Participant Funding Program decision – Review of environmental impact statement and plant parameter envelope for Ontario Power Generation's Darlington New Nuclear Project

The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) announced on October 24, 2022, that it was offering up to $150,000 under its Participant Funding Program (PFP). This funding was to assist Indigenous Nations and communities, members of the public and stakeholders in reviewing Ontario Power Generation’s environmental impact statement and plant parameter envelope for the Darlington New Nuclear Project (DNNP).

Background

The CNSC made participant funding available:

• for the provision of new, distinctive and valuable information to the Commission through informed and topic-specific interventions
• to assist interested parties in reviewing OPG’s environmental impact statement and plant parameter envelope for the DNNP and associated documents

A funding review committee (FRC), independent of the CNSC, was established to review the funding applications received by the CNSC’s PFP administrator and to make recommendations on allocating up to $150,000 to eligible applicants. The FRC was given the flexibility to recommend funding beyond $150,000 based on the value-added nature of the funding applications received.

The FRC members were:

• Bruce Young, retired director, Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency
• Steve Burgess, retired director, Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency

On December 13, 2022, the FRC met to review the 10 PFP applications received, requesting a total of $264,125.10.

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 and approved the reimbursement of up to $157,594.10 to the following recipients:

Applicant	CNSC approved funding
Hiawatha First Nation	$8,250
Métis Nation of Ontario	$12,800
Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility	$15,000
Canadian Environmental Law Association	$15,750
Six Nation of Grand River	$7,500
Saugeen Ojibway Nation	$21,231.20
Radiation Safety Institute of Canada	$20,000
Northwatch	$17,781
Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation	$19,281.90
Nuclear Transparency Project	$20,000
Total	$157,594.10

Additional information

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