V16 • I11 • DECEMBER 2021
Canadian Nuclear Laboratories
VOYAGEUR
PROJECT AGREEMENT SIGNED FOR ANMRC Integrated project delivery team now in place for new laboratory research complex
Rendering of the Advanced Nuclear Materials Research Centre
Late last month, CNL announced that an integrated project delivery (IPD) agreement is now in place for the design and construction of the Chalk River Laboratories’ new laboratory research complex, the Advanced Nuclear Materials Research Centre (ANMRC). With construction scheduled to begin next year, the ANMRC will be one of the largest nuclear research facilities ever constructed in Canada, and will serve as the backbone of CNL’s research and development infrastructure. Construction of the ANMRC is part of a 10-year transformation of the Chalk River campus, funded through a $1.2 billion investment from Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, the owner of the site, on behalf of the Government of Canada. This includes the revitalization of essential site infrastructure and a significant investment in new, world-class science facilities. With a goal of increased collaboration and shared success, the IPD agreement is a single, multi-party contract that designates the roles and responsibilities of all the companies involved in the complex capital project. The IPD team leading the construction of the ANMRC includes CNL, Chandos Construction Inc., Bird Construction Inc., M. Sullivan & Son Limited, Eclipse Automation, Jp2g Consultants, RJC Engineers, Merrick & Company, Modern Niagara, MSE, Plan Group and Siemens. In building its IPD team, CNL made it a priority to retain qualified local organizations wherever possible, and to incentivize
the use of local resources in the work, to ensure the project brings economic benefits and employment opportunities to the region. “After an extensive validation phase, I’m happy to announce that we have all the organizations in place to move into the next stage of the design and construction of this exciting new facility,” commented Joe McBrearty, CNL’s President and CEO. “The revitalization of the Chalk River campus is designed to position CNL as a world leader in nuclear science and technology, and the ANMRC is at the centre of this vision. It will be constructed using a model where all participants work collaboratively with one another towards the same goals, and which maximizes the economic impact to local businesses.” The ANMRC will also support Canada’s clean energy goals by providing services critical to the life extension and long-term reliability of existing reactors, including Canada’s fleet of CANDU® nuclear power reactors and other designs from around the world. As the largest single capital investment in the revitalization of the Chalk River campus, the ANMRC will be a 10,000 square metre research complex that will accommodate 240 employees and consolidate key capabilities from aging facilities that are scheduled for decommissioning. The ANMRC will feature 12 new shielded cells that will enable post-irradiation examination of small modular reactor (SMR) and next-generation nuclear fuels, and glovebox facilities to support the development of advanced fuel fabrication concepts.
CCGS Henry Larsen docked at CCG Base St. John's in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
MOVING FROM VESSEL TO FLEET
Work with Transport Canada Leads to relationship with Canadian Coast Guard In Fall 2020, CNL was awarded a three-year contract by Transport Canada to develop an assessment tool to help marine fleet operators in Canada examine and pursue the use of clean energy fuels like hydrogen in marine vessels. A key part of this work includes the development of CNL’s Marine-Zero Fuels Assessment Tool (MaZeFAT), which you can read more about on myCNL. However, it was just a few short months later that this research work underway needed some key data – namely, a marine vessel’s propulsion system parameters and fuel consumption. This need for data ignited a conversation that would grow our relationship with the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG). It was over the last holiday season that CNL’s Bryon McConnell, Project Lead for the Transport Canada project (and formerly of CCG), was able to secure a call with the head of fleet operations at CCG to discuss fleet data for analysis, and it resulted in more than just the data needed. Our Hydrogen Technologies team learned that CCG was in the process of assessing Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) as an option to replace diesel for some vessels in their fleet. Hearing about our technology agnostic approach and the project with Transport Canada, we were able to secure a small contract to review the use of LNG as fuel for six CCG vessels. At the end of the LNG review, a second phase of work was discussed. CCG was interested in CNL assessing their entire fleet in switching to zero-emissions fuels – including hydrogen, biofuels, batteries, and small nuclear reactors. “Current work underway is for the Zero Emissions Fuel Project, and we’re assessing four fuel options for 123 vessels currently operating within CCG fleet,” says Dr. Nirmal Gnanapragasam, Technical Lead on the project. “With vessels of varying sizes and utilization, assessment is challenging. We’ve been tasked to look at the possibility of a mixed fuel fleet where hydrogen could support some vessels and other fuels such as biofuels could support other vessels. Understanding
