The Commission makes decisions on the licensing of major nuclear facilities
through a public hearing process. The public hearing gives affected parties and
members of the public an opportunity to be heard before the Commission.
Following a public hearing, the Commission deliberates and makes its decision on
the matter.
Commission hearings are governed by the CNSC Rules of Procedure, under
the Nuclear Safety and Control Act (NSCA). In accordance with those
Rules, public hearings normally take place on one day (a one-day hearing) or on
two, non-consecutive days (a two-day hearing). Most decisions involving major
nuclear facilities are made following a two-day public hearing.
To learn more about Commission hearings, please refer to the following
information:
Two-Day Public Hearing Process
On the first day of a two-day public hearing, the applicant and CNSC staff
present written and oral submissions to the Commission and respond to questions
from the Commission. On the second day, registered intervenors have an
opportunity to make their views known to the Commission and to respond to any
related questions from the Commission Members. The applicant and CNSC staff must
also attend the second hearing day and be prepared to respond to further
questioning by the Commission.
Timeline
One-Day Public Hearing Process
For a one-day hearing, all of the evidence from the applicant, CNSC staff and
intervenors is heard by the Commission in a single hearing session. To allow
potential intervenors to review the proposal and prepare for the hearing,
written submissions from the applicant and CNSC staff must be filed at least 60
days prior to the hearing day. Intervenors are then invited to register their
submissions at least 30 days prior to the hearing. As with a two-day hearing,
participants may file supplementary information up to 7 days prior to the
hearing day.
Commission hearings are normally open to the public but may also be held
"in-camera" (closed session) in whole or in part. For example, certain protected
information may not be discussed in a public forum.
During a public hearing, simultaneous interpretation in one or the other of
Canada's official languages is provided when necessary. Verbatim transcripts are
produced and published on the CNSC Web site the week following each hearing day.
The Commission’s decision and its reasons for decision are normally published
within 6 weeks after the conclusion of the hearing.
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