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COMMUNIQUÉ DE PRESSE: La Cour d’appel fédérale confirme une victoire pour la Première Nation de  Kebaowek et ses alliés dans le dossier des espèces en péril visant le projet  de déchets nucléaires de Chalk River 

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POUR DIFFUSION IMMÉDIATE

La Cour d’appel fédérale confirme une victoire pour la Première Nation de  Kebaowek et ses alliés dans le dossier des espèces en péril visant le projet  de déchets nucléaires de Chalk River 

Kebaowek, le 29 mai 2026 – La Première Nation de Kebaowek, Concerned Citizens of Renfrew  County and Area, la Coalition canadienne pour la responsabilité nucléaire et la Fondation Sierra  Club Canada accueillent favorablement une importante victoire à la suite de la décision de la Cour  d’appel fédérale de rejeter l’appel des Laboratoires nucléaires canadiens (LNC) concernant le  permis délivré en vertu de la Loi sur les espèces en péril pour le projet d’Installation de gestion des  déchets près de la surface (IGDPS) à Chalk River. La Cour maintient ainsi la décision antérieure  de la Cour fédérale et ordonne à Environnement et Changement climatique Canada (ECCC) de  réexaminer sa décision d’accorder le permis. 

Le permis aurait autorisé les LNC à détruire des espèces menacées et leurs habitats afin de  construire une immense installation d’élimination de déchets radioactifs à moins de 1,1 kilomètre  de la rivière des Outaouais (Kichi Sibi), un bassin versant qui fournit de l’eau potable à des millions  de Canadiens. 

Dans sa décision, la Cour d’appel fédérale conclut qu’ECCC n’a pas expliqué adéquatement  comment il a déterminé que toutes les solutions de rechange raisonnables avaient été examinées  et que la meilleure option avait été retenue, comme l’exige la Loi sur les espèces en péril. La Cour  souligne que les motifs du ministre manquaient de transparence, d’intelligibilité et de justification  suffisantes, et elle ordonne à ECCC de procéder à une nouvelle analyse. La Cour confirme  également que l’interprétation de l’article 73 de la Loi sur les espèces en péril par la Cour fédérale  ne lie pas ECCC et que le ministre doit fournir de manière indépendante une analyse claire et  raisonnable lors du réexamen de la demande de permis. Enfin, la Cour conclut que l’avis public  publié par ECCC n’expliquait pas de façon significative aux Canadiens pourquoi des espèces en  péril seraient affectées au bénéfice du projet. 

Cette décision représente une nouvelle étape juridique importante dans les efforts continus visant  à protéger les espèces en péril, à faire respecter les lois environnementales et à assurer une prise  de décision responsable entourant le projet de l’IGDPS. 

« La Cour d’appel fédérale a confirmé qu’Environnement Canada doit reprendre son travail et le  faire correctement. Cette décision renforce ce que nous affirmons depuis le début : les décisions  qui menacent des espèces en péril, des écosystèmes sensibles et notre rivière sacrée doivent  reposer sur un processus transparent, rigoureux et conforme à la loi. Kebaowek demeure  déterminée à protéger le Kichi Sibi, à assumer ses responsabilités envers les générations futures,  à protéger l’eau potable de millions de citoyens du Québec et de l’Ontario, ainsi qu’à faire respecter les droits des peuples autochtones ainsi que les protections environnementales à chaque étape  du processus », a déclaré le Chef Lance Haymond de la Première Nation de Kebaowek. 

La tortue de Blanding, l’une des nombreuses espèces menacées d’extinction vivant dans la zone où il est prévu d’implanter l’installation de stockage en surface.

Photo, Ontley McNauth,

Le site choisi par les LNC pour l’IGDPS abrite de nombreuses espèces protégées en vertu de la  Loi sur les espèces en péril, notamment la tortue mouchetée, la petite chauve-souris brune, la  chauve-souris nordique, la chauve-souris tricolore, la paruline du Canada, la paruline à ailes  dorées, l’engoulevent bois-pourri, le loup de l’Est et le frêne noir. Le site proposé est composé de  forêts matures, de milieux humides, de cours d’eau et d’habitats essentiels demeurés largement  intacts depuis des décennies. 

Les organisations soutiennent que le processus de sélection du site mené par les LNC n’a pas  adéquatement évalué d’autres emplacements susceptibles de présenter moins de risques pour les  espèces en péril et leurs habitats. La décision de la Cour offre maintenant à ECCC l’occasion de  mener un examen plus rigoureux et transparent de la preuve avant de rendre une nouvelle  décision. 

« Cette décision constitue une victoire importante pour la science, la transparence et le bon sens.  La Cour a reconnu que le public mérite des explications significatives lorsque des décisions sont  prises et qu’elles pourraient entraîner la destruction d’espèces en péril et de leurs habitats. La  valeur écologique de ce site est exceptionnelle et mérite une analyse attentive avant qu’un  dommage irréversible ne soit autorisé », a déclaré Ole Hendrickson, porte-parole de Concerned  Citizens of Renfrew County and Area. 

