Participant Funding Program Decision – Regulatory Oversight Report for Uranium and Nuclear Substance Processing Facilities in Canada: 2019 and update on Cameco Corporation's Vision in Motion project

On July 8, 2020 the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) announced that it was offering a total of $25,000 under its Participant Funding Program (PFP) to assist members of the public, Indigenous peoples and stakeholders in reviewing two topics and submitting comments on them in writing to the Commission. One topic was CNSC staff’s Regulatory Oversight Report for Uranium and Nuclear Substance Processing Facilities in Canada: 2019. The other was an update on Cameco Corporation’s (Cameco) Vision in Motion project.

It was also announced that Indigenous intervenors may make oral presentations. This additional opportunity was made available to Indigenous intervenors in the spirit of reconciliation and in recognition of the Indigenous oral tradition of sharing knowledge. Oral presentations will be made remotely due to potential travel restrictions or limitations relating to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background

Participant funding was made available by the CNSC:

• to help provide new, distinctive and valuable information to the Commission through informed and topic-specific interventions
• to assist interested parties in reviewing the report, the update on Cameco’s Vision in Motion project, and submitting written comments to the Commission

A funding review committee (FRC), independent from the CNSC, was established to review the funding applications received by the CNSC’s PFP administrator, and to make recommendations on the allocation of up to $25,000 for eligible applicants.

The FRC members were:

• Paul Scott, retired regional director of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency’s Vancouver office
• Bruce Young, retired Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency director
• Steve Burgess, retired Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency director 

The CNSC received five applications and these were reviewed by the FRC.

Eligibility and funding criteria

For more information on participant funding and how it works, including details on eligibility and funding criteria, please read the PFP guide.

CNSC participant funding decision

The CNSC has carefully considered the FRC’s recommendations on the allocation of participant funding for the report and for the update on Cameco’s Vision in Motion project, and has approved the reimbursement of up to $33,805 to the following recipients:

Applicant	Maximum amount of available funding
Canadian Environmental Law Association	$5,000
Curve Lake First Nation	$5,676
Algonquins of Pikwakanagan First Nation	$8,579
Algonquins of Ontario	$9,450
Lake Ontario Waterkeeper	$5,100
TOTAL	$33,805

Additional information:

Adam Zenobi
Participant Funding Program Administrator, CNSC
Tel.: 613-415-2814
Email: pfp@cnsc-ccsn.gc.ca