Community groups file for judicial review over Chalk River n

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Community groups file for judicial review over Chalk River nuclear waste facility

[ https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/c ... -1.7157502 ]

Legal challenge rests on consideration of endangered species in the area

Sam Konnert · CBC News · March 28, 2024

EXCERPT: "A group of community leaders and non-profits have filed an application for judicial review Wednesday to stop the construction of a radioactive waste disposal site on the Chalk River Laboratories property, about 190 kilometres north-west of Ottawa.

On Jan. 8, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission approved Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) proposal to build a "near surface disposal facility" close to Chalk River, Ont.

CNL, a private-sector consortium contracted to manage federal nuclear sites, intends to bury a million cubic metres of low-level radioactive waste in the giant hillside mound.

The Kebaowek First Nation, Concerned Citizens of Renfrew County and Area, Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility and the Sierra Club Canada Foundation filed the legal challenge asking the federal department, Environment and Climate Change Canada, to review the decision to issue the build permit.

The application rests on threats to endangered species in the area, including the Canada warbler, golden-winged warbler, blanding's turtle, and three species of bats. There are also bears and wolves on the land, which are not endangered.

Under the Species at Risk Act, the government must prove that alternatives sites were looked at, and the best possible location was chosen.

The application is on top of different court challenge filed in February concerned with other environmental effects including seismic activity and wastewater leakage into the Ottawa River.

In court filings, CNL said it will do everything in its power to minimize impacts to the environment, including implementing a sustainable forest management plan, avoiding activities with significant noise and habitat disturbance, and establishing buffer areas around wetlands. . . . . "

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