The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Concerned and interested citizens joined the Flin Flon and District Chamber of Commerce for a supper meeting to hear the pros and cons of Creighton being a potential nuclear waste storage site. Presenters from Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) gave a detailed outline of the early stages of the selection process and Creighton potentially storing used nuclear fuel underground, Wednesday evening. The Victoria Inn's Unwinder held the stuffed pork buffet supper for 26 as the Chamber's meeting went on to hear from residents as well as the NWMO. Creighton is currently one of 20 locations being looked at across Saskatchewan, Ontario, and New Brunswick as a potential nuclear waste storage location. 'By the end of the year, we'll know which of the communities will be invited to move on for the next step,' said NWMO Relationship Manager Jamie Matear. Concern came from the floor about the safety of not only residents in Creighton, Flin Flon and surrounding areas, but the environment as well. It was stated that if Creighton was selected as the community site for the fuel bundles they would come to the area by transport truck _ two trucks a day for 30 years. A concerned resident from Cranberry Portage pointed out Creighton only has two entrances _ the Hanson Lake Road and through Cranberry Portage. He also pointed out the recent number of transport truck accidents near the Cranberry Portage limits. The resident asked what happens and who becomes responsible for the clean up if anything were to happen with the trucks. Michael Krizanc, Communications Manager for NWMO, stated that there are legal liabilities to adhere to as the organization must train first responders and educate them on possible situations. 'I'm confident there would be no release of radiation,' Krizanc told the citizen, before explaining the detailed program to ensure safety is of first concern. 'The first responders (that would be) there would have knowledge of what to do and...the experts (would be) required to be on site within a specific amount of time,' Krizanc explained. Another concern came to Krizanc as one resident pointed out she was unaware that the nuclear waste would be coming into the community daily for 30 years. She stated she thought it was a one-time ordeal. ''If truck transportation is the method chosen,' Krizanc told the citizen, 'it is estimated to be two trucks a day.' 'The idea is that you don't have a whole bunch of (the fuel bundles) stock piled at a facility,' he said. The second option for transportation would be by train, but Krizanc says that if too many bundles are delivered at one time they will be stock piled in the community. 'It will come to the facility at the rate that it will become processed.' Earlier in the evening Krizanc explained, as short a version as possible, the process nuclear waste goes through before being placed underground. The bundles are held in reactors for roughly 18 months before being placed in water for seven to 10 years to cool down and reduce radio activity. Krizanc explained that the radio activity reduces quickly, but does stay in the bundles. 'In the first year, 99 per cent of the radio activity is lost, but they remain highly radio active essentially indefinitely,' he said. The bundles are then placed underground in an isolated area with multiple barriers. 'So, there might be a week long stock pile at the facility that you (move) as fast as you can process it and you put it underground,' Krizanc said, to answer the question about why so many trips are needed. Another valid question came from the floor as the deterioration of roads was questioned. 'Transportation is a difficult study and we have only just begun to look at the different aspects of transportation and look at the roads,' the communications manager said. See 'Very' on pg. Continued from pg. 'The NWMO recognizes that it is going to have to pay for upgrades to bridges and things like that, depending on where the final site is,' he said, reminding that these are still the very early stages of the seven to 10 year selection process. 'All of that goes into the assessment and all of that is taken into consideration,' he said. 'We have not done detailed site transportation studies at this point.' As the assessment progresses, Krizanc says they 'have to be more specific about what the costs are, what the damages are (and) what our (carbon dioxide) footprint is going to be like for each of the communities.' The microphone was then turned to Lawrence Joseph, Chief of Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations, to express the importance of knowing what lies ahead. '...before you jump into anything with both feet you have to learn about it,' the community liaison told the crowd. The Chief first learned about the project in 2006 and was quick to deny it. 'The (NWMO) came to see me and made a presentation to me. My first reaction was no way. There is no way. 'We don't want it here in our backyard,' he said as his initial reaction. Through presenting the idea himself to the Federation he was instructed to give the opportunity a chance and 'to find out what it's all about.' He went on to explain that in the First Nations they 'profess to be the stewards of the land and of course there is responsibility of Mother Earth and to make sure that there is balance.' Joseph says the environment needs to be protected as well as the First Nations, the M_tis, and the members of Saskatchewan. He told the roughly 25 people in attendance that he was personally always against nuclear power. 'However...I have opened the doors for dialogue for our wants and we recommend to listen,' he said. Joseph made it clear he feels it is important to make all decisions with as much information as possible. 'I'm not saying Flin Flon and Creighton do this. I'm not doing that. 'I'm very clear that just because I'm part of this team and trying to facilitate that I'm in no way supporting to have this in the province of Saskatchewan. 'What I'm doing is...to try and get reasonable and responsible discussions (going),' he said. 'At the end of the day just because we're looking for information and sit in on workshops doesn't mean we support this,' the Chief said. Wednesday's supper meeting acted as the Chamber's regular meeting, but gave the opportunity for more residents to be able to attend the session. The meeting also touched on the upcoming Radio Auction on CFAR 590 next Saturday as well as a still-open position with the Chamber as a part time secretary.
