Submission for CNSC hearings Jun. 10, 2021 on behalf of Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment

CAPE opposes the granting of a licence for the DNNP site, citing the lack of a chosen reactor design, the absence of historical data for small modular reactors (SMRs), and the high risks associated with locating nuclear facilities in densely populated areas near Lake Ontario. The submission highlights the failure to release the Provincial Nuclear Emergency Response Plan (PNERP) Technical Study and argues that the 2009 site licence application is obsolete due to population growth and climate change. CAPE advocates for a transition to renewable energy over untested SMR technology.

• CAPE contends that granting a licence before OPG selects a reactor type is premature because different designs entail different environmental challenges and safety risks, and no functioning SMR currently exists worldwide to provide historical risk data.
• The location of nuclear reactors in Ontario's most densely populated region on the Great Lakes creates extraordinary risks for the drinking water of millions of Canadians and Americans.
• The 2009 site licence application is considered inadequate as it fails to account for projected changes in population, traffic, and the increasing frequency and severity of weather events caused by climate change through the 2050s.
• There is a critical lack of transparency regarding emergency preparedness, specifically the non-release of the Provincial Nuclear Emergency Response Plan (PNERP) Technical Study, which contains essential accident modelling and drinking water contingency plans.
• CAPE argues that SMRs are an irrelevant solution to the climate crisis because they will not be operational for at least ten years and are more expensive than existing cleaner renewable energy alternatives.

APA

Vakil, C. (2021). Submission for CNSC hearings Jun. 10, 2021 on behalf of Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Submission-for-CNSC-hearings-Jun.pdf#new_tab

Chicago

Vakil, Cathy. Submission for CNSC hearings Jun. 10, 2021 on behalf of Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, 2021. https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Submission-for-CNSC-hearings-Jun.pdf#new_tab.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Vakil |first1=Cathy |title=Submission for CNSC hearings Jun. 10, 2021 on behalf of Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment |publisher=Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment |date=10 June 2021 |url=https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Submission-for-CNSC-hearings-Jun.pdf#new_tab |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{vakil2021submission, author = {Vakil, Cathy}, title = {{Submission for CNSC hearings Jun. 10, 2021 on behalf of Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}}, publisher = {Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}, year = {2021}, month = jun, url = {https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Submission-for-CNSC-hearings-Jun.pdf#new_tab}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }