Natural Resources Canada is inviting Canadians and stakeholders to make presentations to ensure that Canada has a strong policy for the long term management of all of the country’s radioactive waste and Kincardine wants its thoughts known as well.
At the June 7th Committee of the Whole meeting, Kincardine CAO Sharon Chambers presented a detailed report on what may be included in the municipality’s submission.
Among the many suggestions presented in the report, money was one of them.
Chambers says there’s no financial support for a host community like Kincardine to develop a submission, however “other members of the public and organizations are provided funding to assist them in developing their submissions.”
Her report goes on to say Kincardine is the host community for Ontario Power Generation’s (OPG) Western Waste Management Facility (WWMF), located at the Bruce Nuclear site.
The WWMF manages and provides interim storage of low and intermediate level waste from OPG’s Pickering and Darlington nuclear stations and the Bruce Power station.
As a host community, Kincardine is home to approximately 47% of Canada’s used nuclear fuel and 36% of low and intermediate level radioactive waste.
Other recommendations included in Kincardine’s presentation will be a statement supporting a deep geologic repository as the preferred long-term solution for the storage of all classifications of radioactive waste; that the Radioactive Waste Policy contain provisions that recognize the important contribution of nuclear host communities toward delivering solutions for radioactive waste and decommissioning of nuclear facilities; provide funding/compensation to nuclear host communities for community well-being and interim storage and long-term storage of radioactive waste; provide guidance with respect to how and when nuclear operators, owners and agencies must engage with nuclear host communities;
Council approved the entire report which will be sent to Natural Resources Canada.
Councillor Maureen Couture says it was a detailed report and shows that Kincardine has concerns that need to be heard by the federal government.
