Community Update #2 AECL's GoCo Contract - Transition Update

Community Update #2

AECL’s GoCo Contract - Transition Update

Background:

·      Back in June this year, AECL announced that a new Leadership Team would be taking over the management of Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL), which operates on a Government Owned Contractor Operated (GoCo) structure.

·      The contract was previously managed by the Canadian National Energy Alliance (CNEA) between Sept 2015 and Sept 2025, and the CNEA was made up of three partner companies – Atkins Realis, Jacobs Engineering and Fluor Federal Services.

·      AECL announced in June that the Nuclear Laboratories Partners of Canada Inc (NLPC) was selected as the ‘preferred bidder’ for the contract to manage CNL, and that NLPC is a partnership with three primary joint venture partners; BWXT Government Group, Inc., Amentum Environment & Energy, Inc., and Kinectrics Inc., with Battelle Memorial Institute included as key subcontractor.

·      The completion of this transaction was planned for September 13, 2025, but it was delayed due to an outstanding regulatory review from the Competition Bureau.  Last week the Bureau notified AECL that it did not intend to challenge the proposed transaction, therefore AECL is now able to complete the process.

Current Update:

·      On December 8, 2025, AECL announced that the transition to the Nuclear Laboratory Partners of Canada Inc. (NLPC) team would be effective December 11, 2025.  AECL also said that it’s important to note that CNL itself is not changing.  Its missions and mandate are not changing, and it continues to be responsible for operating AECL’s sites and assets and delivering on the three missions of science and technology, environmental remediation, and the revitalization of the Chalk River Laboratories (CRL).

Impact to AOPFN:

·      There is little impact on AOPFN with this administrative change in who manages CNL, which is an enduring entity created by the Government of Canada to manage Chalk River Laboratories (CRL) and the Nuclear Power Demonstration Project (NPD) in AOPFN’s unceded traditional territory.

·      AECL has previously informed AOPFN that only the upper management of CNL will change, while the vast majority of the CNL staff that AOPFN staff work with on a regular basis, will stay in their current positions.

·      In addition, all existing relationship obligations between CNL, AECL and AOPFN, especially the Long-Term Relationship Agreement (LTRA) signed in 2023, will remain in place and must be fully respected and implemented by the new management of CNL.

AOPFN Key Messages:

•       Our Nation acknowledges the announcement of the new CNL operators taking over management of the CRL and NPD nuclear sites located within AOPFN’s unceded traditional territory.

•       We recognize that any change in operational leadership does not change our rights, existing relationship with CNL and AECL, or our expectations for respectful engagement and accountability, as per the LTRA.

•       We expect to meet very soon with the new management, to let them know what their obligations are to AOPFN and begin building a relationship with that new management team that is based on trust, respect, and truth.  Engagement will begin immediately and include meaningful dialogue—not after plans are finalized, but before any operational decisions are made.

•       AOPFN will be monitoring how the new operator’s plan to manage the site, communicate with Pikwakanagan, and respect our role in environmental stewardship.  We expect open disclosure of risks, plans, and opportunities for our leadership to review and respond.

•       AOPFN will hold CNL responsible through our Neyagada Wabandangaki Guardian Program (NWGP), our LTRA Working Group, our Radioactive Waste Communication and Monitoring Strategy, and the Leadership Table between the parties, to name just a few of the mechanisms we have in place, for overseeing CNL activities in AOPFN’s unceded traditional territory.

•       Pikwakanagan is committed to keeping our members informed and involved. We will continue to advocate strongly for our rights, health, and safety, and will take all necessary steps to ensure our voices are heard.