OBJECTIVE 3.3 – Safeguarding Canadians from natural
hazards and the risks associated with natural resource development and
use.
|
Date target reported
|
Target
|
Date target reported
|
How this target advances sustainable development
|
Future directions
|
|
3.3.1
|
By 1999, promulgate new regulations and bring into force the Nuclear
Safety and Control Act.
|
Mar 31/00
|
On May 31, 2000, the Nuclear Safety and Control Act regulations
were promulgated. This modernized the 1950s-era nuclear safety and
regulatory structure to ensure that the use of nuclear energy and
materials protects health safety, security and the environment;
and respects Canada's international commitments on the peaceful
use of nuclear energy.
|
The new Nuclear Safety and Control Act and Regulations are now
in effect. Work is underway to revise Canada's Nuclear Liability
Act; according to current planning goals, the new legislation is
expected to be established by 2002.
To further public understanding about nuclear issues, NRCan will
provide a current and comprehensive Web-based package of information
on nuclear energy and related issues, as part of SDS
- Now and for the Future.
|
|
3.3.2
|
By 1998, prepare, in consultation with other federal departments,
the government response to the Seaborn Panel, which will outline
the next steps for the long-term management of nuclear fuel waste
in Canada.
|
Mar 31/99
|
Provides policy direction for the long-term management of nuclear
fuel waste, leading to action to dispose of the nuclear fuel waste
in an environmentally responsible manner.
|
Develop policy direction on government oversight for the long-term
management of nuclear fuel waste so that activities are carried
out in an environmentally-sound,
safe, comprehensive, integrated and cost-effective manner consistent
with the 1996 Government of Canada Policy Framework for Radioactive
Waste.
|
|
3.3.3
|
By the year 2000, develop with communities a solution for the Port
Hope, Ontario area wastes and review options with Cabinet.
|
Mar 31/01
|
On March 29/01, the Government of Canada entered into a legal
agreement with the Port Hope area communities for the cleanup and
long-term management of local historic low-level radioactive wastes.
The $260 million project will take roughly 10 years to complete.
By the end of March 2000, the Government of Canada had implemented
the recommenations of the Surrey Siting Task Force and completeed
the removal of hisotric wastes from two industrial sites in Surrey,
with appropriate relocation to long-term management facilities.
NRCan continues to be committed to ensuring an active stakeholder
role in the decision making to safeguard public health and the environment.
|
NRCan will continue to ensure that stakeholders have an active
role; in particular, NRCan will work to build an enhanced understanding
of the nuclear energy option among the public, and the federal government's
role.
|
|
By the year 2000, complete the assessment of the Surrey Siting
Task Force report on a disposal solution for the Surrey, British
Columbia wastes and begin to implement recommendations.
|
Mar 31/01
|
|
3.3.4
|
By 1998, launch Metals in the Environment initiative.
|
Mar 31/99
|
Improves the understanding of natural releases of metals in the
environment and enables the determination of contribution of metal
loadings from natural and anthropogenic sources
|
NRCan will publish comprehensive results of the 5-year Metals in
the Environment (MITE) Initiative by 2002, to help risk assessors
and policy makers make appropriate decisions regarding the monitoring
and control of toxic forms of certain metals.
|
|
3.3.5
|
By 1998, provide technical support for the pilot-phase of the International
Lead Management Centre (ILMC).
|
Mar 31/00
|
Helps to reduce the risks to human health from exposure to lead.
|
On-going advice and information will continue to be provided to
the ILMC to enhance their projects in response to the OECD Ministerial
Declaration on Lead in order to support their mandate to promote
the continued use of lead in an environmentally sound manner.
|
|
3.3.6
|
By 1999, develop criteria for the most appropriate evacuation system
based on the risk assessment approach.
|
Mar 31/99
|
Minimizes environmental impacts and human suffering in the event
of accidents in frontier oil and gas development.
|
NRCan is working with Transport Canada, the National Research Council
and the oil and gas industry with respect to improving evacuation
systems and survival suits. We are jointly funding a project specifically
aimed at quantifying factors related to escape evacuation and rescue
(EER) such as performance standards, environment and accident effects
on human factors and human performance under extreme conditions.
This project will include model and full scale experiments and will
result in the development of a risk and performance evaluation tool
(RPT) and a final report before the end of 2003.
|
|
By 1999, initiate a study to conduct further work on the development
of improved personnel evacuation survival suits.
|
Mar 31/99
|
|
3.3.7
|
By 2000, produce a natural geological hazards atlas.
|
Mar 31/01
|
Increases public awareness an understanding of geological hazards,
which can assist in their recognition, avoidance and mitigation.
|
NRCan will publish new seismic hazard maps and hazard information
for Canada and make data available on-line.
|
|
3.3.8
|
By 1998, transfer the Spatial Fire Management Information System
to fire management agencies in Saskatchewan, Alberta and British
Columbia.
|
Mar 31/99
|
Develops models to monitor and predict the behavior of extreme
forest fires that threaten communities.
|
NRCan will generate Internet-accessible fire reports, maps and
tables through the Canadian Wildland Fire Information System and
the Fire Monitoring, Mapping and Modeling System on a daily basis.
For SDS- Now and for the Future,
NRCan will continue to monitor and address natural hazards and disasters,
to reduce social, economic and environmental losses due to natural
hazards.
|
|
By 1998, complete second phase of the international crown fire
experiment in the Northwest Territories, investigating fire behaviour,
atmospheric emissions and effectiveness of personnel survival equipment.
|
Mar 31/99
|
|
By 1998, complete development and testing of human-caused and lightning-caused
fire occurrence models for British Columbia.
|
Mar 31/99
|
|
By 1998, modify the Prescribed Fire Analysis System for use in
the Yukon.
|
Mar 31/99
|
