Whiteshell Laboratories Restoration Project

How are you restoring the land?

The Whiteshell Laboratories Site Restoration Plan lays out a clear vision for remediation, which means taking down old buildings and safely managing materials so the land can be repurposed in the future.

When all the work is done, about 11,000 acres will be available for different land uses, with only a small area, less than 1% of the former site, staying under institutional control, which involves long-term monitoring and care. Every step of the plan is shaped by feedback from Indigenous Nations, local leaders and nearby communities.

What’s the timeline?

This work is the first-of-its-kind in Canada. It requires specialized teams, equipment and a careful approach that meets the highest degree of safety and environmental standards in the world.

Every phase of our restoration work is reviewed and licensed by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, ensuring ongoing transparency, accountability and care. The work takes time because it’s setting the benchmark for how future restoration projects will be done in the country.

Under the Government-owned, Contractor-operated model, AECL owns the site, sets priorities for CNL, oversees the contract, and assesses CNL’s performance.

How do you keep the environment safe?

Environmental monitoring is one of the most important ways we stay accountable, which helps us track the health of the local land, water and wildlife. More than 3,000 samples are collected each year from about 200 locations, testing river water, soil, air, fish, vegetation and wild game. Results consistently show levels are well below regulated safety limits.

Monitoring continues throughout the restoration and long after, with regular inspections, clear signage and transparent reporting to ensure ongoing safety for people, wildlife and the environment.

We share progress and results with Indigenous Nations, local communities and the public so people can understand our work firsthand and how decisions are made.

1963
The federal government opens a new nuclear research site near Pinawa, called the Whiteshell Nuclear Research Establishment (now known as the Whiteshell Laboratories Restoration Project).

1985
The WR-1 research reactor at the site is shut down after completing its research-based work.

1997
The government announces it will stop research activities at the site.

2002
Canada’s nuclear regulator, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, issues a licence to begin safely closing and restoring the site. Remediation work officially begins.

2015
CNL expands its engagement with First Nations, the Manitoba Métis Federation and local communities to help shape the restoration plan.

2024
The site’s licence is renewed for another three years, beginning January 1, 2025.

Mid 2030s
Most of the site is expected to be restored and ready for future use by the mid-2030s.

What comes next?

By the mid-2030s, the land will be restored and ready for its next chapter. The lessons learned here today will inspire and inform environmental restoration efforts across Canada for generations to come.

The Whiteshell Laboratories Site Restoration Plan is one of the most ambitious environmental restoration projects in Canada, designed to return this land safely to future generations.

The plan is a comprehensive, evolving roadmap that lays out how every part of the 11,000-acre site will be restored, from buildings and infrastructure to the waste management area and sewage lagoons.

When the work is done, over 99% of the land will be safe and ready to support new possibilities, such as Indigenous traditional land use and creating local jobs. Only a small portion, less than 1% of the former site, will be categorized as restricted use.

What are land use categories?

Every section of the site is assigned a land use type, which sets the level of restoration needed to keep it safe for people, wildlife, and the environment.

Unrestricted Use

This land is safe and can be used for almost anything once restoration is complete, like parks, trails or small businesses. It meets the highest safety standards, with no development, access or maximum annual exposure restrictions based on radiation or contamination.

Recreational Use

This land is safe for casual outdoor activities like hiking, foraging or camping, as long as people limit their time to just a few visits each month (maximum 200 hours annually). Some parts of the land will stay off-limits to protect public safety.

Industrial Use

This land is safe for regular working hours in light industrial settings like manufacturing, warehousing and commercial operations — the same kind of work you’d expect in a typical 9-to-5 job, just like how we work here today (maximum 2,500 hours annually). Some parts of the land may have extra restrictions, like using off-site drinking water instead of an on-site well.

Restricted Use

Some parts of this land will have limited use and access, including monitored areas for storage or long-term care. This includes waste disposal sites and secure areas around the Whiteshell Reactor Disposal Facility. To keep people safe, there will be clear signs, fences and rules about how the land can be used.

What are Decision Units?

The site is divided into sections called restoration zones, like the rooms of a house, each with its own story and a tailored plan for restoration. More information can be found here.

Main Campus: Once home to labs and offices, this area will be cleared and restored for future industrial use.

WR-1 Reactor: The historic nuclear reactor is planned to be placed in in-situ disposal, carefully sealed and monitored. The footprint of the facility will be restricted use.

Sanitary Lagoons: Formerly used for wastewater, these will be transformed into land safe for recreational use.

Waste Management Area: Within the waste management area, there will be small areas that are restricted use, with the rest of the land safe for recreational use.

Landfill: Within the landfill, there will be small areas that are restricted use, with the rest of the land safe for recreational use.

Winnipeg River: Already safe, the river remains part of the public waterway enjoyed every day.

Site Supporting & General Infrastructure: Everything else, which encompasses the vast majority of the land, including north ditch and creek, will be restored for unrestricted use and future possibilities.

Licensing ensures the work at Whiteshell Laboratories meets the most rigorous safety standards. It holds CNL and AECL accountable to Canadians, providing independent review and community confidence that the work is being done the right way, the whole way through.

The site’s licence was most recently renewed in 2024, and preparation is already underway for the next licensing hearing in 2027.

The story of Whiteshell Laboratories is one of transformation. From a hub of groundbreaking research to Canada’s first major nuclear restoration project, the site has always been about finding solutions to the country’s big challenges.

Today, that spirit continues, restoring land with care and opening the door to new possibilities.

Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) established the Whiteshell Nuclear Research Establishments in 1963 as a national centre for nuclear research focused on reactor safety, fuel storage and cooling systems.

In 1997, local research shut down as operations were centralized. By 2002, the site was licenced for decommissioning, and that licence was most recently renewed in 2024.

When the work is finished, over 99% of the land will be safe for various uses, with only a small portion remaining under long-term monitoring and care. The restoration work is expected to finish by the mid-2030s, opening the door for future possibilities.

A legacy of safety and care

Whiteshell Laboratories was a place of groundbreaking firsts. The WR-1 reactor, built in the 1960s, was a prototype that helped shape Canada’s first generation of power reactors, designs that still keep the lights on for millions of people today.

The site also led the world in waste management. It was the birthplace of the first above-ground dry storage system for used nuclear fuel.

AECL’s Underground Research Laboratory informed every deep geological disposal project in the world. It’s a legacy of care and creativity that continues to inspire what we do today.