Mr. Speaker, first I want to reassure the hon. member and those who live in Chalk River and along the Ottawa River in relation to the story that appeared today in the Ottawa Citizen , the leak in question was reported to the AECB some number of years ago. Since that time the AECB has been monitoring the situation and taking whatever steps that have been necessary.
I want to reassure the member that the atomic energy board has stated that the leak in question presents no threat to the public or to the public health. The level of contamination is well below limits set by the AECB in relation to health and safety.
I also want to reassure members of the House that this leak is not from radioactive waste streams. The leak comes from water from
the bays in which the used fuel from the reactors is stored. It is important to reassure people that we are not talking about radioactive waste in this context.