Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission
CNSC Staff Review Procedures
Related Links
- What are Staff Review Procedures?
- How do Staff Review Procedures fit into the Environmental Assessment and Licensing process?
- How is the review done using Staff Review Procedures?
- The current list of Staff Review Procedures
- Comments
What are Staff Review Procedures?
The CNSC is developing a suite of Staff Review Procedures (SRPs) to support the assessment of Environmental Impact Statements (EISs), and licence applications for new nuclear facilities.
Staff Review Procedures (SRPs) are internal working documents used by CNSC staff. Each SRP covers a topic and provides instructions to CNSC staff on the conduct of an assessment.
SRPs include information on the:
- scope and depth of the assessment
- criteria considered in the assessment
- relevant regulatory requirements, codes and standards
SRPs inform potential applicants and the public about the criteria used to assess EISs and licence applications.
It should be noted that SRPs are not regulatory documents although they are based on the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act and the Nuclear Safety and Control Act.
How do Staff Review Procedures fit into the Environmental Assessment and Licensing process?
Staff Review Procedures are used during the Technical Assessment stage of the Environmental Assessment and Licensing process. This is when CNSC staff begin to review Environmental Assessment Impact and a licence application of a nuclear project.
How is the review done using Staff Review Procedures?
An “Assessment Plan” is developed to provide a roadmap for using the Staff Review Procedures (SRPs) to review an Environmental Impact Statement and a licence application in a timely manner. The Assessment Plan outlines the order for conducting the reviews. The plan also specifies the involvement of a number of CNSC experts at the right time to conduct their review. It also takes into account the interdependencies between various SRPs.
Once reviews are completed in accordance with the Assessment Plan and the Staff Review Procedures, an overall set of CNSC staff observations and recommendations are documented and given to the authority responsible for making the EA and licensing decisions for the project that is undergoing review.
The process to make a decision about an EA and licence involves a range of information inputs and steps, including public hearing sessions for public and stakeholder participation.
The current list: Environmental Impact Statement and Licence to Prepare Site Staff Review Procedures
A suite of Staff Review Procedures have been developed to cover a wide range of topics that are relevant to the assessment of an Environmental Impact Statement and Licence to Prepare Site application for a new nuclear power plant.
To make viewing of the different Staff Review Procedures easier, a list of them has been broken down into six topical categories:
- General Applicant Information
- Review of Applicant Programs, Processes and Procedures
- Health & Safety: Workers & Public
- Baseline Site Data
- Effects of the Environment on the Project
- Effects of the Project on the Environment
Staff Review Procedures can also be viewed as one list.
As internal working documents, Staff Reviews Procedures may, from time to time, undergo some changes. The CNSC welcomes feedback on Staff Review Procedures for consideration when the documents are updated. Any comments submitted, including names and affiliations, may be made public.
Comments can be submitted electronically, to info@cnsc-ccsn.gc.ca or mailed to:
Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission
280 Slater Street
P.O. Box 1046
Station B
Ottawa, ON
K1P 5S9
Telephone: 1-800-668-5284 (in Canada) or 613-995-5894 (outside Canada)
Fax: 613-995-5086
