By Ryan Pilon

Creighton wants to store nuclear waste

Mar 18, 2011 | 6:28 AM

The town of Creighton, Sask., has put in a request to the Nuclear Waste Management Organization to store Canada’s nuclear waste.

Creighton Mayor, Bruce Fidler, said the economic spinoff from such a project would be tremendous for the town.

“The amount of jobs created throughout the whole process – which is like a 20-year process – you're looking at, like, 2,800 jobs,” said Fidler. “The spinoff jobs from that, because of different new businesses being created, housing…. it would create a lot of economic development throughout the whole area, not just Creighton.”

Despite the disaster occurring in Japan concerning its nuclear reactor, Fidler said that hasn’t deterred him from the project.

“Having a reactor and having nuclear waste storage is two different things. It’s unfortunate timing and it’s a very, very sad situation, but it doesn’t change my feelings on it at all,” said Fidler.

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However, not everyone shares the same views as Fidler. Jim Harding, a retired professor of environmental and justice studies, as well as the author of such books as “Nuclear Energy’s Dirty Secrets”, said the used fuel rods are still dangerous.

“This stuff is the stuff we’re seeing burning up behind the reactors in Japan,” said Harding. “It’s hot, it’s toxic, you don’t want to be near it in terms of the gamma radiation and you definitely don’t want to be around it if it gets into your environment.”

Harding said he is also concerned about the risk of accidents or leakage during the transportation of the nuclear waste from Ontario to Saskatchewan.

“The transportation of this many trucks with high-level nuclear waste across half of the country, put all of those communities in a state of apprehension,” he said.

Harding said he feels it makes the most sense for communities closer to the reactor, not to mention those benefitting from the nuclear energy, to store the nuclear waste.

It will be some time before a decision is made – the earliest the site could be operational would be 2035, according to Mike Krizanc, the communications manager for NWMO.

Krizanc said the multi-barrier system to isolate and contain the used fuel will cost up to $24 billion over its lifetime. The nuclear waste will be put 500 metres underground in tunnels of rock, placed in copper and steel containers and surrounded by bentonite clay.

Krizanc said Creighton has to undergo a number of screenings to make sure the area is suitable for a repository, and at any time, can choose to opt out of the process.

“We’re looking for an informed and willing community.

“In order for a community to receive the project, they would have to demonstrate their willingness in a compelling way,” said Krizanc.

“So it won’t be a simple vote of the council that will determine where the repository is located. It would have to be the community as a whole, the surrounding region would have to be engaged, because they are potentially affected and obviously any potentially affected aboriginal people would have to be engaged as well.”

There are seven other communities throughout Canada who have expressed interest in the project, two from Saskatchewan and five from Ontario. The other Saskatchewan communities are Pinehouse and the English River First Nation.

Creighton is about 200 kilometres northeast of Prince Albert.

rpilon@panow.com