Whiteshell Laboratories
Future Land Uses
Safeguarding the Environment
By the end of 2027, all buildings at the site will be completely removed, all hazardous materials will be properly dealt with, and any contaminated lands cleaned up to safe levels. To ensure the continued protection of the environment and people who might use the land in the future, environmental monitoring work will continue for the next 100 years.
CNL is cleaning up the site based on a few different land-use criteria. They include:
- Agricultural or Traditional (unrestricted) Use – traditional harvesting, crops, livestock or any other use listed below.
- Residential Use - homes or mobile homes etc.
- Industrial Use (portions restricted) - assembling, fabricating, manufacturing, warehousing or even hotels. A small portion of this area may have restricted use and/or limited access.
- Recreational Use - walking, hunting, hiking, skiing, or other recreational activity.
When the restoration is complete, approximately 10,800 acres of land will remain unaffected, and only a small portion, less than 1% of the former laboratories site, would be maintained under institutional control.
AECL owns the Whiteshell site and will remain the owner of the site after CNL’s work is complete. Final decisions on how areas of the Whiteshell site will be used in the future will be made after further discussions with surrounding communities, First Nations, the Red River Métis, and other stakeholders – many of which are already taking place.
Have your say
Want to know more about future land uses? Send us an email at wlcommunications@cnl.ca and we will send you a copy of our draft Land Use and End State plan, CNL is seeking public and Indigenous input and review.