January 24, 2022
SHARE
CANADALAND
#748 The Plan To Turn My Hometown Into A Nuclear Waste Dump
Canada has a nuclear problem... a nuclear waste problem. The hunt for a place to park radioactive waste has been ongoing in one form or another since 1978, but by 2023 it seems a solution will be within reach.
Jesse Brown
Host & Publisher
Sarah Lawrynuik
Senior Producer
Tristan Capacchione
Audio Editor & Technical Producer
Kieran Oudshoorn
Managing Editor, Podcasts

Canada has a nuclear problem… a nuclear waste problem. Since the dawn of nuclear power technology, solutions to waste have all been remarkably temporary given the longevity of the danger the material presents.

For decades, the hunt for a solution has spanned across provinces — even across countries. But the hope is that by 2023 Canada will have found a home – and permanent solution – for all of the country’s nuclear waste.

This endeavor is pitting neighbour against neighbour — community against community. And the stakes are high for the future of the nuclear industry.

CANADALAND senior producer Sarah Lawrynuik ventures to Northwestern Ontario to bring you this story.

Further reading:

Support Canadaland at canadaland.com/join

Sponsors: Rotman Executive Leadership Online, PolicyMe, Dispatch Coffee

Additional Music is by Audio Network

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story stated that monitoring of the waste site would occur for seven years after all of the nuclear waste was put in the deep geological repository. However, the NWMO has budgeted for monitoring to occur for 70 years. We regret this error.

More from this series
Have the business practices of one of the world's biggest liquor monopolies damaged wine writing? And, is the environment created by this vacuum in the world of journalism being abused by some high profile writers?
September 18, 2023
When some Canadians look south of the border, sometimes all they can think is: thank god I’m Canadian. But can a Coffee Crisp, or the pronunciation of the letter Z, really save us from the rise of fascism?
September 11, 2023
It’s possible that Chantal Hébert’s journalism once held Canada together. She joins Jesse for a discussion about what’s appropriate in political news coverage, and what (if anything) needs to change.
September 4, 2023
Canada’s biggest grocery chains spent nearly 2 billion last year buying up their own stocks.
August 28, 2023
Foreign Interference by the Chinese government into Canadian politics is probably the biggest news story of the year, and yet we know so little about it. What was the interference? Why did it occur? Did it work? Who was involved?
August 21, 2023
What’s it like to podcast in a country where freedom of expression can land you in jail?
August 14, 2023
Jesse Brown might think himself quite the question master, but today the tables have turned and our guest host, Jonathan Torrens, investigates the inner workings of this show's host.
August 7, 2023
What does Toronto’s response to the refugee crisis actually look like? We follow asylum seekers at 129 Peter Street as they search for a place to spend the night.
July 31, 2023
all podcasts arrow All Podcasts
CANADALAND