FOR IMMEDIATE MEDIA RELEASE- JANUARY 11, 2024

STATEMENT FROM CHIEF CASEY RATT AND COUNCIL MITCHIKANIBIKOK INIK

ALGONQUINS OF BARRIERE LAKE /LES ALGONQUINS DU LAC BARRIERE

"License Decision for Radioactive Waste Facility: An Act of Disregard Against
Indigenous Lands and Rights"

Re: CNSC Licence Decision to Construct the NSDF at Chalk River

We, the Algonquins of Barriere Lake, Mitchikanibikok Inik, categorically oppose the decision made by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) on January 8, 2024. This decision authorizes the Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) to
construct the Near Surface Disposal Facility (NSDF) at Chalk River, Ontario.

This approval, which sanctions the establishment of a nuclear waste facility on the Kichi Sibi River—our ancestral lands—is an egregious violation of our Indigenous law, Ona'ken'age'win. This law, the original Anishinaabeg Earth law, is the spiritual and legal foundation of our people. The CNSC's decision is nothing less than an assault on our ancestral homelands and sacred sites.

We want to clarify that at no point did we consent to this project or the CNSC's assessment process. Despite our best efforts, Mitchikanibikok Inik was not given a meaningful opportunity to influence the consultation rules or assessment
procedures.

It is clear from the CNSC's decision that Canada's nuclear regulator is prepared to disregard federal and international laws designed to protect our Indigenous rights, the environment, endangered species, and the future safety of communities along the Ottawa River. This violation is seemingly committed to favour the Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, a company with a vested financial interest in the nuclear sector at Chalk River.

We will not stand idle in the face of these assaults. Alongside our fellow Algonquin communities and allies, we are readying ourselves to fight back legally against any reckless decisions made by the CNSC.

Now more than ever, it is crucial that our Ona'ken'age'win law is upheld and respected. We call on Canada to intervene, retract this approval, and halt any further issuance of permits until there is a commitment to develop an environmental assessment strategy aligned with its international legal obligations as outlined in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. We will not rest until our rights are respected and the biodiversity of the Kichi Sibi
lands and waters, which have been sustainably managed for millennia under our laws and practices, are protected.

Contact: Chief Casey Ratt
rattcasey@gmail.com
819.441.8002
www.stopnuclearwaste.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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