In November  2020 Natural Resources Canada launched a review of Canada's Radioactive Waste Policy. Hundreds of Canadians and Canadian civil society organizations partcipated in a series of roundtable discussions with Natural Resources Canada and thousands submitted comments. In  February 2022   Natural Resources Canada  released a draft of their  radioactive waste policy and thousands of comments were received by the April deadline. In April a national collaborative of public interest groups released "An Alternative Policy for Canada on Radioactive Waste Management and Decommissioning."
​In late 2022 Natural Resources Canada stated that the release of the final Radioactive Waste Policy would be delayed until 2023.  On March 27 2023 the Minister issued a statement that the policy would be released "in the coming days". What for it HERE.
30 March 2023
Civil Society Groups Anticipate Release of Canada’s Radioactive Waste Policy
Ottawa - Civil society groups are anticipating the imminent release of Canada’s “modernized” radioactive waste policy. On March 27th Natural Resources Canada released a statement that the policy “will be accessible online in the coming days.”

A rapid response from civil society groups, convened by a campaign group of Nuclear Waste Watch, will be issued shortly after the policy’s release. Read the entire media advisory and backgrounder HERE
Nuclear Waste Watch has launched a campaign to have a ban on the reprocessing of nuclear fuel waste included in Canada's radioactive waste policy. Visit our dedicated web page at reprocessing.ca  Send a message to PM Trudeau HERE
REVIEW OF CANADA'S RADIOACTIVE WASTE POLICY 
Review Details                       Key Principles and Policy Points                 Discussion papers and backgrounders           Timeline and Synopsis
December 2022 - Natural Resources Canada stated that the release of the final Radioactive Waste Policy would be delayed until 2023. On March 27 2023 the Minister issued a statement that the policy would be released "in the coming days". What for it HERE.
​April 5. 2022 - A national collaborative public interest groups released "An Alternative Policy for Canada on Radioactive Waste Management and Decommissioning." The Radioactive Waste Review Group is submitting the alternative policy and a meeting request to Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Natural Resources Canada. The Alternative Policy mirrors in order and content a draft policy released in February 2022 by Natural Resources Canada (NRCan). However, the Alternative Policy integrates important changes to bring the policy in line with fundamental principles of transparency, safety and the public good.
Read the news release in English HERE et en francais ICI​
February 1, 2022 -  Natural Resources Canada has released a draft of their revised radioactive waste policy and are inviting written feedback on the draft Policy for Radioactive Waste Management and Decommissioning during a public comment period of 60 days, from February 1, 2022 to April 2, 2022. They have also posted their third "What We Heard report" report following their engagement process on the radioactive waste policy review last year. Both documents are HERE  
Nuclear Waste Watch has produced a one page summary of NRCan's February 2022 draft policy. View it HERE. Read our analysis of the draft policy HERE

November 2021 - One year ago the Minister of Natural Resources announced  a review of Canada's radioactive waste policy, in response to an international investigation that found Canada's policy and strategies for radioactive waste inadequate.  In the earlier months of 2021, hundreds of us participated in this review through on-line preparatory workshops with Nuclear Waste Watch, "viritual" roundtables with Natural Resources Canada, and providing written comments through emails, briefs, or posts in NRCans's online forums.
A brief recap of the radioactive waste policy review to date:
  • In November 2020 the Minister of Natural Resources announced a review of Canada's radioactive waste policy, to be led by Natural  Resources Canada
  • between January and May Natural Resources Canada held a number of roundtables and virtual sessions inviting comments on four discussion papers
  • the deadline for comments was May 31st; over six hundred comments were received, overwhelmingly calling for a massive reform of Canada's radioactive waste policies, practices and regulations
  • In July Natural Resources Canada published the second of their summary reports on what they heard from the public throughout the review
  • In September, Nuclear Waste Watch provided Natural Resources Canada with preliminary feedback on NRCan's engagement summaries in a "What We Said" report

