Need for full impact assessment and public hearing for the proposed DGR

We request that this project be designated for both a full impact assessment and a public hearing. 

The omission of transportation from the Nuclear Waste Management Organization’s (NWMO) Initial Project Description (IPD) is unacceptable.

Transportation of nuclear (highly toxic) waste is an integral part of this project and comes with substantial impact and risk to both those occupied with the transportation itself, as well as to the communities and ecosystems along the transportation routes. Transporting such large quantities of nuclear waste, daily, for decades across such long distances - plainly put - is an accident waiting to happen.

More information regarding transportation and indeed, for the whole project, should address specifics pertaining to numerous aspects such as (but not limited to):

1. Accident and emergency response scenarios 

2. Occupational health risks and mitigation

3. Damage to people’s health and to surrounding ecosystems in event of an accident.

Detailed project descriptions are also needed to address gaps/shortcomings, eg.water management. Pumping of groundwater from the underground and waters from the used fuel packaging plant both need to be assessed regarding volumes, contamination, storage and release. Contamination of water is a dire risk.

We also consider it imperative that Indigenous rights and consent, as recognized by the UN Declaration on The Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), and required by Canadian law, be respected.

Building of the Deep Geological Repository is one of Canada’s biggest proposed projects. We need to ensure that alternatives have been fully explored and that the impacts of this project have been fully and transparently assessed, before this project proceeds any further.