If I may use the example again of this proposed near-surface disposal facility at Chalk River, the proposal is for a 300-year institutional control period. In other words, there would have to be some kind of licence and regulatory oversight for 300 years. Unfortunately the packages that would go into that facility could have hazardous lifetimes of thousands to hundreds of thousands of years. The result is that it would essentially never be possible to abandon or unlicense a facility that's above ground and that still has significant quantities of radioactive and non-radioactive hazards in it. You essentially need a perpetual licence. This would represent a perpetual liability for the people of Canada and for our governments and taxpayers.
On February 3rd, 2022. See this statement in context.