 80 years of nuclear experiments at the Government of Canada’s Chalk River Laboratories. After eight years of assessment, we still have no clear answers as to the types of waste that would go in the facility.

What we do know is that the NSDF would be Canada’s first permanent disposal facility for nuclear reactor wastes, including post-fission wastes, neutron activation wastes, disused sources, shielded waste packages, mixed radioactive and hazardous wastes with heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants, and wastes resulting from historic fuel reprocessing activities. Because it does not meet international standards for containing and isolating these materials, the NSDF would set a terrifying precedent for future mound-type facilities that the nuclear industry might build for similar wastes.

Sierra Club Canada has joined with Kebaowek First Nation, Concerned Citizens of Refrew County and Area and the Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility to challenge the permit issued by the federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change to allow the destruction of habitat for threatened and endangered species at the NSDF site.

What can we do about this?

After years of assessment, it is clear that concerns about violating Indigenous rights and harm to the environment and human health have not been heeded.

Our hope is that this legal challenge – supported by impacted groups and Indigenous rights holders – will force the federal government to reverse its decision and protect the old growth forest at the site, which is known to be habitat for endangered Blanding’s Turtles, bats, and Monarch butterflies; and threatened species such as the Eastern Wolf, Canada Warbler, Eastern Whip-poor-will, Wood Thrush, and Golden-winged Warbler.

Field work done by Kebaowek First Nation has documented that the Eastern Wolf, a species of great cultural importance to Algonquin peoples, actively uses the area planned for the nuclear waste dump. In recognition of new genetic evidence that it is a distinct species, the Eastern Wolf was recommended eight years ago for a threatened listing by the scientific body tasked with assessing species at risk in Canada (known as COSEWIC). The federal government has failed to act, even as the species continues to decline owing to loss of habitat.

Going to court is a big step. We do not take this lightly as an organization, but after eight years of flawed environmental assessment, we feel that this legal challenge is needed to stop the destruction of habitat for endangered species. Outside of court, awareness raised will help create pressure on the federal government to rethink its decision making and to take steps to find a better location for this waste in a manner that respects Indigenous rights and will protect the environment.

As we said above, concerns about impacts on the environment and human health were largely dismissed by Canada’s nuclear regulator – making this legal challenge so important for getting our voices heard. Even as our case proceeds through the court system, we need to keep raising awareness about the risks associated with nuclear energy and this project.

What happens if the dump goes ahead?

By working with the Kebaowek First Nation and in alliance with other environmental organizations, it is our hope that we will instigate a valid process for assessing an appropriate, lower risk location for this waste, one that does not threaten Indigenous rights, safe drinking water, and endangered species.

Canada has failed repeatedly to reverse the trend of declines in species at risk – even though we have laws on the books that give the federal government power to protect them. This legal challenge will up the bar for protecting habitat for endangered and threatened species and accelerate the listing of the Eastern Wolf as a threatened species in Canada.

Nuclear waste represents a threat to human health and the environment for countless millennia. The NSDF is intended to hold radioactive and other toxic waste (PCBs, dioxins, mercury, etc.) that can increase the risk of cancer and other diseases.

An environmental assessment process revealed that the NSDF would release radioactive and hazardous materials into 45-hectare Perch Lake, both during planned operations and after closure. The lake drains into the Ottawa River, only 1 kilometer away. Earthquakes, wildfires, floods, and other extreme weather events could add to the contamination of the river.

The Government of Canada has no real plan to deal with its dangerous waste. Along with provincial governments, it continues to promote and subsidize the development of nuclear energy. Recent economic assessments show that nuclear power is vastly more expensive than safer energy sources such as wind, solar, efficiency, and energy storage.

Because of the risks associated with nuclear energy, Sierra Club Canada opposes further investments in nuclear power plants and calls for responsible management of their legacy of waste. Current permissive regulatory schemes and close affiliations between regulators and the nuclear industry mean we do not have the best decision-making processes to protect Canadians from dangerous radioactive and toxic waste produced by nuclear energy – leading to decisions such as the one to allow the nuclear waste dump near the Ottawa River. In fact the regulation of nuclear energy in Canada is failing to meet international standards designed to protect human health and the environment from the risk associated with nuclear energy.

Over the long haul, we wish to see greater awareness of the risk associated with nuclear power generation, reforms to how we regulate existing nuclear energy sources in Canada, and a better plan to deal with the dangerous waste it leaves behind.

Water – A Sacred Trust

The Ottawa River or Kichi Sibi is sacred to the Algonquin Peoples, and the Chalk River waste site is close to the sacred Algonquin sites of Oiseau Rock and Pointe au Baptême. The Assembly of First Nations has adopted a resolution stating that the Canada Nuclear Safety Commission and the Canadian government have not fulfilled their constitutional obligation to consult and accommodate First Nations regarding the NSDF.

The Anishinabek Nation and the Iroquois caucus issued a joint statement on radioactive waste, asserting that “we must protect the land, water, and all living beings for future generations” and calling for no abandonment of radioactive waste, moving it away from major waterways, and eliminating the practice of importing or exporting radioactive waste.

In addition to the opposition of Algonquin First Nations to the project, over 140 municipalities in Quebec and Ontario, including Gatineau and Montreal, as well as several civil society organizations, have expressed their opposition to the NSDF plan. In 2021, the City of Ottawa adopted a resolution expressing its concern about the proposed waste site, which is located 180 km northwest of Canada’s capital city.

If you want to find out more from our friends and allies at the Kebaowek First Nation and support the campaign, please donate here: https://raventrust.com/campaigns/kebaowek/

In the Media

Campaign Timeline

8 January 2024 – The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) approved the project following an 8-year-long environmental assessment under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012. The CNSC issued a “Decision under Section 5 of CEAA 2012: Not Likely to Cause Significant Adverse Environmental Effects”

“The Commission’s decision is unacceptable, notably because it goes against the rights of Indigenous peoples and environmental protection. The Canadian government must act promptly and immediately assert the suspension of the project. The Commission’s final decision is completely unfounded in concluding the NSDF project will not cause significant environmental effects. While the decision states that CNL will take appropriate measures to safeguard the environment, the health, safety of individuals, and national security and to comply with national obligations, it is undeniable that the safety and health of people and the environment will be profoundly impacted for generations to come through this project.

…

I want to be very clear: the Algonquin Peoples did not consent to the construction of this radioactive waste dump on our unceded territory. We believe the consultation was inadequate, to say the least, and that our Indigenous rights are threatened by this proposal. We demand the cancellation of the NSDF project. The focus should instead be on a real and successful cleanup of the site to permanently eliminate old radioactive waste,”- Chief Lance Haymond of Kebaowek First Nation.

25 January 2024 – Sierra Club issues a letter calling on the Minister of Environment and Climate Change not to allow destruction of habitat for Species At Risk at the waste site.

19 March 2024 – Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change issues a permit allowing destruction of habitat for endangered species, paving the way to clear land for the nuclear waste dump.

27 March 2024 – Sierra Club Canada, Kebaowek First Nation, Concerned Citizens of Refrew County and Area and the Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility apply for a judicial review of the Minister’s decision to allow destruction of habitat for Species At Risk at the dump site.