« Cette décision confirme que les protections environnementales prévues par la Loi sur les espèces  en péril ne peuvent pas simplement être considérées comme une formalité administrative à remplir.  Nous continuerons de travailler afin que toutes les solutions de rechange raisonnables soient  pleinement examinées et que la protection des espèces en péril demeure une considération  centrale. Plus généralement, nous travaillerons à faire en sorte que le principe de « justification » 

soit consacré dans le droit canadien, comme l’a recommandé à deux reprises l’Agence  internationale de l’énergie atomique », a déclaré le Dr Gordon Edwards, président de la Coalition  canadienne pour la responsabilité nucléaire. 

« La décision de la Cour réaffirme un principe fondamental : les Canadiens ont le droit de  comprendre pourquoi des dommages environnementaux sont autorisés et de savoir si des  solutions moins dommageables existent. Cette cause porte sur la responsabilité, la transparence  et l’application des lois environnementales conformément à l’intention du Parlement. La Fondation  Sierra Club Canada demeure engagée à soutenir les efforts visant à protéger la biodiversité et  l’intérêt public », a déclaré Gretchen Fitzgerald, directrice générale de la Fondation Sierra Club  Canada. 

Cette décision s’inscrit dans la continuité de deux jugements importants de la Cour fédérale  concernant le projet de l’IGDPS. En mars 2025, la Cour fédérale avait statué que le permis délivré  en vertu de la Loi sur les espèces en péril devait être réexaminé parce que les emplacements  alternatifs raisonnables n’avaient pas été correctement évalués. Dans une cause parallèle, la Cour  fédérale a également donné raison à la Première Nation de Kebaowek concernant la mise en œuvre de la Déclaration des Nations Unies sur les droits des peuples autochtones (DNUDPA) et  l’obligation de consulter dans le processus d’autorisation de l’IGDPS. Cette décision historique est  actuellement devant la Cour d’appel fédérale et devrait contribuer à clarifier la manière dont le  consentement libre, préalable et éclairé (CLPE) et la DNUDPA doivent être appliqués dans les  processus décisionnels réglementaires fédéraux à travers le Canada. 

Bien que la Cour ait renvoyé le dossier à ECCC pour une nouvelle analyse plutôt que de rejeter  définitivement le permis, les organisations entendent participer activement au processus de  réexamen. Elles continueront de présenter des éléments de preuve démontrant qu’il existe des  sites alternatifs et que le site proposé à Chalk River n’est pas la meilleure option pour protéger les  espèces en péril et leurs habitats. 

Les organisations soulignent également que les LNC pourraient demander l’autorisation d’en  appeler à la Cour suprême du Canada, bien que ce type de demande ne soit accordé que dans un  nombre limité de dossiers soulevant des enjeux d’importance nationale. 

La Première Nation de Kebaowek, Concerned Citizens of Renfrew County and Area, la Coalition  canadienne pour la responsabilité nucléaire et la Fondation Sierra Club Canada demeurent unies  dans leur engagement à protéger le bassin versant de la rivière des Outaouais, à préserver les  espèces en péril et à faire en sorte que les décisions environnementales respectent à la fois  l’intégrité écologique et les droits des peuples autochtones. 

Pour en savoir plus sur les efforts de la Première Nation de Kebaowek concernant le projet de  l’IGDPS, visitez le site Web Stop Nuclear Waste. 

Pour en savoir plus sur la façon de soutenir les démarches juridiques de la Première Nation de  Kebaowek, visitez Kebaowek First Nation – Raven Trust. 

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Source: Première Nation de Kebaowek, Concerned Citizens of Renfrew County and Area,  Coalition canadienne pour la responsabilité nucléaire et Fondation Sierra Club Canada 

Pour toute demande média ou demande d’entrevue: 

Mathilde Robitaille-Lefebvre 

Relations médias 

m.robitaille-lefebvre@seize03.ca 

819-852-4762

MEDIA RELEASE: Federal Court of Appeal Upholds Victory for Kebaowek First Nation and Allies in Species at Risk Case Against Chalk River Nuclear Waste Project 

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Kebaowek, May 29, 2026 – Kebaowek First Nation, Concerned Citizens of Renfrew County and Area, the  Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility, and Sierra Club Canada Foundation welcome a significant  victory following the decision of the Federal Court of Appeal to dismiss Canadian Nuclear Laboratories’  (CNL) appeal regarding the Species at Risk Act permit issued for the proposed Near Surface Disposal  Facility (NSDF) at Chalk River. The Court upheld the Federal Court’s earlier ruling and ordered Environment  and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) to reconsider its decision to grant the permit. 

The permit would have authorized CNL to destroy endangered species and their habitats in order to  construct a massive radioactive waste disposal facility less than 1.1 kilometres from the Ottawa River (Kichi  Sibi), a watershed that provides drinking water to millions of Canadians. 

