Protest against Chalk River nuclear waste disposal project

[Oscar]

Protest against Chalk River nuclear waste disposal project

Pierre Chapdelaine de Montvalon, Radio-Canada, Espaces Autochtones, May 26, 2025

[ https://ici.radio-canada.ca/espaces-aut ... -nucleaire ]

Opposition to the proposed Chalk River nuclear waste disposal site continues unabated. A coalition of Aboriginal leaders and elected officials met Monday morning in Montreal to denounce the proposed Near Surface Disposal Facility (NSDF) on the Ontario side of the Ottawa River.

For nearly 10 years, the community of Kebaowek, in Témiscamingue, has been fiercely opposed to the construction of such a site, and is leading a court battle against the organization responsible for the project, Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL).

At a press conference, First Nation Chief Lance Haymond reiterated his community's fears about the risks of water contamination and the effects on biodiversity of such a project, which he said would not respect First Nations' rights.

Several speakers added their voices to call on the governments of Quebec and Canada to reject the project.

For the new Chief of the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador, Francis Verreault-Paul, such a project is a threat to our waters, our rights, our cultures and our traditional ways of life.

"Where is the free, prior and informed consent of First Nations, which is at the heart of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples?" he asked at a press conference. . . . . "