Regulatory Oversight Report for Uranium and Nuclear Substance Processing Facilities, Research Reactors and Class IB Accelerators in Canada: 2023

Plain language summary

The Regulatory Oversight Report for Uranium and Nuclear Substance Processing Facilities, Research Reactors and Class IB Accelerators in Canada: 2023 provides information on the safety performance of the following licensed facilities in Canada:

Uranium processing facilities:

• Cameco Corporation Blind River Refinery, Blind River, Ontario
• Cameco Corporation Port Hope Conversion Facility, Port Hope, Ontario
• Cameco Fuel Manufacturing Inc., Port Hope, Ontario
• BWXT Nuclear Energy Canada Inc., Toronto, Ontario
• BWXT Nuclear Energy Canada Inc., Peterborough, Ontario

Nuclear substance processing facilities:

• SRB Technologies (Canada) Inc., Pembroke, Ontario
• Nordion (Canada) Inc., Ottawa, Ontario
• Best Theratronics Ltd., Ottawa, Ontario
• BWXT Medical Ltd., Ottawa, Ontario

Research reactors:

• McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario
• Royal Military College of Canada, Kingston, Ontario
• École Polytechnique de Montréal, Montréal, Quebec

Class IB accelerators:

• TRIUMF, Vancouver, British Columbia
• Canadian Light Source, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

The reporting period covered by this report varies by facility type. It covers the 2023 calendar year for uranium and nuclear substance processing facilities (UNSPFs), which are reported on annually. Research reactors, last included in the Regulatory Oversight Report (ROR) for Uranium and Nuclear Substance Processing Facilities in Canada: 2020, are being reported on for the 2021–23 calendar years. Class IB accelerators, last included in the 2019 ROR, are being reported on for the 2020–23 calendar years.

Over the respective reporting periods, all facilities operated safely. Monitoring data demonstrated that people and the environment remained protected.

This report also provides an update on CNSC staff’s regulatory activities regarding Indigenous engagement, public information, community engagement, and relevant parts of the CNSC’s Independent Environmental Monitoring Program. Where possible, trends are shown, and information is compared to previous years.

Each year, CNSC inspectors and experts conduct inspections at these facilities. The number and scope of these inspections depend on the potential risk posed by the facility to people and the environment and on the facility’s past performance. The CNSC uses a risk-informed approach when planning inspections.

The CNSC uses 14 safety and control areas (SCAs) to evaluate the performance of each licensee; the resulting performance ratings are included in this report. Special attention is given to the radiation protection, environmental protection, and conventional health and safety SCAs, as they give a good overview of overall safety performance.

The SCA ratings in this report come from the results of activities conducted by CNSC staff to verify licensee compliance. These activities included onsite and virtual inspections, technical assessments, reviews of licensee reports, reviews of events and incidents, and ongoing exchanges of information with licensees.

The full report is available to download on the Open Government Portal, and the documents referenced in it are available upon request by contacting:

Senior Tribunal Officer, Commission Registry
Tel.: 613-858-7651 or 1-800-668-5284
Fax: 613-995-5086
Email: interventions@cnsc-ccsn.gc.ca