In its decision, the Federal Court of Appeal concluded that ECCC failed to adequately explain how it  determined that all reasonable alternatives had been considered and that the best solution had been  selected, as required under the Species at Risk Act. The Court emphasized that the Minister’s reasons  lacked sufficient transparency, intelligibility, and justification, and directed ECCC to conduct a new  determination. The Court also confirmed that the Federal Court’s interpretation of section 73 of the Species  at Risk Act is not binding on ECCC and that the Minister must independently provide a clear and reasonable  analysis when reconsidering the permit application. Furthermore, the Court found that the public notice  issued by ECCC failed to provide a meaningful explanation to Canadians about why endangered species  would be harmed in support of the project. 

The ruling represents another important legal milestone in the ongoing efforts to protect species at risk,  uphold environmental laws, and ensure accountability in decision-making surrounding the proposed NSDF. 

“The Federal Court of Appeal has confirmed that Environment Canada must go back and do its job properly.  This decision reinforces what we have been saying from the beginning: decisions that threaten endangered  species, sensitive ecosystems, and our sacred river must be based on a transparent, rigorous, and lawful  process. Kebaowek remains committed to protecting the Kichi Sibi, defending our responsibilities to future  generations, the drinking water of millions of citizens of Quebec and Ontario, and ensuring that Indigenous  rights and environmental protections are respected every step of the way,” said Chief Lance Haymond of  Kebaowek First Nation. 

The area selected by CNL for the NSDF is home to numerous species protected under the Species at Risk  Act, including the Blanding’s Turtle, Little Brown Bat, Northern Myotis, Tri-coloured Bat, Canada Warbler,  Golden-winged Warbler, Whip-poor-will, Eastern Wolf, and Black Ash. The proposed site consists of mature  forests, wetlands, streams, and critical habitat that have remained largely undisturbed for decades. 

The Eastern Wolf is one of several endangered species living in the area proposed for the Near Surface Disposal Facility at Chalk River Laboratories. Photo, Michael Runtz,

The organizations argue that CNL’s site selection process failed to adequately assess alternative locations  that may have posed fewer risks to endangered species and their habitats. The Court’s decision now provides an opportunity for ECCC to conduct a more rigorous and transparent review of the evidence before  making a new determination. 

“This decision is an important victory for science, transparency, and common sense. The Court recognized  that the public deserves meaningful explanations when decisions are made that could result in the  destruction of endangered species and their habitats. The ecological value of this site is extraordinary, and  it deserves careful consideration before irreversible damage is permitted,” said Ole Hendrickson,  spokesperson for Concerned Citizens of Renfrew County and Area. 

“This ruling confirms that environmental protections under the Species at Risk Act cannot simply be treated  as a procedural box to check. We will continue working to ensure that all reasonable alternatives are fully  examined and that the protection of species at risk remains a central consideration. More generally, we will  work to ensure that the principle of “justification” is enshrined in Canadian law, as recommended twice by  the International Atomic Energy Agency,” said Dr. Gordon Edwards, President of the Canadian Coalition for  Nuclear Responsibility. 

“The Court’s decision reinforces a fundamental principle: Canadians have the right to understand why  environmental harm is being authorized and whether less damaging alternatives exist. This case is about  accountability, transparency, and ensuring that environmental laws are applied as Parliament intended.  Sierra Club Canada Foundation remains committed to supporting efforts that protect biodiversity and uphold  the public interest,” said Gretchen Fitzgerald, Executive Director, Sierra Club Canada Foundation. 

This decision builds upon two important Federal Court rulings related to the proposed NSDF project. In  March 2025, the Federal Court ruled that the Species at Risk Act permit issued for the project must be  reconsidered because reasonable alternative locations were not properly assessed. In a parallel case, the  Federal Court also ruled in favour of Kebaowek First Nation regarding the implementation of the United  Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and the duty to consult in the NSDF  licensing process. That landmark decision is currently before the Federal Court of Appeal and is expected  to help clarify how Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) and UNDRIP should be applied in federal  regulatory decision-making across Canada. 

While the Court has returned the matter to ECCC for redetermination rather than permanently rejecting the  permit, the organizations intend to actively participate in the reconsideration process. They will continue to  present evidence demonstrating that alternative locations exist and that the proposed Chalk River site is  not the best option for protecting species at risk and their habitats. 

The organizations also note that CNL may seek leave to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada, although  leave applications are granted only in a small number of cases involving issues of national importance. 

Kebaowek First Nation, Concerned Citizens of Renfrew County and Area, the Canadian Coalition for  Nuclear Responsibility, and Sierra Club Canada Foundation remain united in their commitment to protecting  the Ottawa River watershed, safeguarding endangered species, and ensuring that environmental decision making respects both ecological integrity and Indigenous rights. 

For more information on Kebaowek First Nation’s efforts to halt the NSDF project, visit Stop Nuclear Waste website.

