Towards a transparent and responsible management of radioact
Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2025 11:24 amTowards a transparent and responsible management of radioactive waste
PRESS RELEASE - Ottawa, December 4, 2025 —
Bloc Québécois spokesperson for the Environment and Climate Change, Patrick Bonin, held a press conference on December 2 on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, alongside Lance Haymond, Chief of the Kebaowek First Nation, Lisa Robinson, Chief of the Wolf Lake First Nation, and representatives of several environmental and anti-radioactive-pollution groups to co-sign a letter along with more than 80 environmental associations, elected officials, trade unions, and First Nations representatives in Ontario, Quebec and the Rest of Canada, calling for a moratorium on the transport of radioactive waste over public roads and bridges to the Chalk River site located beside the Ottawa River. [See the letter in English and French at [ www.ccnr.org/letter_e_f_2025.pdf ]]
The signatories are calling on the federal government to ban, among other things, all imports of radioactive waste from other countries, including disused medical sources, expired tritium light sources, and irradiated nuclear fuel.
They are also calling on the Minister of Environment and Climate Change to conduct a strategic assessment of the transport of high-level and intermediate-level radioactive waste on public roads.
Quotes:
Ginette Charbonneau, spokesperson for the Coalition Against Radioactive Pollution, deplores the fact that "it is irresponsible to transport all radioactive waste under federal jurisdiction to Chalk River. It is doubly dangerous to transport the waste twice: once for temporary storage at Chalk River and a second time to its final destination."
Gordon Edwards, Ph.D., president of the Nuclear Watchdog Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility, states that "The Age of Nuclear Waste is just beginning. It's time to stop and think. First, we must stop moving the waste. This only increases the costs and the risks without solving the problem. Second, we must think of the need for three things – justfiication, notification, and consultation – before moving any of this dangerous human-made cancer-causing material over public roads and bridges.”
Jean-Pierre Finet of the Regroupement des organismes environnementaux en énergie (Alliance of Environmental Organizations on Energy) states, “We wholeheartedly support the call for a moratorium on the transport and importation of waste and the request for a strategic environmental assessment. We believe that Chalk River must cease to be our government’s nuclear waste dump.”“
"In 2017, Ottawa residents were denied a regional environmental impact assessment of radioactive wastes accumulating alongside the Ottawa River. Given all the proposed waste transfers underway and yet to be implemented, a strategic assessment is more urgent than ever,” explains Dr. Ole Hendrickson of the Ottawa River Institute.
“The government is willing to accept unacceptable risks, to silence affected nations, and to operate without any transparency or accountability,” says Lance Haymond, Chief of the Kebaowek First Nation. “We have learned long ago: Silence is Consent. We will not be silent.”
Lisa Robinson, Chief of the Wolf Lake First Nation, Canada, says, “We are all calling on Canada to do better with the nuclear situation in storage and transportation, and we call on all Canadian to insist on complete accountability for the tens of billions of dollars of public money that is being spent by those hired to manage these indestructible radioactive wastes.” -30-
Contacts :
English
Gordon Edwards, Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility, Montreal
- ccnr@web.ca 514-839-7214
Ole Hendrickson, Concerned Citizens of Renfrew County and Area, Ottawa
- oleqhendrickson@gmail.com 613-735-4876
Brennain Lloyd, Northwatch, We the Nuclear Free North, North Bay, Ontario
- brennain@onlink.net 705-493-9650
French/English
Ginette Charbonneau Ralliement contre la pollution radioactive Oka (Québec)
- ginettech@hotmail.ca 514=246-6439
Jean-Pierre Finet, Regroupement des organismes environnementaux en énergie, Montréal
- pierre.finet@gmail.com 514-515-1957
Eva Schacherl, Council of Canadians - Ottawa
- evaschacherl@gmail.com 613-316-9450
Article : Transferts de déchets radioactifs à Chalk River | Le Bloc québécois reçoit de
nombreux appuis et ravive son appel à un moratoire | La Presse