the propulsion system onboard each class of vessels has become necessary, including the size, weight, and performance. The primary concern is on the space and weight requirements for fuel storage onboard to provide the same endurance as diesel – distance or time for navigation using all the fuel in storage tanks when full.” Dr. Gnanapragasam adds, “One of the challenges the team knows when it comes to diesel for the larger vessels is that it has the best storage density – there is no matching fuel currently available. Our current understanding is that for larger vessels, Small Modular Reactors could play a future role. Hence, we have started assessing nuclear reactors for propulsion of some of these larger vessels (like the icebreakers) in the CCG fleet.” Part of the work in the current project includes life cycle assessment (LCA) of costs, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and criteria air contaminants (CAC), based on the results generated using the MaZeFAT tool. By mid-January, the team will be making recommendations for next steps, including the selection of a set of vessels and fuel type for further assessment. Some of the next steps have already been discussed with CCG as a third phase of the project. Starting in April 2022, the next phase of work will begin to look at safety regulations concerning the selected vessels in the current work. The outcome from phase 3 will include the necessary baseline information for demonstration of two to three vessels with the selected zero-emission fuel. Work with CCG is setup through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between AECL and CCG – and contracts transferred to CNL. Along with our projects supporting Transport Canada, our work for the CCG directly supports S&T’s Strategic Initiative: Decarbonizing the Transport Sector and Remote Communities in Canada.
PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE: WHERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE WHITESHELL EMPLOYEE TRANSITION PLAN When working on a decommissioning or closure site like the Whiteshell Laboratories Closure Project, it’s natural for employees to think about the future. CNL has committed $8.5 million to Whiteshell Laboratories Employee Transition Plan, which is designed to help people consider their options when their part of the mission is complete. To inform employees about the plan and the options they have, CNL has released the plan in digital and hard copy form. It has also launched an internal website, called INFOTransition, where timely access to information is released.
planned and unplanned, will help CNL managers and employees as their careers move to a new stage. Some of Legacy Bowes’ services are expected to include: • • •
Some of the options open to employees are: • • • • •
Retirement incentives Enhanced separation benefits Retraining Identification of employment opportunities Outplacement assistance
This plan was developed over the summer and fall through a Transition Plan team led by Transition Advisor Alan Parker, and consultations with employees and unions. “A transition plan is a people plan,” Parker said during a site visit to Whiteshell. “As you know, Whiteshell is a closure site. It’s going through a closure process. What we want to do for everyone is to have a plan that meets your needs, suits your requirements and is something you can understand. This plan can address how this closure affects you. We want this to be a positive experience.” Those discussions identified some of the supports employees wanted to see going forward. CNL has contracted Legacy Bowes, a well-known Winnipeg-based consultancy firm specializing in career transitions, career management, and human resource services. Legacy Bowes’ experience in helping people through career transitions, both
• • • • •
Training for Managers and Supervisors Individual employee career guidance Skills assessments to help employees establish strengths Alan Parker and areas of focus to maximize Transition Advisor their future potential One-on-one coaching Tips on how to conduct successful job searches Resume writing support Interview training Outplacement / job search assistance
WLCP General Manager John Gilbert said the transition plan is intended to help people who are developing unique skill sets in a first-of-its-kind, innovative closure project find their next challenge. “CNL’s most valuable asset is its people, Gilbert said. “They are highly skilled employees, gaining valuable experience working on a unique decommissioning project that is providing unique skill building opportunities. Knowing what options employees have as we progress though the closure project is critical.” Work is underway to hire a Transition Manager, who will also provide assistance to employees navigating the transition process. To access WLETP information or Legacy Bowes services, search INFOTransition on myCNL and follow the page on myCNL. Questions may also be sent by email to INFOTWLETP@cnl.ca.