For more information on how to support Kebaowek First Nation’s legal efforts, visit Kebaowek First Nation  – Raven Trust 

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Source: Kebaowek First Nation Kebaowek First Nation, Concerned Citizens of Renfrew County and Area,  Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility and Sierra Club Canada Foundation 

For media inquiries or interview requests: 

Mathilde Robitaille-Lefebvre 

Media Relations 

m.robitaille-lefebvre@seize03.ca 

819-852-4762

Hill Times Op-Ed ~ A beautiful hillside

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This op-ed was published in the Hill Times on April 29, 2026. On May 28, 2026 the Federal Court of Appeal ruled in favour of Kebaowek First Nation, allies and endangered species. The decision is here.

Can Canada’s Species-at-risk Act protect endangered wildlife on federal land? A pending Federal Court of Appeal ruling might hold the answer.

There’s a beautiful, wild, south-facing hillside, close to the Ottawa River, not too far upstream from Parliament Hill. It is densely forested with mature stands of deciduous and coniferous trees and partly surrounded by five named wetlands that drain through Perch Creek and Perch Lake into the Ottawa River. 

In summer the forest is full of birdsong. Many migrating songbirds pass through the area. Rare songbirds nest in the woods on the hillside. You might hear a Wood Thrush singing, or Whip-poor-wills, or Canada Warblers, or Golden-winged Warblers, all of which are listed as threatened under the Species at Risk Act. The old trees provide ideal roosting habitat for three species of endangered bats, the Little Brown Bat, Northern Myotis and Tri-coloured Bat.

The iconic Canada Warbler is one of several endangered species living in the area proposed for the Near Surface Disposal Facility, Photo, Emmett Hume, Creative Commons Attribution 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Canada_Warbler_on_Bough.jpg

After a summer rainfall, little streams and rivulets flow down the hillside into the wetlands at its base. These wetlands and nearby Perch Lake provide abundant food for birds and bats and for many small mammals, which in turn attract larger mammals. They also support many aquatic animals such as fish, frogs, waterfowl and turtles, including endangered Blanding’s Turtles. 

The hillside forest is vibrant and green, blanketed with mosses and lichens and full of diverse species of trees including endangered Black Ash. The sandy warm soil on the southwest-facing slope supports three active Black Bear dens. A deer yard provides an ideal winter feeding ground for endangered Eastern Wolves that have dens nearby. 

This rich web of diverse animal and plant life is unique and rare. It likely evolved here because of the hill’s southern exposure, abundant water and extensive riparian zones where land and water meet. Lack of human interference was key. Humans have not been permitted to wander here for 80 years because it is located on the Chalk River Laboratories property, a fenced off, no-go zone since the first nuclear reactor was built there in 1945.

Incredibly, this is the very spot Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) has chosen to build its controversial, giant, above-ground nuclear waste dump called the Near Surface Disposal Facility (NSDF). CNL chose the site mainly to reduce hauling costs for one million tons of radioactive waste it plans to put in the dump. After clearcutting the forest, they would blast the hillside with explosives to flatten it, turning 37 hectares of forest into half a million tons of rock rubble.

CNL is owned by a multinational private-sector consortium that operates Canada’s federal nuclear laboratory under a $1.2 billion per year contract with the Government of Canada.

Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) granted CNL a permit to destroy endangered species and their residences in order to build the NSDF. According to the Species at Risk Act, such permits should only be granted if the applicant considered all reasonable alternatives and adopted the best solution to reduce impacts on endangered species. 

The ECCC permit decision was successfully challenged in Federal Court by Kebaowek First Nation and allies who believe that ECCC did not receive complete information about how the site was chosen and made errors in granting the permit. CNL appealed the lower court decision and the appeal hearing was held on November 12, 2025 in Ottawa.  A ruling from the Federal Court of Appeal is expected soon; it will determine whether the permit gets sent back for redetermination by ECCC or not. The fate of a unique and irreplaceable wildlife habitat hangs in the balance.

Lynn Jones is a member of Concerned Citizens of Renfrew County and Area. She is based in Ottawa

Federal Court of Appeal upholds the ruling in favour of Kebaowek FN and allies!

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May 28, 2026

The Federal Court of Appeal has upheld the Federal Court decision in favour of Kebaowek First Nation, Concerned Citizens of Renfrew County and Area, Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility and Sierra Club Canada Foundation. In its decision, the Federal Court of Appeal directs Environment and Climate Change Canada to “redetermine” its decision to grant a Species at Risk permit to Canadian Nuclear Laboratories that would allow it to destroy endangered species and their habitats in order to construct the NSDF.

For now, the beautiful hillside and its irreplaceable wildlife habitat is safe from the chainsaws and dynamite.

The Federal Court of Appeal’s decision was released today:

Judgment and Reasons – FCA (May 28, 2026)Download

CCRCA comments on Canada’s proposed deep geological repository

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High-level irradiated fuel waste (spent nuclear fuel) is considered one of the most dangerous and hazardous materials in the world, primarily due to its intense radioactivity, high heat generation, and long-lived toxicity. Certain radioisotopes within the waste remain hazardous to human health and the environment for hundreds of thousands to millions of years. High level irradiated nuclear fuel waste has been steadily accumulating in Canada for more than five decades. 

