Former Sask. uranium mine site deemed safe for hunting, fishing, province says
The Saskatchewan uranium mine site at Cluff Lake, operated by Orano, has received the thumbs up to be transferred back to the province after being deemed safe for hunting, trapping and fishing.
“All regulators are satisfied that that site is now stable and there's no major concerns with the site,” Assistant Deputy Minister of Resource Development, Corey Hughes told CTV News.
The site is the first modern uranium location for the province’s institutional control program, according to Orano’s CEO Jim Corman.
“A real exciting benchmark and milestone for uranium mining in Saskatchewan and Canada,” he said. “We’re the first operating site modern uranium mill that's been released from its nuclear license so that we can we can move the Cluff Lake site into the into the province of Saskatchewan’s institutional control program.”
Corman said the site, which started in the 1970s and ceased operations in 2002, had been productive for the company.
“About 62 million pounds of yellowcake were packaged and sent off to refineries around the world to support their nuclear programs. It was a great operation. We had significant economic benefits that then went to the province of Saskatchewan and great employment opportunities and business opportunities for people.”
After the mining ceased, the company spent about four years clearing out the buildings and reclaiming the area, he said. Since about 2006, Orano has been monitoring the land to see when it would be safe.
“We submitted to CNSC (Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission) about two years ago to revoke our license or to release us from the requirement to have a nuclear license for the Cluff Lake site,” Cormon said.
“CNSC will only do that when they are comfortable that the site does not pose any future risks to unrestricted use. So that was about a two-year process of going through those scientific studies and ecological assessments from the CNSC and the province of Saskatchewan, to convince everyone and ourselves and the regulators and the public that the site is passively safe and will remain so for the long term.”
Hughes said companies participating in the program, like Orano, are required to set aside money for ongoing monitoring and care of the area.
“There's a discussion and negotiation with the companies,” he said.
“We identify what the future costs of monitoring and maintaining those sites will be. So essentially it provides assurance to the citizens of the province that mine sites will be monitored and maintained into perpetuity.”
He said the province’s program was a unique one.
“This is one of a kind program in the world to be honest and one that has received a lot of international attention for being really good management of crown lands.”
He said there were about 30 mines in the program, but they were smaller and had been mined in the early 50s and 60s
Corman said the Cluff Lake mine had originally been seen as a 15 to 20-year operation.
“We had some additional ores that were discovered while we were operating the site that extended the mine life. But unfortunately, we did additional exploration work and weren't able to find the other ore bodies that would continue to sustain the operation.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Police question man with gun, suppressor and fake IDs in Pennsylvania in connection with health care CEO killing, sources say
Police are questioning a man in Altoona, Pennsylvania, in connection with the shooting and killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, two law enforcement officials familiar with the matter tell CNN.
Family spokesman says slain Edmonton security guard had only been working 3 days
A spokesman for the family of a security guard who police say was murdered while patrolling an Edmonton apartment building last week says the man had only been on the job for three days.
GST break would cost Ottawa $2.7B if provinces with HST asked for compensation
The federal government's GST holiday would cost as much as $2.7 billion if provinces with a harmonized sales tax asked for compensation, the parliamentary budget officer said on Monday.
BREAKING Canadian government to table fall economic statement next Monday
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland is set to table the federal government’s fall economic statement next Monday, the government announced today.
Hazardous conditions expected in some parts of Canada with weather warnings in effect
Hazardous conditions are expected in some parts of Canada this week.
Police search for three men who escaped from immigration holding centre in Quebec
Authorities are searching for three Chilean nationals who escaped from the Laval Immigration Holding Centre north of Montreal.
Sask. hockey player recovering after near fatal skate accident during game
The Sask East Hockey League (SEHL) has released details of a near fatal accident at one of its games over the weekend – which saw a Churchbridge Imperials player suffer serious injuries after being struck with a skate.
Celebrities spotted at Taylor Swift's final Eras Tour performance in Vancouver
Taylor Swift fans from around the world gathered in Vancouver on Sunday to witness the final performance of her massively popular Eras Tour, including a few celebrities.
The Canada Post strike involving more than 55,000 has hit 25 days
The Canada Post strike involving more than 55,000 workers has hit 25 days.