[ https://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/poli ... atoire.php ]
Watch the press conference : Le Bloc demande un moratoire sur le transport de matières nucléaires | À la une | CPAC.ca
[ https://www.cpac.ca/a-la-une/l-episode/ ... c6ad168280 ]
Link to the letter: [ letter_e_f_2025.pdf ] - PDF (www.ccnr.org)
Signatories of the letter
Patrick Bonin, Bloc Québécois spokesperson on Environment and Climate Change
Elizabeth May, Green Party of Canada
André Bélanger, Fondation Rivières
Alain Branchaud, SNAP Québec
Ginette Charbonneau, physicist and spokesperson, Ralliement contre la pollution radioactive
Rodrigue Turgeon, lawyer, MiningWatch Canada
Gilles Provost, Ralliement contre la pollution radioactive
Paul Germain, Ville de Prévost
Catherine Potvin, McGill University
Nadege Katende, Conseillère municipale de Farnham
Catherine Craig-St-Louis, Conseillère municipale de Gatineau
Joann McCann-Mc Gill, Old Fort William Cottagers Association
Carole Dupuis, Mouvement écocitoyen une planète
Kathryn Lindsay, Bonnechere River Watershed Project
Angela Keller-Herzog, Community Action for Environnemental Sustainability Ottawa
Paul Johanis, Greenspace Alliance of the Nation’s Capital
Kerry Blaise, Legal Advocates for Nature’s Defence
Joyce Hall, Ontario Climate Emergency Campain
Larissa Holdman, Ottawa Riverkeeper
Charlie MacLeod, Co-président, Coalition Verte
Carole Reed, Co-présidente, Coalition Verte
Damon Matthews, professor at Concordia University [as an individual]
Richard Denton, IPPNW Canada, Sudbury Chapter
Arnd Jurgensen, Science for Peace
Tony Reddin, Concil of Canadians, PEI Chapter
Thibault Rehn, Vigilance OGM
Florence Stratton, Making Peace Vigil
Alison Hackney, Coalition Verte
Michael Keegan, Coalition for a Nuclear Free Great Lakes
Nathalie Bélisle, Mayor of CantleyJoey Leckman, Conseiller municipal, Ville de Prévost
Yvon Barrière, Directeur-général, FTQ – Quebec Federation of Labour
Abram Benedict, Indian Chiefs of Ontario
Lance Haymond, Chief, Kabaowek First Nation
Francis Verreault-Paul, Assemblée des Premières Nations du Québec et du Labrador
Lisa Robinson, Chief, Wolf Lake First Nation
Céline-Audrey Beauregard, Mayor de Verdun, Conseillère d’arrondissement RDP-PAT
Mélodie Georget, Ville de Mont-Saint-Hilaire
Dominic Champagne
Jonathan Tremblay, Co-porte-parole, Coalition Mobilisations Citoyennes Environnementales de Laval
Dr. Gordon Edwards, president, Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility
Beatrice Olivastri, Friends of the Earth Canada
Dr. John Guilfoyle, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War - Canada
Penny Rankin, National Council of Women of Canada
Alley McDonald, Canadian Voice of Women for Peace
Gretchen Fitzgerald, Sierra Club Canada
Justin Roy, Kebaowek First Nation
Marc Ricard, L'Assomption en transition
Jean-Pierre Finet, Regroupement des organismes environnementaux en énergie
Gabrielle Spenard-Bernier, Mères au front
Patrick Rasmussen, Mouvement vert Mauricie
Camille Caumette, Ambioterra
Pierre Jasmin, Les Artistes pour la Paix
Bryan Smith, Chaire Oxford, Coalition for Social Justice
Jane Scott, Citizens Against Radioactive Neighbourhoods
Cassandra Ryan, Toronto Raging Grannies
Angela Bischoff, Ontario Clean Air Alliance
Rita Groen, Protect Our Waterways
Rebecca Hagey, physicist, Our Brains MatterCeredwyn Hill, No Clearcuts Kingston Inc.
Angela Keller-Herzog, Community Action for Environmental Sustainability Ottawa
Joyce Hall, Ontario Climate Emergency Campaign
Dr. Ole Hendrickson, Concerned Citizens of Renfrew County and Area, Ottawa River Institute
Lorraine Green, Grandmothers Act to Save the Planet
Eva Schacherl, Council of Canadians, Ottawa Chapter
Herb Sawatzky 50 by 30 Niagara
Faye More, Port Hope Community Health Concerns Committee
Gail Cockburn, Durham Nuclear Awareness
Donnafaye Milton, Council of Canadians, London Branch
Brennain Lloyd Northwatch
Chris Corey, New Brunswick Environmental Coalition
Sam Arnold, Sustainability Group
Ann McAllister, Coalition for Responsible Energy Development in New Brunswick
Gordon W. Dalzell, Citizens Coalition For Clean Air
Chief Hugh Akagi, Peskotomuhkati Nation at Skutik
Garry Guild, Council of Canadians, Fredericton Chapter
John Jacobs Physicien, Council of Canadians, Avalon Chapter
Barbara Gallagher, Citizen Action to Protect the Environment
Karen Weingeist, Coalition for a Clean Green Saskatchewan
Linda Murphy, Interchurch Uranium Committee Educational Cooperative
Ingrid Alesich, Clean Green Regina
Lorna Evans, Qu'Appelle Valley Environmental Association Inc.