Many people who have studied the problem agree that there is no good solution to the issue of what to do with this waste. All possible strategies have drawbacks and none is guaranteed to keep this toxic waste out of the biosphere for the unimaginably long time period that it will be hazardous.

In Canada, a nuclear industry-owned body, the “Nuclear Waste Management Organization,” is pursuing a deep geological repository for this waste despite the fact that a decade-long  Environmental Assessment Panel Review of the concept (the Seaborne Panel) found that it was not socially acceptable. The NWMO recently produced draft guidelines for its proposed deep geological repository project. Input was invited from the public. Hundreds of civil society groups and individuals from across Canada submitted comments, most expressing strong reservations about the proposal.

Concerned Citizens of Renfrew County and Area’s comments on the initial stages of this project are appended below. Our concerns can be summarized as follows:

– The Initial Project Description does not provide a clear, fully detailed plan for nuclear fuel waste management. 

– Discussion of activities at reactor sites, such as fuel storage (including prolonged storage), and fuel transfer into casks, is inadequate. 

– Key topics such as fuel types, design and function of transport casks, means of transport, and transportation routes, are not well addressed or are omitted altogether. 

– Also inadequately addressed are the following ~  the need for, and functions of, the Used Fuel Packaging Plant, the
Underground Characterization Facility, the shallow cavern for centralized storage, and the radioactive liquid waste handling facility. 

– Repository design alternatives (shaft versus ramps) have not been considered.

– The draft Guidelines are supposed to identify specific factors to be considered by a Review Panel in assessing the DGR project, and provide direction for the NWMO in preparing an Impact Statement. In their current form, the draft Guidelines would not allow a credible assessment.

DGR Guidelines comments CCRCADownload
DGR Project Description comments CCRCADownload

Highly-radioactive commercial waste is shipped from around the world to Canada and the Chalk River Laboratories

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25 March 2026

As noted in CCRCA’s May 2021 letter to the then-Minister of Natural Resources, Seamus O-Reagan: (see full letter below)

Canadian companies such as Nordion, Best Theratronics, and SRB Technologies are doing a brisk trade in waste imports in the form of disused sealed sources and expired self-luminous tritium devices.. These companies do not necessarily limit their imports to devices of their own manufacture. Imported radioactive wastes are being sent to CRL, where they become the property of the Government of Canada.

This begs the question: Are Canadian taxpayers on the hook to cover the full costs of looking after this waste in perpetuity? There is no easy answer to this question.

Canada’s national reports to the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management have information on disused radioactive sources. The nuclear substances found in these radiation-emitting devices undergo decay. At some point the devices are no longer sufficiently radioactive for their original purpose, such as sterilizing equipment. But they still emit highly dangerous amounts of radiation and must be managed carefully as radioactive waste.

Best Theratronics, a company based in Kanata, Ontario, has a growing inventory of disused radioactive sources. Canada’s Eighth National Report to the Joint Convention shows that as of December 31, 2023, the activity of disused cobalt-60 and cesium-137 sources was 191 Terabecquerels (TBq). The Seventh National Report showed an activity value of 71 TBq as of December 31, 2019.

A Terabecquerel is the quantity of a radioactive substance that gives off a trillion radioactive disintegrations each second—a very large amount.

Best Theratronics periodically sends its highly radioactive waste to Chalk River Laboratories. Chalk River is Canada’s largest publicly-owned energy research facility, and Canada’s major licensed commercial radioactive waste storage facility. A private company called Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) manages Chalk River, under a $24 billion government contract with the three U.S. corporations that own CNL. 

At a 2019 hearing before the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC), Canada’s nuclear regulator, the owner of Best Theratronics reported that “In 2014, we had a resident inventory of disused sources at Nordion. All of that has now been disposed of at CNL… So I can report that all those legacy sources, which is over 500 sources, cobalt and cesium, have been successfully removed from our license.”

Nordion is another private company that manufactures and exports radioactive sources, and that imports disused sources from around the world. Located in Kanata next to Best Theratronics, Nordion has also been increasing its inventory of radioactive waste disused sources. Its December 2023 inventory of 5,468 Terabecquerels of cobalt-60 was up from 4,126 Terabecquerels in 2019.

Canada’s Policy for Radioactive Waste Management and Decommissioning says that “radioactive sources that were not from Canada may be brought to Canada.” Under this policy, Nordion and Best Theratronics engage in a brisk trade in radioactive waste.

This radioactive waste, much of it imported from other countries, is sent to Chalk River. CNL plans to dispose of all the commercial waste at Chalk River in a million-cubic-metre landfill called the NSDF. The maximum activity of cobalt-60 that the NSDF could safely accommodate (according to Waste Acceptance Criteria developed jointly by CNL and CNSC) is 9,060 Terabecquerels. This is roughly twice the combined cobalt-60 inventory of Nordion and Best Theratronics. The NSDF would provide them with a “solution” for their imported radioactive waste cobalt-60 devices, at public expense. 

