CNSC welcomes positive results of IAEA nuclear security review mission in Canada

News Release

October 30, 2015 - Ottawa

Today, a team of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) experts completed a mission to review national nuclear security practices in Canada. Further to a commitment made by Canada at the 2014 Nuclear Security Summit in The Hague, Netherlands, and at the request of the Government of Canada, the IAEA conducted a two-week International Physical Protection Advisory Service (IPPAS) mission.

The mission reviewed Canada’s nuclear security-related legislative and regulatory regime for nuclear material and nuclear facilities, as well as the security arrangements applied to the transport of nuclear material, the security of radioactive material and associated facilities and activities, and the information and computer security systems in place. In addition, the team visited several sites, where they reviewed physical protection systems: the Bruce Power Nuclear Generating Station (Kincardine, ON), Ontario Power Generation’s Western Waste Management Facility (Tiverton, ON), Nordion’s processing facility (Ottawa, ON) and the nuclear research reactor at McMaster University (Hamilton, ON).

The IPPAS team concluded that Canada conducts strong and sustainable nuclear security activities, which were significantly enhanced in recent years. Moreover, the team identified a number of good practices in the national nuclear security regime.

The IAEA team was led by Nancy Fragoyannis, a senior advisor from the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and included ten other experts from nine nations and the IAEA. During the mission, the team met with officials from the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC); Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada; Transport Canada; Public Safety Canada; Canada Border Services Agency; Natural Resources Canada; and representatives from police forces of jurisdiction, such as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Ontario Provincial Police, Ottawa Police Service and the Hamilton Police Service.

The CNSC is committed to transparency while protecting sensitive information, and will publish a summary of the final report when it becomes available.

Quotes

“Canada requested this IPPAS mission with a view to continuous improvement to the nuclear security regime, and the mission was a great success. Canada and the CNSC have always maintained robust nuclear security measures. We will review the IPPAS recommendations and suggestions with a view to further improving Canada’s nuclear security regime to achieve our goal of never compromising security,” said Dr. Michael Binder, President and Chief Executive Officer of the CNSC.

 “The example given today by Canada, and previously by the other 42 countries that have hosted IPPAS, strongly reinforces, on the one hand, the value of establishing and applying IAEA Nuclear Security Guidance documents and, on the other hand, continuously improving physical protection and nuclear Security nationally and globally,” said Khammar Mrabit, Director of the IAEA’s Division of Nuclear Security.

Quick facts

• The visit was the 68th IPPAS mission conducted by the IAEA since the program began in 1995. Canada was the 43rd country to host an IPPAS mission. Twelve experts from Canada have participated in the conduct of 31 IPPAS missions in other Member States.
• Canada is a leader in international efforts to combat nuclear terrorism, having invested millions on programming related to nuclear and radiological security since the 2012 Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul, South Korea.
• Established in 2002, Canada’s Global Partnership Program (GPP) is the main programming mechanism through which Canada supports international efforts to combat terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; the GPP program includes support of projects that enhance global nuclear and radiological security. 

Background

IPPAS missions are intended to help Member States strengthen their national nuclear security regime. The missions provide peer review advice on implementing international instruments, and IAEA guidance on the protection of nuclear and other radioactive material and associated facilities.

 The missions call upon a team of international experts to assess a nation’s system of physical protection, compare it with international best practices and make recommendations for improvement. IPPAS missions are conducted both on a nationwide and facility-specific basis.

Dr. Michael Binder, President and Chief Executive Officer of the CNSC and IPPAS team leader Nancy Fragoyannis, from the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Contacts

Aurèle Gervais
Media and Community Relations
Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission
613-996-6860
1-800-668-5284
cnsc.mediarelationsmediarelations.ccsn@canada.ca  

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