Sophie Kuijper Dickson
Funded by the Local Journalism Initiative
Kebaowek First Nation has requested the federal government step in to halt construction of the nuclear waste disposal facility at Chalk River, which was given a green light by the government’s own nuclear safety regulator in January.
The First Nation, located near Témiscaming, Que., is requesting Environment and Climate Change Canada not issue the proponent, Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL), a permit under Canada’s Species at Risk Act until Kebaowek is given the chance to present its own findings and concerns to the review board.
A species at risk permit is required before construction begins, and will contain mitigation measures to be followed by CNL. The application for the permit is currently under review.
In a Jan. 23 press release, Kebaowek cited concerns around what it views as a lack of proper evaluation by the regulator, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC), of how the disposal facility, which is is set to contain up to 1,000,000 cubic metres of low-level radioactive waste, will affect species at risk on the site it is to be built.
The CNSC’s record of decision assures the disposal facility “is not likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects,” but Kebaowek’s Chief Lance Haymond says the regulator has not adequately investigated the impact the nuclear waste disposal facility will have on certain key species.
“The extent of the presence of endangered species, as well as the potential impacts on their crucial habitat have not been adequately investigated,” Haymond said in the release, listing the black bear, the eastern wolf, the peregrine falcon, as well as the endangered black ash tree as species of concern.
Kebaowek also said CNSC had not done sufficient work to understand the long term effects of the disposal facility on the lake sturgeon and the hickorynut mussel that live in the bodies of water surrounding the site, two species scientists at the Canadian Museum of Nature have also flagged as vulnerable.
CNSC’s final record of decision notes that in the final licensing hearings, a representative of Environment and Climate Change Canada confirmed the department was reviewing the permit application, and did not raise any concerns in their testimony.
Justin Roy, Kebaowek’s consultation coordinator, said on Jan. 29, the First Nation had not received any response to its request, which it sent out nearly two weeks earlier.
Kebaowek cries wolf, proponent says there are none
Led by long-time conservation expert Rosanne Van Schie, Kebaowek’s consultation team spent several months on the site of the proposed waste facility tracking species at risk to understand how many might be vulnerable.
First Nation requests
licensing pause
CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE
The team paid special attention to the eastern wolf which is currently listed as having “special consideration” under the Species at Risk Act but which the federal government is considering reclassifying as “threatened” to ensure the species is afforded appropriate protections.
“If it gets uplifted to threatened, and we can show that there are active wolf dens on site, now that area becomes a species at risk habitat, so then there’s no going in there whatsoever,” Roy said, explaining he believes this could lead to the cancellation of the nuclear waste facility mound altogether.
Roy explained that in Kebaowek’s extensive ground research on the waste facility site, team members spotted evidence the site is an active habitat for what it believes are eastern wolves, including wolf dens filled with wolf pups and wolves caught on trail cameras at other locations.
The federal government says these wolves have not been genetically tested, but that similar wolves on a nearby CFB Petawawa property have been confirmed to be eastern wolves.
CNL, for its part, stated it is aware there are eastern wolf packs and dens on the larger Chalk River Laboratories site, but that the dens on the site of the future waste facility are inactive.
Roy said his team has photo evidence that proves the opposite, and hopes ECCC will wait to approve any Species At Risk permit until Kebaowek is able to present its findings.
“We’re not just Indigenous people crying wolf,” Roy said. “No, there’s scientific facts that we want to present.”
Beyond this request for a licensing pause, Roy confirmed the First Nation is considering filing for judicial review of CNSC’s licensing decision, and is also looking into requesting an injunction to immediately pause any construction.