CNL has stated its intent to put all the commercial waste that is sent to Chalk River into the NSDF. But the waste acceptance criteria for the landfill, which supposedly represent protective limits, could be exceeded by a very large amount. Results of a 2019 ATIP request illustrate this risk (View and download the ATIP response HERE)

Nordion was sold to an American company in 2014. It is now owned by Sotera Health, headquartered in Broadview Heights, Ohio. The 2019 ATIP results show that Nordion sent a waste shipment to Chalk River in 2018 with 34 Terabecquerels of niobium-94. With a half-life of of 20,300 years, niobium-94 poses a major long-term radioactive hazard. This single shipment contained over 1400 times the maximum activity of niobium-94 that would be allowed in the NSDF. The NSDF Waste Acceptance Criteria allow only 23.4 Gigabecquerels, or 0.0234 Terabecquerels.  

Other American-owned companies shipped radioactive waste to Chalk River during the 2014-2018 period, including Permafix NW, headquartered in Richland, Washington, which made seven waste shipments totalling 8.3 tonnes; BWXT Nuclear Energy, owned by BWX Technologies in Lynchburg, Virginia; and Energy Solutions, owned by TriArtisan Partners in New York City.

Results of the ATIP request show that Energy Solutions shipped 68 Gigabecquerels of radium-226 (half-life of 1600 years) to Chalk River. This is nearly twice the maximum activity of 37 Gigabecquerels that would be allowed in the NSDF. 

Americium-241 is another highly dangerous radioactive substance, with a half life of 432 years. The maximum activity that would be allowed in the NSDF is 60.4 Gigabecquerels. The ATIP results show that two Canadian-owned companies alone shipped nearly 70 times this maximum amount that would be allowed in the NSDF: 1063 Gigabecquerels from Noremtech, and 3114 Gigabecquerels from Stuart Hunt.

SRB Technologies, another Canadian company, imports expired glow-in-the-dark exit signs and other self-luminous devices from the U.S. After removing the tritium-filled tubes, SRB Technologies puts them in drums and sends them to Chalk River as waste.

The total activity of tritium contained in waste sent by SRB to Chalk River was 38,857 Terabecquerels. The maximum activity of tritium that could be put in the NSDF during its 50-year operating period is 891 Terabecquerels, a 44-fold lower amount. 

SRB, Nordion, and Best Theratronics import waste radioactive devices from foreign countries that they did not manufacture. Large quantities of foreign-origin radioactive waste, much of it highly radioactive, is shipped to Canada for storage and eventual disposal at Chalk River, where it becomes the responsibility of Canadian taxpayers.

Concerned Citizens of Renfrew County and Area.pdf#_~_text=Canada has not to our knowledge accepted,sealed sources and expired self-luminous tritium devices..Download

Senior executive and senior contractor salaries at Canadian Nuclear Laboratories ~ updated ATIP request

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January 2026

A 2016 Access to Information request revealed that: (original post including PDFs of the ATIP documents is here)

  • Nine senior executives of CNL were paid an average of $722,000 per person per year (including travel) and most were non-Canadian.
  • Twenty-eight senior contractors were paid an average of $377,275 per year per person. 27 of the 28 senior contractors were non-Canadian.

An October 2024 follow-up ATIP request (see screen cap below) revealed that the average salary for 14 senior executives was $569,260 per person per year and the average salary for 30 non-executive senior contractors (20 non-Canadians) was $482,786 per person per year.

New owners of Canadian Nuclear Laboratories have extensive nuclear weapons connections

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Nuclear weapons are an existential threat to life on Earth and need to be abolished.

Concerned Citizens and other civil society groups are concerned about the nuclear weapons connections of US-based multinational corporations contracted to operate Canadian Nuclear Laboratories. Some new facilities being built or proposed at Chalk River Laboratories are aimed at handling tritium and plutonium, both of which are key ingredients in nuclear warheads.

The current owner/operator of Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, “Nuclear Laboratory Partners of Canada,” assumed ownership in December 2025 under a 6-year, multibillion dollar contract with the Government of Canada. It consists of three US-based corporations: BWXT, Amentum, and Battelle. A fourth corporation, Kinectrics, was recently acquired by BWXT.

Here is what Perplexity Pro told us about nuclear weapons connections of BWXT, Amentum and Batelle.

