Winter-2019-Whiteshell-CONTACT

WHITESHELL

WHITESHELL WINTER 2019

CONTACTWHITESHELL A PUBLICATION OF CANADIAN NUCLEAR LABORATORIESCHALK RIVER WHITESHELL PORT HOPE WHITESHELL

THE SKYLINE IS CHANGING AT WHITESHELL WHITESHELL LICENCE RENEWAL John Gilbert, Site Head of the Whiteshell Closure Project

CNL appeared before the Canadian Nuclear Safety Com- We seek today to demonstrate that CNL is fully commit- mission (CNSC) at hearings held at the Lions Hall in Lac ted to continuing to safely meet the obligations set out du Bonnet on October 2-3 to request the renewal of the by you, our regulators, on behalf of the public.” decommissioning licence for the Whiteshell Laborato- ries. If granted, the licence will be for a ten-year period CNL estimates that the actual physical remediation work beginning January 1, 2020 and would authorize CNL to at Whiteshell will be complete by early 2027, with the continue the decommissioning and remediation of the additional two years provided by the renewed licence – site, which means the safe removal of redundant nuclear until the end of 2029 – allowing CNL time to complete facilities, laboratories, and much of the waste manage- final documentation. At that time, all buildings and most ment area and support structures. services will have been removed from the site.

During the public hearings, CNL’s Vice President of En- It is important to note that the proposed decommission- vironmental Remediation Management, Mike Gull, told ing of the WR-1 research reactor at Whiteshell is under- the Commissioners that he was confident of CNL’s future going a separate licensing and environmental regulatory success, because of CNL’s “track record of solid safety review and is not part of this licence renewal. and environmental performance at the Whiteshell site.

CNL staff live, work, and play beside the river. Their families and their children swim in the river, boat in the river, fish and drink the water that comes from it. It’s part of our daily lives. And that’s why we’re work- " ing to make it even safer for the future. - Comments from Mike Gull, CNL's Vice President of Environmental Remediation Management , to the CNSC during the hearing BUILDING TRUST IN OUR COMMUNITIES Sharing the story of the Whiteshell Environmental Remediation Project

CNL is committed to maintaining solid and positive rela- CNL’s General Manager John Gilbert said the ceremony tions with communities surrounding the Whiteshell site. was significant, “Sharing this event opened our hearts This means talking to people about the work to clean and minds and will help us continue to build a trusting up the former nuclear laboratory site, listening to their and meaningful relationship with Sagkeeng First Nation.” thoughts and concerns and answering their questions. Over the last few months, CNL has met with many indi- CNL will continue to meet and involve members of the viduals and groups to talk about the work, but one meet- Sagkeeng First nation as the Whiteshell Decommission- ing stands out for its recognition of the impact of past ing Project progresses. actions and the importance of acknowledging ceremony. Do you want CNL to provide an update to your community or group? Contact us at [email protected].

Over the last six months, CNL has met with many groups to discuss the Whiteshell Project, including:

• The Black River First Nation • Participation in a Youth Climate Change Sum- mit with the Grand Council of Treaty 3 • Alternative Means Workshop with Sagkeeng First Nation • South East Regional Development Council On September 13, 2019, the Turtle Lodge, acting on be- Meeting half of the Sagkeeng First Nation, conducted a Ceremony • Participation in the filming of an episode of of Relationship with the Earth at Whiteshell (pictured “Still Standing” based on Pinawa. Episode to be above). An ancient pipe ceremony and a water ceremony aired September 2020 were led by traditional knowledge keepers from the local • Public Liaison Committee meetings Anishinabe, Cree and Dakota territory - elders who are • Whiteshell Public Open House and tours knowledgeable of the ceremonial protocols, languag- • WR-1 Update to Local Government District of es, teachings and traditions of their ancestors. Helpers Pinawa Mayor and Council known as scabewis lit a sacred fire on the grounds out- • Site tours with Red River Community College, side, located near what Indigenous Peoples refer to as Sun Rise School Division, Black River First Na- the Manitou Api sacred petroform site, at North Ameri- tion, Brokenhead Ojibway Nation, Hollow Wa- ca's geographic centre. ter First Nation, and members of the public Turtle Lodge Knowledge Keeper, Dr. Dave Courchene of • Community Meeting with Sagkeeng First the Sagkeeng Anicinabe Nation, explained the impor- Nation tance of the event, “As the Original People of our home- • Information booths at the Manitoba Metis land, this ceremony we did today is to acknowledge our Federation Annual General Assembly, Vision relationship with the land. We honour her forces of en- Quest, a Canadian Indigenous business devel- suring balance." He added, "It is also in the spirit of part- opment Conference in Winnipeg, and the Lac nership and working together to ensure we find proper du Bonnet Trade Fair solutions to the waste that technology can create." • Whiteshell Reactor #1 breakfast session UPDATE ON THE WHITESHELL PROJECT The skyline at the Whiteshell Laboratories site continues to change

