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First Nations to argue against nuclear waste site near Ottawa River at safety hearing

Aug 10, 2023 | 9:02 AM

OTTAWA — The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission will hear final arguments from Indigenous communities today regarding a proposed nuclear waste facility near the Ottawa River.

The commission paused its decision to move ahead with a facility located in Chalk River, Ont., about 180 kilometres northwest of Ottawa, last year.

The site sits within a kilometre of the Ottawa River.

Several First Nations have opposed the development, including Kebaowek First Nation and Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg, who say it could affect their ways of life and the environment.

Their traditional territories surround the Ottawa River, which is known as Kichi Sibi in Algonquin, in both Quebec and Ontario.

The communities say the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission failed its duty to consult, and that the commission’s staff treated the waste site’s development as a “foregone conclusion.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published August 10, 2023.

The Canadian Press