BWXT

BWXT has significant connections to U.S. nuclear weapons programs through its work with government agencies and defense contracts.bwxt+1​

Key Contracts

BWXT manages high-consequence nuclear operations for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), which oversees the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile. In 2025, it secured a $1.5 billion contract from NNSA to build a uranium enrichment facility for defense applications, including tritium production—a key component in nuclear weapons.reuters+2​

The company manufactures nuclear reactor components for U.S. Navy submarines and aircraft carriers, including Virginia-class and Columbia-class vessels, under multi-billion-dollar contracts like a $2.6 billion award in 2025. BWXT holds licenses for depleted uranium fabrication for defense and has handled highly enriched uranium from down-blended nuclear weapon cores.reddit+3​

Historical Context

BWXT was previously involved in tritium production for the U.S. nuclear arsenal. Subsidiaries like Nuclear Fuel Services support these government programs.dontbankonthebomb+1​

Amentum

Amentum has substantial nuclear weapons connections through U.S. and UK defense contracts for weapons facilities, plutonium processing, tritium operations, and national security sites.amentum+2​

U.S. Weapons Complex

Amentum manages the Pantex Plant (nuclear weapons assembly/disassembly) and Y-12 National Security Complex (uranium components for weapons) under a $28 billion NNSA contract via NPOne JV. It supports Los Alamos plutonium facilities, Savannah River pit production, and naval nuclear propulsion for ballistic missile submarines.amentum+3​

Plutonium and Remediation

The company decommissions plutonium-contaminated facilities at U.S. sites like Hanford’s Plutonium Finishing Plant and UK’s Low Level Waste Repository, plus Portsmouth uranium enrichment for weapons.amentum+2​

UK AWE (Atomic Weapons Establishment)Involvement

Amentum serves as Delivery Partner for AWE’s Enriched Uranium Components Programme at Aldermaston, handling enriched uranium for UK nuclear warheads, decommissioning gloveboxes, and program management.amentum+2​

Battelle

Battelle Memorial Institute has deep historical and ongoing connections to nuclear weapons programs, including direct contributions to the Manhattan Project and management of key NNSA national laboratories involved in weapons research.battelle+2​

Manhattan Project Role

During World War II, 400 Battelle researchers fabricated plutonium from uranium for atomic bomb cores. This work positioned Battelle as a leader in nuclear research, including extruding uranium fuel for early reactors at Oak Ridge.wikipedia+2​

National Labs Management

Battelle manages or co-manages eight DOE national labs central to nuclear security, such as Los Alamos National Laboratory (plutonium pits for weapons via Triad National Security, LLC), Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and Savannah River National Laboratory (nuclear materials management). These labs support stockpile stewardship, pit production, and nuclear deterrence under NNSA.battelle+4​

Additional Ties

Battelle developed nuclear fuel rods for naval reactors like the USS Nautilus and provided Environment, Health and Safety support at Pantex Plant, the primary site for weapons assembly/disassembly. It oversees chemical weapons demilitarization and biodefense tied to nuclear security missions.battelle+3​

References:

BWXT

  1. https://www.bwxt.com/sectors/complex-site-operations/nuclear-operations/
  2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BWX_Technologies
  3. https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/bwx-technologies-secures-15-billion-contract-us-nuclear-weapons-agency-2025-09-16/
  4. https://www.ans.org/news/2025-09-17/article-7374/nnsa-awards-bwxt-15b-defense-fuels-contract/
  5. https://www.reddit.com/r/UraniumSqueeze/comments/1nz1a3c/is_bwxt_the_overlooked_sleeping_nuclear_tech/
  6. https://www.bwxt.com/bwxt-announces-2-6-billion-in-contracts-for-naval-nuclear-reactor-components/
  7. https://www.dontbankonthebomb.com/bwxt/
  8. https://cardinalnews.org/2024/07/05/lynchburg-firm-aims-to-advance-nuclear-technology-in-space/
  9. https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/articles/bwxt-launches-advanced-nuclear-fuel-subsidiary
  10. https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/2025/Q4/purdue-bwxt-forge-strategic-collaboration-to-advance-nuclear-innovation

Amentum

  1. https://www.amentum.com/our-capabilities/mission-modernization-sustainment/nuclear-security-and-deterrence/
  2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amentum_(company)
  3. https://www.amentum.com/news/amentum-team-awarded-28-billion-y-12-national-security-complex-and-pantex-plant-management-contract/
  4. https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/bwx-technologies-secures-15-billion-contract-us-nuclear-weapons-agency-2025-09-16/
  5. https://www.amentum.com/project/supporting-our-nations-weapons-defense-system-with-advanced-conduct-of-operations-and-best-in-class-operational-readiness-at-los-alamos-national-laboratory-lanl/
  6. https://www.amentum.com/news/amentum-team-awarded-21-billion-integrated-mission-completion-contract-at-the-savannah-river-site/
  7. https://www.amentum.com/project/decommissioning-plutonium-contaminated-material-facilities-at-the-llwr-uk/
  8. https://www.amentum.com/news/amentum-led-jv-helps-treat-and-dispose-of-nuclear-waste-in-hanford/
  9. https://virginiabusiness.com/amentum-led-team-receives-5-87b-nuke-cleanup-contract/
  10. https://www.amentum.com/project/enriched-uranium-components-programme/
  11. https://www.bwxt.com/sectors/complex-site-operations/nuclear-operations/
  12. https://www.onr.org.uk/publications/regulatory-reports/site-specific-reports/inspection-records/2024/08/atomic-weapons-establishment-aldermaston-inspection-id-53309

