Participant Funding Program decision – Meeting with Black River First Nation and Hollow Water First Nation to participate in the CNSC's Independent Environmental Monitoring Program for the Whiteshell Laboratories site

The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) has offered funding through its Participant Funding Program (PFP) to support Black River First Nation (BRFN) and Hollow Water First Nation (HWFN) in meeting with CNSC staff on matters of regulatory interest. The purpose of the meeting is to review the draft Independent Environmental Monitoring Program sampling plan for Canadian Nuclear Laboratories’ Whiteshell Laboratories site and participate in the sampling campaign.

The information gathered from the meetings will be included in the relevant Commission member documents in order to bring any valuable information gathered directly to the Commission.

Background

The CNSC made participant funding available to:

• enhance Indigenous and stakeholder participation in the CNSC’s environmental assessment and licensing processes
• help Indigenous Nations and communities, the public and stakeholders bring valuable information to the Commission

A funding review committee (FRC), independent of the CNSC, was established to review the funding application received by the CNSC’s PFP administrator and to make recommendations on the allocation of funding to the applicant.

The FRC members were:

• Steve Burgess, retired Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency director
• James Taylor, retired Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada senior advisor

On July 20, 2022, the FRC reviewed the PFP application received, requesting a total of $3,811.

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 carefully considered the FRC’s recommendations on the allocation of participant funding for BRFN and HWFN and approved the reimbursement of up to $3,811.

Applicant	Maximum amount of available funding
Black River First Nation and Hollow Water First Nation	$3,811
Total	$3,811

Additional information:
Participant Funding Program Administrator, CNSC
Email: pfp@cnsc-ccsn.gc.ca