In anticipation of the upcoming public hearings on the proposed disposal facility for low-level radioactive waste at Chalk River, THE EQUITY has surveyed the mayors of the municipalities that make up the MRC Pontiac on their positions on the matter.

Of the 18 mayors we attempted to contact, 15 responded to us before our publication deadline.

Of the 15 mayors who responded to the survey, 14 stated they . . .

did have concerns about the proposed waste dump, with their concerns generally centering on the site’s proximity to the Ottawa River and the potential negative health effects the site could have on the people of the region.

“The most important thing is to make sure that it’s done safely so it doesn’t affect our river and our environment,” said Donald Gagnon, mayor of Chichester.

“We’re downstream from that facility and it’s kind of scary,” said Sandra Armstrong, mayor of Mansfield et Pontefract. “A storage compartment of nuclear waste is about one kilometre from the river and just knowing that you have 1000 questions.”

“If it’s done safely, I have no concerns,” said Doris Ranger, mayor of Sheenboro.

The one mayor who said he was unconcerned was Doug Rousselle, mayor of Rapides des Joachims. “I was raised in Deep River all my life and I think they’ve always taken the responsibility to do things properly.”

Of the mayors that responded, only four confidently expressed they were informed enough on the issue. A common sentiment among the other 10 was that, since they are not scientists, they were hesitant to claim that they were sufficiently knowledgeable on the issue. Two of the recently-elected mayors, the Mayor of L’Isle-aux-Allumettes and the mayor of Fort Coulonge, stated they have not been around long enough to be fully informed.

All the mayors explained they mainly received information about the waste dump through official meetings with the CNL and groups opposing the site at public hearings and MRC functions. A few mayors expressed that they did their own independent research.

Seven of the mayors interviewed said they had discussions about the proposed site at their own municipal councils.

“My council agrees that they’re nervous about it being built so close to this area,” said Maurice Beauregard, mayor of Campbell’s Bay.

“The consensus is nobody’s happy about it, but they don’t think there’s a way of stopping it,” said Odette Godin, mayor of Waltham, summarizing the views of Waltham council.

“They don’t want to see it around here”, said Christine Francoeur, mayor of Fort-Coulonge, describing her council’s view. “We’re worried about the fish that we’ll be eating. We’re worried about everything.”

Of the 15 mayors who responded, only one said their municipality received funds from Canadian Nuclear Laboratories in the last 5 years. Sheenboro received funds in 2017 to partly develop a nuclear emergency notification plan.

Every mayor expressed opposition to anything but low-level radioactive waste being deposited at the site. Seven mayors also said definitively that the site should not be located on unceded Indigenous territory without the consent of Indigenous peoples.

Every mayor agreed the proposed dump should be a concern for the people of the Pontiac.

Some mayors expressed that the Pontiac should push only for the site to be moved as far away from the Ottawa River as possible, as voted by the MRC council last December.

“We would like to move back from the water,” said Mayor Rousselle. “That is our main concern.”

But others expressed firmer opposition, expressing that the public needs to be better informed about the proposed waste dump in the upcoming public hearings and beyond.

“I’m not totally confident that the transparency of CNL is there for the public to see and [the waste dump issue] is not being widely publicized,” said Corey Spence, mayor of L’Isle-aux-Allumettes.

“Well, I think [the people of the Pontiac] have to be fully informed,” said Mayor Godin. “Things have to be put in perspective. Because when they tell people it’s completely safe and airtight and leak proof– that all sounds good. But nothing is 100 per cent. And no matter what, it is nuclear waste. We do not need that near our drinking water or the water we swim in or cook in.”

“I would like to see a lot more public consultations, and actually give people an option to accept or not accept,‘’ said Bill McCleary, mayor of Shawville. “Not just one-sidedly do it.”

Those who did not participate in the survey were the mayors of Bristol, l’Île-du-Grand-Calumet and Otter Lake.

The Canadian Nuclear Safety commission will hold public hearings to determine whether to grant a building permit for the near surface disposal facility on May 31, 2022. Requests to intervene in hearings must be filed with the Commission Secretariat by April 11, 2022, which can be found here: http://www.nuclearsafety.gc.ca/eng/the-commission/intervention/.

Warden Jane Toller said that she is planning her remarks and will present them to the plenary session of MRC in April, which is held in private.

With files, from Jeremy Morse and Zainab Al-Mehdar

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