Jule Asterisk, The Society of High Pairie Regional Environmental Action Committee
David Taylor, Concerned Citizens of Manitoba
Anne Lindsey, No Nukes Manitoba
Les Scott Manitoba Energy Justice Coalition
Gordon Edwards, Ph.D., President,
Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility
PRESS RELEASE - Ottawa, December 4, 2025 —
Bloc Québécois spokesperson for the Environment and Climate Change, Patrick Bonin, held a press conference on December 2 on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, alongside Lance Haymond, Chief of the Kebaowek First Nation, Lisa Robinson, Chief of the Wolf Lake First Nation, and representatives of several environmental and anti-radioactive-pollution groups to co-sign a letter along with more than 80 environmental associations, elected officials, trade unions, and First Nations representatives in Ontario, Quebec and the Rest of Canada, calling for a moratorium on the transport of radioactive waste over public roads and bridges to the Chalk River site located beside the Ottawa River. [See the letter in English and French at [ www.ccnr.org/letter_e_f_2025.pdf ]]
The signatories are calling on the federal government to ban, among other things, all imports of radioactive waste from other countries, including disused medical sources, expired tritium light sources, and irradiated nuclear fuel.
They are also calling on the Minister of Environment and Climate Change to conduct a strategic assessment of the transport of high-level and intermediate-level radioactive waste on public roads.
Quotes:
Ginette Charbonneau, spokesperson for the Coalition Against Radioactive Pollution, deplores the fact that "it is irresponsible to transport all radioactive waste under federal jurisdiction to Chalk River. It is doubly dangerous to transport the waste twice: once for temporary storage at Chalk River and a second time to its final destination."
Gordon Edwards, Ph.D., president of the Nuclear Watchdog Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility, states that "The Age of Nuclear Waste is just beginning. It's time to stop and think. First, we must stop moving the waste. This only increases the costs and the risks without solving the problem. Second, we must think of the need for three things – justfiication, notification, and consultation – before moving any of this dangerous human-made cancer-causing material over public roads and bridges.”
Jean-Pierre Finet of the Regroupement des organismes environnementaux en énergie (Alliance of Environmental Organizations on Energy) states, “We wholeheartedly support the call for a moratorium on the transport and importation of waste and the request for a strategic environmental assessment. We believe that Chalk River must cease to be our government’s nuclear waste dump.”“
"In 2017, Ottawa residents were denied a regional environmental impact assessment of radioactive wastes accumulating alongside the Ottawa River. Given all the proposed waste transfers underway and yet to be implemented, a strategic assessment is more urgent than ever,” explains Dr. Ole Hendrickson of the Ottawa River Institute.
“The government is willing to accept unacceptable risks, to silence affected nations, and to operate without any transparency or accountability,” says Lance Haymond, Chief of the Kebaowek First Nation. “We have learned long ago: Silence is Consent. We will not be silent.”
Lisa Robinson, Chief of the Wolf Lake First Nation, Canada, says, “We are all calling on Canada to do better with the nuclear situation in storage and transportation, and we call on all Canadian to insist on complete accountability for the tens of billions of dollars of public money that is being spent by those hired to manage these indestructible radioactive wastes.” -30-
Contacts :
English
Gordon Edwards, Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility, Montreal
- ccnr@web.ca 514-839-7214
Ole Hendrickson, Concerned Citizens of Renfrew County and Area, Ottawa
- oleqhendrickson@gmail.com 613-735-4876
Brennain Lloyd, Northwatch, We the Nuclear Free North, North Bay, Ontario
- brennain@onlink.net 705-493-9650
French/English
Ginette Charbonneau Ralliement contre la pollution radioactive Oka (Québec)
- ginettech@hotmail.ca 514=246-6439
Jean-Pierre Finet, Regroupement des organismes environnementaux en énergie, Montréal
- pierre.finet@gmail.com 514-515-1957
Eva Schacherl, Council of Canadians - Ottawa
- evaschacherl@gmail.com 613-316-9450
Article : Transferts de déchets radioactifs à Chalk River | Le Bloc québécois reçoit de
nombreux appuis et ravive son appel à un moratoire | La Presse
[ https://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/poli ... atoire.php ]
