Renfrew County Warden Peter Emon
The recent news that the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) has approved plans to construct a near surface disposal facility for nuclear waste at the Canadian Nuclear Laboratories’ (CNL’s) Chalk River site has been met with mixed reactions.
Renfrew County Warden Peter Emon explained that the county intervened on behalf of CNL when the hearings were underway. He said the county recognizes that to refurbish the site there has to be the ability to handle the waste.
“They’re taking about 100 old facilities that have been there since the start and that waste from those buildings will have to be accommodated and it doesn’t make any sense to transport it anywhere else,” said Emon.
The warden expressed his trust in CNL, as well as the regulatory regime, and went on to say the process is much more sophisticated and technologically advanced than a municipal landfill site.
“We’ve grown accustomed to municipal landfill sites and have some understanding of the importance of protecting the environment and feel comfortable that our neighbours and friends and family are there and so, as employees, they’re going to spend a lot of time looking after the interests of our community and safeguarding the community,” said Emon.
Chalk River Labs (CRL) provides $380 million in direct wages and benefits annually, he said, most of which is spent in our area on goods and services and home ownership and municipal taxes.
And the site is in the midst of a 10-year, on average $120-million-a-year, spend on that site and that renewal brings with it 672 person years of employment for mostly local and regional contractors, he added. Additionally, CRL spends about $115 million for goods and services, a portion of which also remains in the community.
“It’s a balancing act for us – it’s an economic driver, a nice steady driver – contributor to our economy but at the same time, Renfrew County is the home of the nuclear industry, it started here in the ’40s and so we do have some responsibility to take care of the waste from all of the work that’s been done on site. And I think that implied social contract with the rest of Canada, we have confidence in CRL being able to do that on our behalf,” said Emon.
(Written by Sherry Haaima)