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Public consultation into Sask.'s nuclear future coming to a close
By Angela Hall, Leader-Post July 28, 2009 Comments (4)
REGINA — The man tasked with chairing the consultation process into how Saskatchewan could further develop its uranium resources is closing the public comment box at the end of the week.
But Dan Perrins said it's already clear there's a need for more information on the province's electricity requirements and options, and on the issue of medical isotope production.
"I think it's fair to say people provided a lot of information but they indicated a significant need for more information," said Perrins, whose mandate includes advising the government of the areas where the public needs more data.
Over the last several weeks, more than 1,000 people have written in with opinions on whether the province should be the future home of a nuclear power plant, a small research reactor producing medical isotopes, or a long-term nuclear waste storage site.
All three ideas were among the several possibilities suggested by the of the Uranium Development Partnership (UDP), which gave a report to the Saskatchewan Party government in the spring outlining how the province might get further involved in the uranium "value chain," including mining, upgrading, nuclear power, research and waste storage.
With the window for public input to close Friday, the next step is the massive task of compiling the written comments with the hundreds of opinions voiced at earlier public forums into a report for the government.
Perrins said the desire for more information on the power front centres on questions such as: "What are our power needs? What are the costs? What are the risks?"
But even though much of the discussion has been on the controversial nuclear power issue, there is a growing focus on medical isotopes, Perrins said.
As the nuclear reactor at Chalk River, Ont., faltered, Premier Brad Wall recently announced his intention to partner with the University of Saskatchewan and pitch the province as a possible producer of medical isotopes.
"I think there's significant information needs there," Perrins said of the isotope issue.
"It certainly came up ... On the positive side, (people said) that's what you could use a smaller reactor for ... isotopes and research. On the other side, if I could put it that way, there were many views expressed that there are alternatives to a nuclear reactor with respect to how you produce medical isotopes," Perrins said.
Perrins will submit his report to the government at the end of August. The Sask. Party government has pledged that an all-party committee will, in the wake of that report, hold hearings examining the province's growing power needs.
ahall@leaderpost.canwest.com
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