Canadian Nuclear Laboratories is hoping to get approval this month to begin the final decommissioning of the Gentilly-1 reactor site in Becancour, Quebec.
But First Nations communities in the Ottawa Valley oppose the plan because it would mean more waste being shipped to the Chalk River Laboratories.
Both the Kebaowek First Nation (KFN) and the Algonquins of Pikwakanagan First Nation (AOPFN) say the plan would violate their right to “free, prior, and informed consent” under the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and Canada’s UNDRIP Act.
“KFN holds and exercises inherent and constitutional rights, including title, throughout our territory,” they say in a submission to the Canadian Nuclear Nuclear Safety Commission, which is holding a “hearing in writing” on CNL’s application through July.
“We hold a profound duty to act as stewards of Anishinaabeg Algonquin Aki (lands), to protect our sacred sites, and to honour our inherent relationships, in accordance with our laws.
“Yet, we are being denied the opportunity to fulfill these responsibilities.
“The CNSC’s regulatory process and myopic view of Indigenous rights precludes and frustrates our ability to participate fully and fairly in matters relating to the transport and storage of radioactive waste to our territory, which engages article 29(2) of UNDRIP and requires the Crown to obtain our free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC).”
Gentilly-1 was a prototype boiling water Candu reactor built by Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd and Hydro Quebec in 1972.
The reactor ran until 1978 and has been in a safe shutdown state since 1986.
CNL completed a project last year to move all of the used nuclear fuel from Gentilly-1 to Chalk River.
The company is now applying for permission to remove all the buildings and structures on the G1 site and to extend the site licence for 15 years to 2041…
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