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2021 3MTI COMPETITORS! They had three minutes and three slides to make an impact with their presentations on December 1, and this year’s Three Minutes to Impact (3MTI) participants made the 4th annual competition one not to be missed!
McDonald, who won Third Place overall; Gursimer Sandhu; Dan Roubtsov; Megha Chandrashekhar; Thanesk Kaloni; Mark J Gardiner; and Zane Johansson. Visit myCNL TV to view the entire competition if you missed it!
Hosted once again at our Chalk River campus, nine competitors demonstrated their presentation skills on a variety of topics to our esteemed judging panel of Ali Siddiqui (Acting Head of Directorate, Advanced Reactors), Mike Burton (VP, Business Development and Commercial Ventures), Marie-Claude Gregoire (Head of Directorate, Isotopes, Radiobiology and Environment) and Ram Muller (VP, Isotopes). The 3MTI committee, including Danielle Beaton, Mike Welland, Larkin Mosscrop, Jihang Yu and Alison Jones would like to extend thanks and congratulations to all participants, including Melinda Blimkie, who won First Place overall and was the People's Choice Award selection; Lucian Ivan, who won Second Place overall; James
3MTI presentation by Melinda Blimkie, First Place overall winner
MED TOOLING HELPS OPG SAVE $45 MILLION Mechanical Equipment Development innovation has big impact on refurbishment You may have recently read about an incredible achievement in Ontario Power Generation (OPG)’s Darlington Refurbishment Project currently underway. It’s the story of experience and capabilities coming together to show how the nuclear industry continues to innovate – combining the removal of both pressure tubes and calandria tubes at the same time in their Unit 3 reactor, a nuclear first. You see, up until now, the removal of pressure tubes and calandria tubes in a CANDU® reactor has been carefully planned and executed as two separate work series (work that takes approximately 74 days). Now, CNL’s Mechanical Equipment Development (MED) team is no stranger to “firsts” with their specialty in designing, testing and building many first of a kind tools. What you may not know is just how they played a role in this particular success story. For this, it’s best to start the story when it all began. “In the early 2000s, our industry was addressing the future of CANDU reactors coming to end of life and if refurbishment to extend reactor life was even possible,” says Greg Hersak, Manager of MED. “The simple question being asked was – could they be retubed or would they need to be shut down? There were a lot of strategies on the table and the MED team was in the early stages of retube development – essentially designing the prototypes of tools needed to make refurbishment of CANDU reactors feasible.” In fact, the MED team was the primary group designing some of this cool technology that would go onto being patented, thus steering the direction for how retube and refurbishment work would be done in the not so distant future. It was just a few years later that CNL’s work helped solidify contracts with Point Lepreau and Bruce Power to handle their retube projects. The first project with Bruce Units 1 and 2 included designing and building the tooling for the units’ fuel channel removal and the volume reduction of fuel channel waste. With Point Lepreau reactor refurbishment happening at the same time, an external vendor was able to leverage our designs and tools to do the same work for this nuclear generating station. After these projects were completed and although the business continued to grow for retube and refurbishment work, it was primarily managed by AECL’s Sheridan Park (Toronto) office (now SNC Lavalin Nuclear / Candu Energy). The MED team at Chalk River became less involved in retubing projects – that is, until 2019, when it was asked by Candu Energy to explore how to remove the calandria and pressure tubes together in a single work series in support of the Darlington Refurbishment Project. “Candu Energy first contacted us in April 2019 with the idea to engage our team to design a tool that could remove these fuel channel components simultaneously,” says Nick Simpson, Technical Lead for MED on the project. “It was an idea inspired by OPG’s innovation fund to improve refurbishment cost and schedule. With the Unit 2 work at Darlington complete, if this idea was successful it could meet the mandate, saving an incredible amount of time and money.” And it did. Retubing a reactor is an extensive process, with many tasks that have to be performed in order and each task requiring a different tool and set-up. The process in previous CANDU reactor refurbishments had first required that the pressure tubes (PTs, which
Tooling developed by MED for CANDU refurbishment work
contain the fuel bundles and in which the primary reactor coolant flows) be removed prior to the calandria tubes (CTs, which contain the pressure tubes). Between the PTs and CTs are annulus spacers (also known as garter springs) that maintain the space (or annulus) between the pressure tube and calandria tube to ensure there is no contact between them. The MED team’s tool was designed to remove both PTs and CTs with these garter springs in place, fitting within the annulus at the calandria tube belled-end and gripping it, then exerting force to remove both tube together from the reactor. CNL’s MED team was able to meet a very challenging timeline with refurbishment dates already scheduled prior to project engagement. And the experience and unique capabilities of the MED team, having designed and produced the original toolsets back in the early 2000’s, met the design challenge for this endeavour. Their work was able to contribute to the approximately $45M+ in savings as a result of the outage days being reduced to about 30 (from 74 and based on standard reactor operating revenue of $1.5M/day). What’s next for the team? Quite a lot! The growing MED Branch (almost 50 in force now) remains focused on designing and developing custom electro-mechanical solutions for S&T, ERM and the nuclear industry. They also hope to continue work with Candu Energy to design tooling to enable the combined pressure tube and calandria tube removal at Bruce Power as part of their upcoming major component refurbishment campaigns.
