The Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) will host a virtual Community Engagement Session for Saskatchewan communities on October 13, 2021 at 6:00pm Central Time.

This online event is an opportunity for interested Canadians and Indigenous peoples to share their views on the guiding principles and priorities that should inform the development of an integrated strategy for the long-term management of radioactive waste in Canada, as well as a range of potential options for the strategy.

“Radioactive waste is being safely managed today, but there are gaps in long-term plans, specifically for low-level and intermediate-level radioactive waste. Developing an integrated strategy means that we are not leaving this to future generations to resolve,” said Karine Glenn, Strategic Project Director for the NWMO. “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. Our goal is to better understand what matters most to Canadians and Indigenous peoples.”

These virtual Community Engagement Sessions are being hosted across Canada from May to October 2021 and complement technical workshops held by the NMWO to explore the merits and trade-offs of different options for Canada’s radioactive waste.

There are a number of projects for long-term management of some of the radioactive waste under way in different parts of Canada. For example, the NWMO is implementing Canada’s plan for the safe, long-term care of used nuclear fuel, known as Adaptive Phased Management (APM). 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 integrated strategy recommendations being developed by the NWMO will be informed by the Government of Canada’s radioactive waste management policy review.

For more information and to register, visit www.radwasteplanning.ca/engagement-initiatives/public-engagement-integrated-strategy-radioactive-waste-isrw

Associated Links

News Release – The NWMO To Host Canadian Radioactive Waste Summit March 30 to April 1 2021 (March 2021)    

News Release – NWMO Asked to Lead Development of an Integrated Radioactive Waste Management Strategy for Canada (November 2020)

To view the Integrated Strategy for Radioactive Waste (ISRW) Media Kit, and to access project logos and photos, visit www.radwasteplanning.ca/content/media

About the NWMO

The Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) is a not-for-profit organization implementing Canada’s plan to safely contain and isolate used nuclear fuel inside a deep geological repository in a manner that protects people and the environment for generations to come.

Canada’s plan will only proceed in an area with informed and willing hosts, where the municipality, First Nation and Métis communities, and others in the area are working together to implement it. The NWMO plans to select a site in 2023, and two areas remain in our site selection process: the Ignace area and South Bruce, both in Ontario.

About Canada’s Integrated Strategy for Radioactive Waste

The development of an integrated strategy for radioactive waste (ISRW) is led by the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO), at the request of the Honourable Seamus O’Regan, Minister of Natural Resources Canada. This is part of the Government of Canada’s Radioactive Waste Policy Review and leverages the NWMO’s 20 years of recognized expertise in the engagement of Canadians and Indigenous peoples on plans for the safe long-term management of used nuclear fuel. www.nwmo.ca/en/ABOUT-US/Other-Work