Watch the press conference : Le Bloc demande un moratoire sur le transport de matières nucléaires | À la une | CPAC.ca
[ https://www.cpac.ca/a-la-une/l-episode/ ... c6ad168280 ]
Link to the letter: [ letter_e_f_2025.pdf ] - PDF (www.ccnr.org)
Signatories of the letter
Patrick Bonin, Bloc Québécois spokesperson on Environment and Climate Change
Elizabeth May, Green Party of Canada
André Bélanger, Fondation Rivières
Alain Branchaud, SNAP Québec
Ginette Charbonneau, physicist and spokesperson, Ralliement contre la pollution radioactive
Rodrigue Turgeon, lawyer, MiningWatch Canada
Gilles Provost, Ralliement contre la pollution radioactive
Paul Germain, Ville de Prévost
Catherine Potvin, McGill University
Nadege Katende, Conseillère municipale de Farnham
Catherine Craig-St-Louis, Conseillère municipale de Gatineau
Joann McCann-Mc Gill, Old Fort William Cottagers Association
Carole Dupuis, Mouvement écocitoyen une planète
Kathryn Lindsay, Bonnechere River Watershed Project
Angela Keller-Herzog, Community Action for Environnemental Sustainability Ottawa
Paul Johanis, Greenspace Alliance of the Nation’s Capital
Kerry Blaise, Legal Advocates for Nature’s Defence
Joyce Hall, Ontario Climate Emergency Campain
Larissa Holdman, Ottawa Riverkeeper
Charlie MacLeod, Co-président, Coalition Verte
Carole Reed, Co-présidente, Coalition Verte
Damon Matthews, professor at Concordia University [as an individual]
Richard Denton, IPPNW Canada, Sudbury Chapter
Arnd Jurgensen, Science for Peace
Tony Reddin, Concil of Canadians, PEI Chapter
Thibault Rehn, Vigilance OGM
Florence Stratton, Making Peace Vigil
Alison Hackney, Coalition Verte
Michael Keegan, Coalition for a Nuclear Free Great Lakes
Nathalie Bélisle, Mayor of CantleyJoey Leckman, Conseiller municipal, Ville de Prévost
Yvon Barrière, Directeur-général, FTQ – Quebec Federation of Labour
Abram Benedict, Indian Chiefs of Ontario
Lance Haymond, Chief, Kabaowek First Nation
Francis Verreault-Paul, Assemblée des Premières Nations du Québec et du Labrador
Lisa Robinson, Chief, Wolf Lake First Nation
Céline-Audrey Beauregard, Mayor de Verdun, Conseillère d’arrondissement RDP-PAT
Mélodie Georget, Ville de Mont-Saint-Hilaire
Dominic Champagne
Jonathan Tremblay, Co-porte-parole, Coalition Mobilisations Citoyennes Environnementales de Laval
Dr. Gordon Edwards, president, Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility
Beatrice Olivastri, Friends of the Earth Canada
Dr. John Guilfoyle, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War - Canada
Penny Rankin, National Council of Women of Canada
Alley McDonald, Canadian Voice of Women for Peace
Gretchen Fitzgerald, Sierra Club Canada
Justin Roy, Kebaowek First Nation
Marc Ricard, L'Assomption en transition
Jean-Pierre Finet, Regroupement des organismes environnementaux en énergie
Gabrielle Spenard-Bernier, Mères au front
Patrick Rasmussen, Mouvement vert Mauricie
Camille Caumette, Ambioterra
Pierre Jasmin, Les Artistes pour la Paix
Bryan Smith, Chaire Oxford, Coalition for Social Justice
Jane Scott, Citizens Against Radioactive Neighbourhoods
Cassandra Ryan, Toronto Raging Grannies
Angela Bischoff, Ontario Clean Air Alliance
Rita Groen, Protect Our Waterways
Rebecca Hagey, physicist, Our Brains MatterCeredwyn Hill, No Clearcuts Kingston Inc.
Angela Keller-Herzog, Community Action for Environmental Sustainability Ottawa
Joyce Hall, Ontario Climate Emergency Campaign
Dr. Ole Hendrickson, Concerned Citizens of Renfrew County and Area, Ottawa River Institute
Lorraine Green, Grandmothers Act to Save the Planet
Eva Schacherl, Council of Canadians, Ottawa Chapter
Herb Sawatzky 50 by 30 Niagara
Faye More, Port Hope Community Health Concerns Committee
Gail Cockburn, Durham Nuclear Awareness
Donnafaye Milton, Council of Canadians, London Branch
Brennain Lloyd Northwatch
Chris Corey, New Brunswick Environmental Coalition
Sam Arnold, Sustainability Group
Ann McAllister, Coalition for Responsible Energy Development in New Brunswick
Gordon W. Dalzell, Citizens Coalition For Clean Air
Chief Hugh Akagi, Peskotomuhkati Nation at Skutik
Garry Guild, Council of Canadians, Fredericton Chapter
John Jacobs Physicien, Council of Canadians, Avalon Chapter
Barbara Gallagher, Citizen Action to Protect the Environment
Karen Weingeist, Coalition for a Clean Green Saskatchewan
Linda Murphy, Interchurch Uranium Committee Educational Cooperative
Ingrid Alesich, Clean Green Regina
Lorna Evans, Qu'Appelle Valley Environmental Association Inc.
Jule Asterisk, The Society of High Pairie Regional Environmental Action Committee
David Taylor, Concerned Citizens of Manitoba
Anne Lindsey, No Nukes Manitoba
Les Scott Manitoba Energy Justice Coalition
Gordon Edwards, Ph.D., President,
Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility