REPORT: Cdn. Gov't 'confused' over nuclear emergency respons

[Oscar]

Fukushima revealed Canadian government’s confusion over nuclear emergency response, report says

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/
Fukushima+revealed+Canadian+government+confusion+over+nuclear+emergency+response+report+says/6517357/story.html

By Ian MacLeod, The Ottawa Citizen April 26, 2012 6:34 AM

http://tinyurl.com/7kk8cnc

OTTAWA — The federal government’s ability to handle a nuclear disaster is questioned in a new report assessing federal actions during last year’s
Fukushima crisis.

The emergency revealed a confused federal bureaucracy, unsure of what
departments were responsible for measures such as informing Canadians of radioactive fallout migrating across the Pacific, says the report by a special review committee established by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC).

That and other concerns, “exposed the lack of clearly-defined responsibilities and leadership as it pertains to a nuclear emergency in Canada or a global event,” it says of the federal government.

The CNSC, which is Canada’s independent nuclear regulatory agency
reporting to Parliament, gets generally high marks from the committee for its actions during the crisis, including urgently reassessing the ability of Canada’s nuclear power plants to withstand extreme natural hazards in light of the unforeseen apocalyptic scenario that overwhelmed Japan.

As the catastrophe unfolded, however, so did confusion outside the CNSC
over which federal department had the lead role for government, according to the report.

Public Safety Canada, for example, has the authority to manage the Federal Emergency Response Plan, while Health Canada is responsible for the Federal Nuclear Emergency Plan. The situation was further complicated a day into the crisis when the government operations centre erroneously reported Health Canada had activated the nuclear emergency plan.

The implications for a domestic nuclear emergency are not reassuring, says the report by a blue-chip panel of three distinguished, non-nuclear
professionals with backgrounds in science, industry and government.

“The potential for confusion over roles and responsibilities is even greater - - involving federal, provincial and municipal governments, with each containing its own responsible organizations,” the report says.

In the absence of a coherent and coordinated federal response, the report says there was no “official federal government voice” to provide the public with crucial information on the crisis.

MORE: . . . .