Canada’s Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) will host a “virtual community engagement session” for Saskatchewan communities on October 13.
These sessions are being held across Canada from May to October to explore the “merits and trade-offs” of different options for dealing with Canada’s radioactive waste.
“Radioactive waste is being safely managed today, but there are gaps in long-term plans, specifically for low-level and intermediate-level radioactive waste,” NWMO Strategic Project Director Karine Glenn said in an announcement on Tuesday. “Developing an integrated strategy means that we are not leaving this to future generations to resolve.”
The organization is leading the development of that strategy at the request of Minister of Natural Resources Seamus O’Regan.
Anyone with an interest can join to share views about how Canada should manage radioactive waste — and discuss a “range of potential options” to inform the government’s strategy.
“These sessions are free and open to everyone. It is important to us that we engage a variety of voices in the process to identify and build common ground on which the strategy can be based, as well as understand points of difference,” Glenn said.
“Our goal is to better understand what matters most to Canadians and Indigenous peoples.”
The NWMO said there are a “number of projects” aimed at addressing the “long-term management” of some of the radioactive waste in different parts of Canada.
The organization is also charged with is implementing Canada’s plan for the “safe, long-term care” of used nuclear fuel, known as Adaptive Phased Management (APM).
But those projects, as well as the future of the energy policy in Canada, are not the topic of these community engagement sessions.
“Canada’s integrated strategy for radioactive waste represents a next step, that builds on previous work on radioactive waste management planning, to identify and address any gaps, and to look further into the future,” the NWMO said.
“The integrated strategy recommendations being developed by the NWMO will be informed by the Government of Canada’s radioactive waste management policy review.”
Those who would like to attend can visit www.radwasteplanning.ca to register online.