As CNL progresses with Whiteshell decommissioning, the BUNKER 6 skyline of the site is changing. CNL has demolished 6 buildings and structures over the past year. This means carefully Encompassing a greater part of the Waste Management taking them apart, recycling building materials when pos- Area footprint at Whiteshell, are six prominent above sible, and safely disposing of the remaining waste. ground storage bunkers. Standing 17 feet tall and 86 feet long, the bunkers house approximately 4,200 m3 of low- Clean waste (waste that is free from radioactivity) can be level waste – which means waste that requires a minimum disposed of in local licensed landfill sites. For low-level and of protection to handle. This is mainly scrap metal, build- intermediate-level radioactive waste, this means first pack- ing waste, protective clothing, gloves and boots, sludge and aging the waste, then shipping it to Chalk River Laboratories concrete. for temporary storage until a permanent facility has been approved and built. Since May of 2017, 200 shipments, for a Over the last 5 months, Bunker 6, the first of 6 bunkers, was total volume of 4,241 cubic metres, of low-level waste and 5 emptied, the waste sampled, characterized and packaged, shipments, with a volume of 31 cubic metres, of intermedi- and is now ready for safe transportation to CRL. ate-level waste has been safely transported to CRL. STANDPIPES & BUNKERS To facilitate continued progress of the decommissioning, CNL staff will be moving into a trailer complex in the spring Also at the Whiteshell Waste Management Area, intermedi- of 2020 to allow the facilities where they now work, to go ate level waste has been securely stored for 52 years in sev- “cold and dark.” This will give demolition crews easier access eral in-ground concrete structures. These are sealed vertical to all buildings and more flexibility to advance the work. At concrete cylinders, called standpipes, and horizontal rect- the same time, the move will serve to reduce costs such as angular concrete bunkers. In order to decommission them, heating and maintenance. the waste must first be safely removed. Given the nature of this material, it must be retrieved using specially designed Here are some examples of the decommissioning work that equipment that can be operated remotely. Because of the is now just complete or underway: unique nature of this project and these structures, CNL is designing one-of-a-kind equipment that can do the job. light water test loop which simulated the CANDU reactor The team is halfway through the design process and plans operating under different conditions and provided data to to have it completed by mid-2020 when fabrication of the all the utilities which owned such reactors. Research in this equipment can begin. facility was completed in the summer of 2018 and planning began to decommission and demolish the RD-14M facility. Demolition was completed early November 2019. RD-14M

This facility provided critical research for the CANDU power LIQUID WASTE TREATMENT CENTRE reactor program. It was a high temperature, high pressure, The purpose of this facility was to accept liquid waste from research projects around the Whiteshell site as well as from the laundry and decontamination facilities, remove contamination where possible, or process and package for long-term storage where not possible. CNL decontamination efforts have been successful at reducing the contamination levels, making the building one step closer to being ready for demolition planned for February. In conjunction with ongoing decontamination, in preparation for demolition of this building, CNL staff created a new industry lead- ing tool which provides real-time data on our impact to the air during open air demolition. The tool factors in demolition methods and environmental conditions and allows for safe demolition of buildings - working in a way which pro- tects the environment and the safety of our workers.

SAFETY FIRST IN EVERYTHING WE DO! CNL records zero injuries over past years, lower then similar projects

If you’ve been following the story of Whiteshell Laboratories over the years, you’ll have heard us say many times that the safety of our workers, the public and the environment is our first priority. It’s our mantra. And now it appears we don’t just put safety first, we are first when it comes to safety performance in comparison to peers doing similar decommissioning and dis- mantling work.

