Protestors take to river to oppose waste disposal site at CNL

Between 80 and 100 people showed up to protest two projects that Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) is working on. On Saturday, concerned residents gathered at Hotel Pontiac to make a stand against the Near Surface Disposal Facility (NSDF) at the Chalk River Labs and the decommissioning of the Nuclear Power Demonstration (NPD) in Rolphton. Member of the Old Fort Williams Cottager’s Association, Elssa Martinez, says the proposed site for the low level radioactive waste disposal site is roughly a kilometre away from the Ottawa River. She claims these projects threaten the safe drinking water of millions of residents in Ontario and Quebec.

 

Those in attendance heard presentations opposed to the NSDF and NPD projects before everyone gathered on boats and travelled up the Ottawa River to protest in front of Canadian Nuclear Laboratories facility. Martinez says we need to ensure policy makers are enforcing stronger rules around storing nuclear waste. She adds with the federal election coming up in the fall, this should be a campaign issue. The group has even launched a petition. CNL says the facilities would be completely secure and not leak radioactive waste into the Ottawa River.