The leader of the Bloc Québécois is adding his name to the list of those opposed to a nuclear waste disposal site at Chalk River.
“It is absolutely illogical to have one million cubic metres of nuclear waste being placed the surface of the ground close to a river which is at the end of the day the source of fresh water for more than five million people,” Yves-François Blanchet said at a press conference in the House of Commons in Ottawa on Monday morning.
Blanchet was joined at the press conference by Kebaowek First Nation Chief Lance Haymond and Assembly of First Nations Regional Chief for Quebec and Labrador Ghislain Picard.
In January, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission gave Chalk River Laboratories the green light to build a near surface disposal facility to store low-level radioactive waste.
The Chalk River nuclear facility is located about 200 km northwest of Ottawa in Ontario.
In spite of CNSL’s decision, this has not stopped local Algonquin nations from lobbying again the nuclear waste dump saying it will negatively affect local wildlife and water supply and was done without proper consultation with First Nations.
Haymond said pre-construction of the waste disposal site is already having a negative impact on local black bears.
“Canadian Nuclear Laboratories has begun the pre-construction work for the near surface disposal facility which includes now blocking black bears from accessing their dens and setting up sound deterring devices to drive away the wildlife,” he said. “These actions are not only illegal under the Wildlife Conservation Act but violate Algonquin Anishinabe customary laws and our profound respect for the wildlife that has co-existed with us on these lands for generations.”
Picard added Ottawa must live up to its commitment to consult with First Nations before making major decisions like this one.
“That Canada has to abide by its own commitments,” he said. “A commitment which translates into the adoption of Bill 15 back in June 2021 which really commits Canada to adjust its framework to align with the principle of the UN (United Nations) Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.”
APTN News reached out to the Department of Environment and Climate Change for comment but did not hear back by press time.