Joe McBrearty talks clean energy at Canada UK Energy & Climate Summit in London
TELLING OUR STORY IN CANADA & THE UK External Relations continues to spread the word about CNL expertise and capabilities As Canada’s premier nuclear science and technology organization, CNL actively participates in, and leads collaborations in order to advance our collective scientific knowledge. These collaborations include academia, industry, NGOs, and other research and development organizations both domestically and internationally. CNL also has a responsibility to raise the general discourse and understanding of nuclear science and engineering with members of our local communities, Indigenous peoples, and the general public.
leadership of CNL’s Dr. Ian Castillo, Head of the Hydrogen and Tritium Technologies Directorate, regarding our expertise in tritium and the role we can and will play in supporting fusion’s development. We met with General Fusion, Canada’s leader in this promising technology; we met and expanded our collaboration with the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Association (UKAEA); and, we met with UBattery, an SMR developer in our invitation process to ensure they’re ready to advance technology development in Canada.
As you may have noticed, over the past six years, CNL has significantly increased our outreach and discourse. From webinars, town halls, all hands, industry days, sponsorships, partnerships and more, we are advancing our message within our industry and beyond. We are leaders in supporting the Canadian Nuclear Society (CNS) with their G4SR (SMR conference) and other events throughout the year. We lead the Canadian Nuclear Association (CNA) in advancing discussion and best practices on waste management. We also participate in and are members of the Leadership Forum on Integrated Waste Strategy. And just recently, our very own Meggan Vickerd, Christina Van Drunen and Brian Wilcox have spoken about best waste management practices at the International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA).
At home, we welcomed a delegation from the Office of the Chief Science Advisor of Canada (OCSA) for a full day of discussions and lab visits. This was a rare opportunity to connect with a government agency that is relied on for their provision of science to inform policy, with many shared areas of interest. Jeff Griffin, our Vice-President of Science & Technology, alongside Steve Bushby, AECL’s Acting VicePresident of Science, Technology & Commercial Oversight hosted the group, who were eager to stretch their legs, and get out into the labs and work spaces after many months of ‘ZOOM’ meetings and COVID travel restrictions. Notably, this visit came about through a concerted effort by CNL to strengthen our connections with the OCSA, an effort which began with the secondment of CNL’s Dr. Gina Strati into the OCSA earlier this year. In her position as Senior Advisor, Gina is able to provide input and connections relating to CNL but also with Canada’s nuclear sector more broadly.
In late-October, CNL’s CEO Joe McBrearty and AECL’s CEO Fred Dermarkar visited and participated in a pre-COP26 seminar at Canada’s High Commission in London, UK. Sponsored by our parent companies – SNC Lavalin, Jacobs, and Fluor – it was an opportunity to demonstrate our collective organizations’ role in combating climate change and how our laboratory can be leveraged by the federal government and others in solving some of the world’s most pressing and challenging issues. During that visit, we expanded the dialogue on potential areas of collaboration, and looked to opportunities in future technologies such as fusion. In this vein, we were able to build on the discussions and collaborations that had already begun under the
Strategic Communications is recognized as one of the key enabling initiatives in Vision 2030, and the team in External Relations has been working hard to deliver in this portfolio. Building awareness of who we are, what we do, and how we can help is a critical part of our journey to become a more sustainable and more successful national lab today and into the future. Thank you all for your support in this.