In the first half of the year, the Whiteshell Laboratories has the lowest injury rate when compared with nuclear projects doing similar work!

The folks working in Whiteshell’s Health & Safety Services Branch strive to make conditions even safer. The team is implementing two new initiatives:

• As part of an overall CNL initiative, a “glove campaign” to remind workers to put on a pair of gloves when doing work that calls for protection, thereby building in the habit of taking care of your hands while at work, and at home.

• A Safety “Stop Light” as you enter our front lobby to catch employees’ attention when an incident or near miss has occurred. The stop light, if yellow or red, will direct staff to further information to ensure that staff are aware in a near real-time manner, to allow for timely lessons learned. GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY Whiteshell employees are always happy to give to those in need

CNL employees at Whiteshell are active members of the community and share a joy in giving back by taking part in a variety of fundraising events to help several charities. Here are our top three:

United Way: One of the biggest efforts is the annual United Way campaign, which helps deliver pro- grams to improve the lives of those in need throughout the local community. Employees once again did their part by raising over $14,000 through a variety of events including a Chili cook-off, Bake Sale, 50/50 draw and participation draws.

Firefighters’ Smokie Days: CNL’s Whiteshell Professional Firefighters’ Association, Local I-160, has been holding smokie dog lunches on site for twelve years, coming in on their days off to support this very worth-while initiative. This year the firefighters raised approximately $6,000, bringing the twelve-year total to $98,000 raised for charities such as Cancer Care, the Heart and Stroke Founda- tion, the Firefighters Burn Fund, the Children’s Wish Foundation and local institutions such as nurs- ing homes, daycares, schools and food banks.

Christmas Lunch: Every year the employees’ Christmas lunch is held in December raising money for local food banks. While preparations are underway for this year’s event, it should be noted that employees raised $1,220 with last year’s lunch.

SURPLUS DONATION PROGRAM Putting old materials to good use in the community

Another way CNL has given back to the community is through the Surplus Inventory Donation Program. The program is a process through which CNL can give local charitable, non-profit, First Nations communities and municipal government organizations useful equipment and materials that CNL no longer needs.

As CNL began to decommission the Whiteshell site it became evident that there was a lot of old material that was no longer required to support operations, but which might come in handy for someone else. Under the program, groups apply for and then obtain available materials, equipment, furniture, machin- ery and building supplies.

This year, CNL has made asset donations to these organizations:

• Shelving to Haystack Productions, a community theatre group in Beausejour • Firefighting equipment to Firefighters Without Borders, a charity that helps fire departments around the world and here in Canada, including First Nation communities • Bulletin boards to the Brokenhead Trail Blazers, which breaks and clears trails for snowmobilers • Bulletin boards and white boards to the First Beausejour Scouting Group

CNL has received many more requests for asset donations, which are now being processed. We’ll let you know how the Surplus Inventory Donation Program is progressing in the next edition of CONTACT. If you would like more information on the program, please get in touch at [email protected]. CNL HAS A NEW OBSERVER ON BOARD Environmental Monitoring gets a fresh, but traditional perspective

When CNL’s Environmental Monitoring staff head out to conduct monitoring activities they have a new observer on- board. Jade Dewar, the Energy and Monitoring Coordinator for the Manitoba Metis Federation, is providing the team with unique advice about traditional sources of food and medicines that they wouldn't otherwise be aware of.