Battelle

  1. https://www.battelle.org/history/space-age
  2. https://www.battelle.org/laboratory-management
  3. https://www.bwxt.com/sectors/complex-site-operations/nuclear-operations/
  4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battelle_Memorial_Institute
  5. https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2021-07/DEC%20-%20Battelle%20%20Memorial%20Institute%20signed%201-23-1983.pdf
  6. https://matternews.org/voices/anduril-teach-in-highlights-ohio-states-long-developed-military-connections/
  7. https://www.latinousa.org/2025/10/28/armsracelosalamos/
  8. https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/bwx-technologies-secures-15-billion-contract-us-nuclear-weapons-agency-2025-09-16/
  9. https://www.battelle.org/markets/national-security/cbrne-defense/threat-awareness
  10. https://www.ornl.gov/content/who-we-are-and-who-we-arent
  11. https://news.tamus.edu/texas-am-system-part-of-bwxt-led-team-awarded-30-billion-management-and-operating-contract-for-national-nuclear-security-administrations-pantex-plant/
  12. https://inside.battelle.org/blog-details/operating-large-research-infrastructure-requires-a-wide-variety-of-skilled-professionals

The photo above shows Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, 180 km upstream of Ottawa Gatineau on the Ottawa River. It is now wholly owned by US based corporations with extensive ties to nuclear weapons production.

CNL Environmental Remediation Management Update ~ June 2025

hendricksonjones 1 Comment

December 2025

The two page document below is excerpted from an environmental remediation report that was presented to members of the CNL Environmental Stewardship Council on June 26, 2025.

The photo below from the report shows the growing collection of shipping containers full of radioactive wastes being amassed at Waste Management Area H on the Chalk River Laboratories property. As reported verbally at the meeting, the number of containers was approximately 1500 in June 2025 with more arriving regularly.

CNL ERM Update June 2025Download

Letter to Mark Carney ~ Pour une gestion transparente et responsable des déchets radioactifs

hendricksonjones 1 Comment

December 12, 2025

English version follows below.

Lettre-Déchets-Nucléaires-PatrickBonin_vfDownload

Towards a transparent and responsible management of radioactive waste

December 2 2025

Several political parties and civil society organizations are dismayed to learn thatCanadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) has decided to consolidate radioactive waste (forwhich the federal government is responsible) at the Chalk River Laboratories site. This decision was made without consultation with First Nations or the public, and without parliamentary debate. Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) is only a private contractor,not a government agency.

For the population, there is no public accountability and concern is growing. Why concentrate everything at Chalk River? CNL is not intending to permanently store high- or intermediate-level waste at Chalk River. Those wastes will likely be moved again. Chalk River is an unsuitable location for radioactive waste consolidation because it islocated on the Ottawa River and the area is prone to seismic tremors.

Used nuclear fuel has the highest level of radioactivity; it is being transported to ChalkRiver from nuclear reactors in Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec for interim storage pending the construction of a proposed deep geological repository (DGR). CNL intendsto have the same used fuel eventually transported to the DGR. But such a repositorystill does not exist and may never be licensed or approved. Whether the DGR isultimately built or not, issues surrounding the transportation of radioactive waste have to be addressed.

There are increased risks and costs of transporting used fuel twice: first from thenuclear power plants to Chalk River, and then from Chalk River to a second destination.This leads to extra safety risks and a waste of public money. The government is justmoving the waste around at great expense and added risk without solving the problempermanently, as there is still no proven safe solution despite 45 years of effort.

The proposed transportation of intermediate-level waste to Chalk River from thedecommissioning of nuclear reactors is similarly ill-advised.

Public concern was heightened by the news of the secretive transport of tonnes of usednuclear fuel from Bécancour, Quebec, to Chalk River during the summer of 2025, alongpublic roads and bridges, without any explicit authorization or opportunity for publicconsultation or even proper notification.

• We call on the federal government for a moratorium on the shipment of Canadianradioactive waste to Chalk River because of the increasing risk of radioactivecontamination and the lack of an acceptable due process.

• We call on the federal government to ban all imports of radioactive waste from othercountries, including disused medical sources, discarded tritium light sources, or usednuclear fuel.

• We call on the Minister of Environment and Climate Change to conduct a strategicassessment of the transportation of high- and intermediate-level radioactive waste onpublic highways, in accordance with section 95 of the Impact Assessment Act. Theresults of this assessment would contribute to future impact assessments of nuclearfacilities. The goal would be to examine, for example, the cumulative impact at ChalkRiver and to provide a framework for upcoming environmental assessments of nuclearpower plants and reactor decommissioning projects.

Patrick Bonin, M.P.Bloc Québécois critic for the Environment and Climate Change

Elizabeth May, M.P.Green Party of Canada

André BélangerFondation Rivières

Alain BranchaudSNAP Québec

Ginette Charbonneau Physicist and spokesperson for le Ralliement contre la pollution radioactive

Et al….