Glove box being decontaminated inside Temporary Ventilated Enclosure
B250 DECOMMISSIONING PROJECT UPDATE FD & ER complete milestone work in former hot cell facility in Building 250 After months of diligent planning and hard work during the summer months, the Building 250 (B250) decommissioning project team has completed milestone work in the former Hot Cell Facility located on the fifth and sixth floor of the building. Identified as a key project, and part of the liability reduction on site, preliminary work was completed in June; the extension of the isolation room of the hot cells that is located out on the balcony of the fifth floor on the west side of B250 and the installation of Temporary Ventilated Enclosures (TVEs) around Hot Cell 3 and the Hot Cell 4 glove box. Phase one of the project commenced shortly after a full scale mock-up of the field work was completed in Building 610 with the decommissioning tech team, and concluded in early October. Waste remediation from and decontamination of the working floor in both of the hot cells was safely completed in September along with waste removal from and decontamination of the Hot Cell Facility glove boxes; the structural removal of the glove boxes will follow in November. The four furnaces and loose waste items, various equipment including testing grips and weights, from within the hot cells have been removed; approximately 1,100 kilograms of Low Level Waste (LLW) has been safely transported to the Waste Management Areas. Additionally, nuclear material emitting approximately 15 Rem/Hr of radiological dose was removed and transferred via flasks to the hot cells in Building 375 (FMC) where it was disposed of through their high level radioactive waste stream. To put it into perspective, the annual dose limit for a Nuclear Energy Worker is five Rem. To manage the dose exposure to the field staff, Radiation Protection (RP) staff actively monitored the dose rates through the use of TeleDosimetry equipment; a device capable of remotely displaying the real time dose rates taken from a measurement tool strategically worn on staff while inside the hot cells. Staff donned the approved Personal Protective Equipment and Clothing (PPE&C) during all hot cell entry work, glove box waste removal and decontamination efforts and waste handling activities, while RP staff supported throughout the field work. During the hot summer months, staff wore cooling vests to prevent heat stress which provided a more comfortable working environment. To reduce the radiological hazards, Decon gel was applied to the furnaces along with a manual wiping prior to removing them from the hot cells and into the isolation room for packaging and transport to the Waste Management Areas. The project team, compromised of
RP staff, Field Technicians and Job Supervisors, worked cohesively to complete this milestone of the project well ahead of schedule. Phase two will see the construction of a large TVE around the entrance of the hot cell rooms, the false floors in the hot cells and the windows removed; the windows will be safely stored for later use in the Advanced Nuclear Materials Research Centre (ANMRC). The openings on Hot Cell 3 and 4, where the windows once stood, will be sealed; a new specially designed man door will be installed in the openings. Field work will involve coring into the front wall of Hot Cell 4 to expand the opening first. The installation of the man door will enable year-round access into the hot cells, eliminating the need to enter the hot cells from the exterior of the building, and reducing the risks of weather impacting the project. The planning of phase two will begin in the fall, and will include scoping and assessments from within the hot cells, followed by the development of detailed and comprehensive work plans before the field execution begins. The final phase of the project will include the decontamination of the interior wall followed by the application of a sealant to the exposed surfaces inside the cells, sealing any residual contamination in place to meet the requirements for future demolition. The Hot Cell Facility project will continue into the new fiscal year, with the area projected to be demolition-ready by 2024.