Dewar identifies plants and animals that are valuable to Manitoba Métis citizens as a source of food or medicine and points out new sampling areas where these animals and plants can be found. While CNL learns a lot from Dewar, having him join these activities also gives him a firsthand look at the rigour of the program. As he says, “I am happy to be involved in the project so I can answer questions from my community about what CNL is doing here. I think Lagoon Discharge Ditch Sampling it gives them comfort to know the level of care being taken As part of the Environmental Assessment Follow-Up Pro- at Whiteshell to make sure the environment is protected.” gram, CNL is required to determine how the operation of the Whiteshell site’s lagoon is affecting the surrounding land Dewar is pleased to see that new environmental media such where effluent is discharged. This is an activity that must be as mushrooms, berries and wild rice have been added to undertaken every ten years and Dewar was there for the the Environmental Monitoring Program. Dewar’s reports on collection and analysis of soil samples along the lagoon’s his observations will be submitted to CNL and the Canadian discharge pathway. The monitoring team is looking for both Nuclear Safety Commission as well as being published on radiological and non-radiological contaminants. Results are the Manitoba Metis Federation website www.mmf.mb.ca. posted annually in the Environmental Assessment Follow- up Program Report on CNL’s website (www.cnl.ca). This joint program ran from August through October and included the following activities. Foraging for Mushrooms Through learnings from the Traditional Knowledge, Land Environmental Monitoring / Effluent Verification Use and Occupancy Study undertaken by the Manitoba Me- The River Run helps CNL stay up to date on any impacts tis Federation for CNL, along with the insight and expertise the operations of Whiteshell Laboratories could be having provided by Dewar, the Environmental Monitoring Program on the Winnipeg River. Samples are taken daily from the now includes the harvesting of mushrooms and berries, Pinawa Water Treatment Facility (10 km upstream), the Lac traditional food sources for the Métis and other Indigenous Du Bonnet water treatment facility (10 km downstream) people in the region. Dewar has identified sampling areas and the Great Falls power generating station (28 km down- and mushrooms harvested will be analyzed to determine if stream). Weekly samples are taken from a location on the site operations have any impact on the mushrooms. north-west boundary of the Whiteshell site along the Win- nipeg River. The Environmental team performs monthly Ground water/well sampling analyses of these samples to determine the presence of CNL has drilled wells of various depths to monitor the im- radiation. CNL’s Annual Compliance Monitoring Reports are pact that site operations might have on the ground water posted late each spring on CNL’s website (www.cnl.ca) and supply. These monitoring wells have been installed around have consistently documented that the environmental im- the Waste Management Area, the lagoon, the landfill, and pact from CNL’s operations and decommissioning is low as the main campus. Dewar accompanied the environmen- demonstrated by the fact that levels from all environmental field team to view sampling at the Waste Management tal monitoring are below regulatory levels and well below Area, observing how CNL is ensuring that the storage of benchmark values. waste is being properly handled. EMPLOYEE PROFILE: GEORGE SCHARER The last WR-1 reactor operator at CNL ... and he's still working on WR-1!

It’s been 38 years since George Scharer began working at Whiteshell Laboratories. And as he winds down his diverse nuclear career, he finds he’s working in exactly the place where it all began.

Scharer started in 1981 as a trainee, learning about the Whiteshell WR-1 reactor systems, and eventually operating those systems himself. His first permanent job was as an operator in the reactor control room with duties that also included moving flasks and spent fuel from inside the reactor to storage facilities.

In May of 1985, the WR-1 reactor was permanently shut down. Scharer moved to Atomic Energy of Canada Limit- ed’s Underground Research Lab near Lac du Bonnet where his duties as a blast inspector and a drill inspector were to help out with decommissioning WR-1, I would be avail- quite different from those as a reactor operator. able. I was interested in the closure project and am glad I was able to return.” Just a few years later he was back at the Whiteshell site working on another nuclear reactor. This time as an Op- Scharer is now a Senior Operations Technologist in the Site erator Technologist involved in the commissioning and & Nuclear Operations department, assisting with many operation of the 2-megawatt Slowpoke Reactor. And from decommissioning projects, including the proposed perma- there, his career continued to evolve, as an operator of the nent disposal of the reactor he once operated. 4 MeV Accelerator, the 10 MeV Irradiator (both used radiation for sterilization), the Active Liquid Waste Systems “Being part of the final stages of the reactor’s life is bitter- and the Decontamination facility. sweet but its permanent disposal has to be done.” he said. “WR-1 was where it all began for me and it’s provided me Scharer eventually retired in 2017. But the need for expe- with a lot of great memories and friendships with some rienced hands to help with the Whiteshell Closure Project, great people.” and especially the decommissioning of the WR-1 reactor, generated a call that Scharer couldn’t resist. He remem- And so, he ends his career as he began it. George Scharer bers when he retired in March of 2017, “I told my manager is the last Whiteshell employee – still working – who oper- that if the opportunity arose to return on a part-time basis ated the WR-1 reactor.

CNL Corporate Communications 1-800-364-6989 286 Plant Road, Stn 700 A [email protected] Chalk River ON, K0J 1J0 www.cnl.ca

CONTACT is a publication of CNL's Whiteshell Laboratories Stakeholder Relations team.