On January 12th Nuclear Waste Wach held a "Refresh and Restart" webinar for review participants.
​The presentation slides are available HERE​
​November 16th,  2020 - Natural Resources Canada launched a review of Canada's Radioactive Waste Policy. The review was expected - it came nine months after the federal government committed to the review in response to an international investigation that concluded that Canada's radioactive waste policy was inadequate. What was not expected was that the nuclear industry would be the first to announce the review, or that Natural Resources Canada would put the nuclear industry in charge.        READ MORE HERE.  
Natural Resources Canada Convened Four Online "Roundtables" for Public Interest Input on Radioactive Waste Policy
​Learn more about those roundtables and the topics covered HERE
Minister O'Regan Replies to February Joint Letter
March 22  Response from Minister O'Regan HERE
April 1st Reply to O'Regan from Nuclear Waste Watch HERE
O'Regan répond à la lettre conjointe de février
22 mars Réponse du ministre O'Regan ICI
1er avril Réponse à O'Regan de Nuclear Waste Watch ICI
100 Groups Demand Transparency in Canada’s Review of
​Radioactive Waste Policy and Waste Management Strategies
100 groupes adressent une lettre au premier ministre et au ministre des Ressources naturelles pour plus de transparence lors de la révision de la politique sur les déchets radioactifs et l'élaboration de leur stratégie de gestion
February 2021 - Over 100 public interest and community groups signed on to a joint letter setting out their expectations for a review of Canada's Radioactive Waste Policy launched by Natural Resources Canada last November. Top on their list: the review must be transparent, and independent of the nuclear industry.
​
Read the letter HERE .  ​The media release is HERE.
Février 2021 - Plus de 100 groupes d'intérêt public et communautaires ont signé une lettre conjointe énonçant leurs attentes concernant une révision de la politique canadienne sur les déchets radioactifs lancée par Ressources naturelles Canada en novembre dernier. En tête de leurs attentes: l'examen doit être transparent et indépendant de l'industrie nucléaire.
​ Vous pouvez consulter la lettre en ligne en cliquant ICI ​ 
 NRCAN WASTE REVIEW WEB SITE
MINISTER'S NEWS RELEASE
​NWMO ANNOUNCEMENT
LETTER FROM THE CANADIAN ENVIRONMENTAL LAW ASSOCIATION, GREENPEACE AND NORTHWATCH TO TRUDEAU AND O'REGAN [NOV 17]
  "Yesterday your government launched a review of Canada's radioactive waste policies. The review was expected, although we were disappointed that the commitment Minister O'Regan made in July to have his staff reach out to us to help shape the review has been abandoned. But what shocked us was that the first announcement came not from the Government of Canada or from Natural Resources Canada but from the nuclear industry, announcing that a nuclear industry organization made up of the generators of radioactive waste would "lead the development of an integrated radioactive waste management strategy, at the request of the Honourable Seamus O’Regan, Minister of Natural Resources Canada".
"Not only is this outside the mandate of the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) but it is an affront to all concerned Canadians that you would place the very companies who have created the problem - and spent decades and hundreds of millions of ratepayers and taxpayers dollars failing to solve the problem - in a lead role in this long-awaited review.
"This outsourcing of policy development to a conglomerate of nuclear power generators goes against your own government’s commitment to transparency. As you must be aware, unlike government departments including Natural Resources Canada, the NWMO is exempt from access to information requests, placing them beyond checks and balances and the traceability of their decisions"                     
                   READ ENTIRE LETTER HERE.                         READ ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTS HERE
Canada needs a national radioactive waste policy ​ /  a besoin d'un cadre stratégique national sur les déchets radioactifs ​
Canada needs a national radioactive waste policy framework that includes rules and policies that will protect human health and the environment and make the nuclear industry accountable and responsible.
  • An international review in 2019 found that Canada's radioactive waste policy should be reviewed
  • In February 2020 the federal government Canada announced that it will "modernize" Canada’s radioactive waste policy and consult with all Canadians
  • In June 2020 Natural Resources Canada confirmed that "public engagement will be an integral part of the radioactive waste policy enhancement and strategy development"
A review of Canada's radioactive waste policies was launched by Natural Resources Canada on November 16th. Be part of it. Be part of it. Click HERE to stay in touch.
Le Canada a besoin d'un cadre stratégique national sur les déchets radioactifs qui comprend des règles et des politiques qui protégeront la santé humaine et l'environnement et rendront l'industrie nucléaire responsable et responsable.
  • Un examen international en 2019 a révélé que la politique canadienne sur les déchets radioactifs devrait être revue
  • En février 2020, le gouvernement fédéral du Canada a annoncé qu’il «modernisera» la politique canadienne sur les déchets radioactifs et consultera tous les Canadiens
  • En juin 2020, Ressources naturelles Canada a confirmé que «l'engagement du public fera partie intégrante de l'amélioration de la politique sur les déchets radioactifs et de l'élaboration de la stratégie»

Un examen des politiques canadiennes sur les déchets radioactifs a été lancé par Ressources naturelles Canada le 16 novembre. Cliquez ICI pour rester en contact.
Letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, September 2020

Letter to Minister O'Regan on public engagement in review September 2020
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Letter to Minister O'Regan "Canada Needs a National Radioactive Waste Policy" May 15, 2020

Response from Minister O'Regan,  July 2020 
Lettre au premier ministre Justin Trudeau, septembre 2020
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Lettre au ministre O'Regan sur  Implication du public Septembre 2020
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Lettre au ministre O'Regan " La nécessité d’une politique nationale sur les déchets radioactifs" le 15 mai 2020

Réponse du ministre O'Regan Juillet 2020​
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Briefing for Media and MP's: Sham Regulation of Radioactive Waste in Canada. //
Briefing pour les Média et les Députés: Simulacre de Règlement sur les Déchets Radioactifs au Canada
June 16 Juin
cliquer / Click HERE / ICI  for briefing materials / pour documents d'information  
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   Presentation (recording)            PPT Slides / diapositives
​FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, May 19, 2020
 
Civil society urges suspension of decisions involving radioactive waste after international body finds Canada’s nuclear waste policy deficient
 
The full text of the letter sent to the Minister, may be found on the Nuclear Waste Watch website HERE.
COMMUNIQUÉ DE PRESSE, le 19 mai 2020
                                                                                   
Une centaine de groupes exigent un gel de tous les projets en cours tant qu’Ottawa n’aura pas bouché les trous béants de sa politique
 
Le texte de la lettre adressée au ministre est disponible ICI. ​