Waste removal during a Hot Cell entry
NRU TOOLS & EQUIPMENT DELIVERED TO SPCHNI With the shutdown of NRU in 2018, there remains a vast inventory of tools, spare parts, equipment, and experiments that are no longer required by NRU Operations. However, that does not mean all will be lost as NRU transitions to a Storage with Surveillance state and, eventually, decommissioning. Recently, an unused NonDestructive Examination (NDE) Inspection Tool, a Creeps Insert, and a Molybdenum-99 Production rod were sent to The Society for the Preservation of Canada’s Nuclear Heritage Incorporated (SPCHNI) museum for display. This non-profit charitable organization is home to many nuclear industry artifacts and was founded in 2017; their home office is located in Deep River. The items originating from NRU were verified to be free of radiological contamination via gamma spectrometry measurements that were performed at the Waste Analysis Facility. Given the large size of the NDE Inspection Tool, both the tool and the space in the museum had to be modified to accommodate it. The strong back, which houses the tool, was reduced in length by NRU Millwrights along with the width of the wheel’s axle plates in order to minimize a tripping hazard for passing tourists. A second door was added to the rear entry of the SPCHNI building to widen the entry way and the chain linked fence was partially removed. This renovation enabled staff to transport the large tool into the building, and will enable the SPCHNI to accept other large items destined for showing in the future.
Special thanks to CRL’s Heavy Equipment Team for safely loading and shipping the tool to Deep River. These are valuable assets that will remain part of our proud nuclear heritage. Well done team! For any information regarding the donation of material from CNL to the SPCNHI, please contact Lauren Kinghorn at lauren.kinghorn@cnl. ca. For information regarding joining the society or for inquiries about tours to view the artifacts on display, please contact the SPCNHI directly at info@nuclearheritage.ca.
NRU equipment being moved to SPCHNI for display
CNL CONGRATULATES OPG ON NEW NUCLEAR PROGRESS CNL is pleased to congratulate OPG on their selection of a vendor for the construction of a new grid-scale small modular reactor (SMR) for the Darlington site: GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy. This announcement is another positive step forward for nuclear energy in Ontario, in Canada and around the globe, and is indicative of the momentum which continues to build around new nuclear. As countries redouble their efforts to combat climate change and set increasingly ambitious emissions targets, it has become even more clear that there is no path to “net zero” without nuclear. As Canada’s national nuclear laboratory, CNL fully supports this project and stands ready to help advance what is poised to be the first new nuclear reactor serving Ontario’s electricity grid in a generation. From the advent of the first CANDU reactor in Pickering back in 1971 through to this most recent announcement of a next-generation reactor on the horizon, our team has the experience, capabilities and skill-set to support Ontario’s nuclear fleet throughout every phase of the plants’ life cycle. The selected technology, the BWRX-300, is based on a well-established and demonstrated boiling water reactor (BWR) design with enhancements in many areas. While our experience was built on heavy-water technology, recent investments position CNL to address the expected needs of BWR technology as well. We have advanced capabilities in post-irradiation examination for a range of reactor technologies; and, we are breaking ground on the construction of the Advanced Nuclear Materials Research Centre (ANMRC), a new world-class facility which is being designed from the ground up to accommodate the nuclear S&T needs of the current and future fleet, providing the science to help inform their decisionmaking from construction through to operation and ultimately decommissioning.
