Fukushima accident – Chronology CNSC of activities

The Fukushima Daiichi accident taught us to expect the unexpected and to require nuclear operators to consider and prepare for the most unlikely events.

Date	Events
March 11, 2011	A magnitude 9.0 earthquake near Japan generates an estimated 15-metre tsunami at TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, leading to an accident at the plant.
March 11, 2011	The CNSC activates its Emergency Operations Centre.
March 17, 2011	The CNSC issues a directive to all major Canadian nuclear facilities requiring them to review initial lessons learned, re-examine their safety cases, and report on how they are addressing any gaps.
March 22, 2011	The CNSC issues a similar directive to all uranium mines and mills, and other important nuclear facilities, such as those hosting small research reactors.
April 19, 2011	The CNSC announces the creation of a multidisciplinary internal Task Force to evaluate the operational, technical and regulatory implications of TEPCO's nuclear accident.
July 7, 2011	The CNSC issues the safety review criteria to clarify the scope of the Canadian "stress test" for nuclear power plants.
July 28, 2011	All nuclear power plant operators submit reports, based on these criteria, to the CNSC. The reports detail the operators' findings and proposed plans in regard to their lessons learned from the accident in Japan, focusing on the reassessment of external hazards and beyond-design-basis accidents.
August 5, 2011	CNSC President Michael Binder forms the External Advisory Committee to independently assess the organization's processes and responses in light of the lessons learned from Fukushima.
October 28, 2011	The CNSC issues the Task Force Report and Management Response for public consultation; it later integrates the comments received into the Action Plan.
November 28, 2011	The IAEA conducts a review of the CNSC's response to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear event and its implications for Canadian nuclear power plants. The CNSC is the first regulator to request such a review.
December 21, 2011	The CNSC publishes a first draft version Action Plan on Task Force Recommendations for public consultation.
March 2, 2012	The CNSC integrates the comments received and publishes its second draft version of the Task Force Report, the Management Response and the Action Plan (PDF) for public consultation.
March 5, 2012	The IAEA publishes its report of the review conducted on Canada's response.
April 12, 2012	The External Advisory Committee delivers its report to CNSC President Michael Binder.
May 3, 2012	The Commission holds a public meeting to discuss the Task Force Report, the Management Response and the Action Plan (PDF). The recommendations from the External Advisory Committee, as well as input from the public, are integrated into the final CNSC Action Plan in light of the lessons learned from the accident in Japan.
August 2013	The CNSC publishes the CNSC Integrated Action Plan On the Lessons Learned From the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Accident.
February 29, 2016	The CNSC publishes the CNSC Assessment of the IAEA Director General Report of the Fukushima Daiichi Accident
February 2017	Canada was the first G7 country to request an Emergency Preparedness Review (EPREV) mission, highlighting the Government of Canada's commitment to protecting the health and safety of Canadians.
June 3-13, 2019	EPREV mission: The purpose of this independent review was to assess Canada's level of preparedness for nuclear and radiological emergencies based on the IAEA safety standards and international best practices.
February, 2020	After completing the EPREV mission, the IAEA published a press release commending Canadian best practices and identifying opportunities for further strengthening Canadian arrangements. The final report will be considered in ongoing efforts to strengthen the arrangements to prepare for, and respond to nuclear and radiological emergencies.