Whiteshell Laboratories
Jobs and the Economy
Economic Development
CNL has been actively involved in supporting economic development opportunities for the WL region.
Canadian National Energy Alliance (CNEA), a consortium of leading nuclear engineering and management firms that operates CNL, provides $80,000 annually to North Forge East (NFE) to support economic development in Eastern Manitoba.
The donation raises the total CNEA contributions made to NFE in recent years to nearly $650,000, funding that is being used to encourage entrepreneurship, business innovation, and commercialization in the region.
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Jobs
Whiteshell has employed about 350 people since ramping up decommissioning activities in 2008-2009 . As we enter our upcoming activities to remediate the main campus and to support waste removal at the Waste Management Area we have about 100 vacancies to fill. Once those activities start to wrap up in the next few years, our employee numbers will begin to ramp down and when restoration is complete there will only be a handful of people to support the completion of the paperwork and to conduct the environmental monitoring program.
Employee Transition Planning
The Whiteshell Employee Transition Plan (WLETP) lays out the steps CNL will take to deliver the closure project safely and compliantly by 2027 with minimal impact on employees and the community.
The plan was developed through a collaborative process where suggestions and recommendations were solicited from employees, union representatives, and CNL management. In 2021 June, the Whiteshell Laboratories Human Resources organization began a site wide communication process and invited all WL employees to participate in a transition survey to gather employee comments and feedback. A series of one-on-one meetings with employees were held to further understand expectations. The survey and the meetings were key in helping us determine the best approach for transition.
CNL is doing everything possible to support our employees during this transition to closure.
- Our workforce is made up of individuals with a wide range of abilities and valuable skills sharpened by their experience working on this unique project. As such, we believe that many of these people will be able to find employment in the nuclear field or in other sectors requiring highly skilled workers.
- CNL is offering other workers incentives for early retirement and providing re-training for those who want to find jobs in other fields.