GE Hitachi – Conceptual rendering of a BWRX-300 power plant
In terms of CNL’s broader SMR portfolio of work, it is our announced vision to serve as a global hub for this technology, regardless of design. Canada’s SMR Roadmap identifies three streams for the SMR industry: Stream 1 or “grid sized” reactors intended to replace coal or gas plants; Stream 2, which are larger units >50 MWe) which serve heavy industrial needs; and, Stream 3, which are the smallest size, and intended for remote communities and other smaller off-grid applications. Here at the Chalk River site, the proposed project from Global First Power at 5MWe, falls into Stream 3. The project in Darlington is Stream 1 at 300 MWe. The two projects are complementary and it is great to see them both well underway. In closing, once again I want to congratulate OPG and GE-Hitachi on this exciting announcement, and I look forward to a net-zero future anchored in clean nuclear technology. Jeff Griffin Vice-President, Science & Technology
MINWAMON BUILDING INAUGURATED Algonquins of Ontario honour AECL and CNL with name for new site entrance building Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) and Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) are pleased to announce that the Algonquins of Ontario (AOO) have honoured the organizations by bestowing a name upon their new site entrance building at the Chalk River Laboratories. Now known as the Minwamon Building, which means ‘clear path’ in the Algonquin language, the facility was officially inaugurated during a ceremony held earlier this month at the Chalk River campus. CNL’s President and CEO, Joe McBrearty, and AECL’s President and CEO, Fred Dermarkar, were joined by Algonquin Negotiation Representatives Lynn Clouthier, Ottawa Algonquin Community, and Connie Mielke, Algonquins of Greater Golden Lake, to reveal the new name as part of the celebration, which included a smudge ceremony by Elder Dan Ross to commemorate the unveiling. Opened earlier this year, the Minwamon Building has transformed the site entry experience for employees and the public. “I want to thank the Algonquins of Ontario, Fred Dermarkar and our other guests for joining us today to celebrate the Minwamon Building,” commented McBrearty. “I also want to thank the AOO for honouring us with a name that captures the spirit of not only this building, which serves as the entry point to the campus and our research, but also our commitment to sustainable operations. We truly appreciate this generous gift, and we will continue to grow and nurture our relationship with the Algonquin People as part of the journey on our clear path.” “We want to thank CNL and AECL for this naming opportunity. This building is a testament to our understanding that everything and everyone is connected. The path we are on together must be a clear and good path. Our actions today on this land on the banks of our sacred Kichi-Sìbì river will echo through the next seven generations,” commented Connie Mielke. “Today’s event brings us together in a meaningful way as AECL, CNL and the AOO continue to advance our relationship,” said Fred Dermarkar, President and CEO of AECL. “We are honoured to be inaugurating this building in partnership with the AOO, and to be
Pictured (L-R): Elder Dan Ross, Connie Mielke, Fred Dermarkar, Joe McBrearty and Lynn Clouthier.
gifted the Minwamon name as a way to recognize our commitment to working together towards healing and reconciliation.” AECL and CNL are committed to meaningful engagement with local First Nations and Métis communities to identify mutually beneficial partnerships and opportunities for collaboration. In particular, we recognize that Indigenous knowledge and involvement complements and improves the operation of our sites, as well as environmental and employment matters. The gifting of the new name for the Minwamon Building is another positive step in pursuit of these goals and is part of a broader effort between AECL, CNL and the AOO to formalize a long-term relationship. The Minwamon Building is one of a series of new buildings that are being constructed at the Chalk River campus. Among the many environmentally friendly features of the facility, its main structural material is a new generation of mass timber products sourced from within Canada, a renewable resource that reduces CNL’s carbon footprint. It was also constructed using strategies that include sustainable site development, water and energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality.
NEW FACES: 2021 OCTOBER Melnik, Adam Osmond, Reeghan Kruschinske, Jeremy Racine, Renee Komadowski, Kelsey Fiebig, Alysia Kasaboski, Chris Vincent, Caleb Van Aert, Adam Balachandran, Kumar Canas - Arriola, Paola
RADIATION SURVEYOR FUEL RESEARCH SCIENTIST OPERATING ENGINEER CLASS 4 CORPORATE WELLNESS SPECIALIST ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT INSTRUMENT MECHANIC APPRENTICE UTILITY WORKER ENVIRONMENTAL TECH DIRECTOR, INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGIST
McIntyre, Bailey Clouthier, Brett Hood, Kyle Byrne, Jeff Huynh, Khanh Shields, Bailey Meloche, Trina Moravejjahromi, Seyedkamaleddin Schutt, Jennifer Yang, Ranlin
Voyageur is a publication of the Corporate Communications department of Canadian Nuclear Laboratories. Comments and content are welcomed at philip.kompass@cnl.ca. Additional contributors to this issue include Joe McBrearty, Antonette Chau, Nirmal Gnanapragasam, Ryan Clarke, Greg Hersak, Nick Simpson, Alan Parker and Keith Borkowsky
CASUAL FIREFIGHTER CASUAL FIREFIGHTER CASUAL FIREFIGHTER DIRECTOR, ERM & OSH PROJECT LEADER RECORDS CLERK HR GOVERNANCE & COMPLIANCE SPECIALIST DATA ANALYST TRAINING COORDINATOR ACCOUNTING ASSISTANT II