A new whistleblower hotline has been set up for workers in Saskatchewan’s uranium industry.
The new line is the brainchild of the Committee for Future Generations — a group that opposes the current dialogue between northern communities and the Nuclear Waste Management Organization about potential storage areas for nuclear waste.
Pat McNamara is a carpenter from BC who came to Saskatchewan a few months ago to help committee members get their message across.
He says, during his time in the province, he has heard from several northerners concerned about safety issues at mine sites — and that’s why the line was set up:
“As a result of all of these people coming forward, we decided that we would set this up anonymously so that people can just send their concerns in — and then we’ll approach the regulatory bodies and the companies on their behalf without them risking their employment.”
The number to call is (306) 288-2079.
For its part, Cameco says there are ways workers can report concerns without fear of reprisal.
Company spokesman Gord Struthers says it has a third-party-administered hotline which allows workers to bring concerns forward without being penalized for doing so:
“At the sites themselves, we have site elders and we have community liaison people who represent the industry in five northern communities. And we also have an anonymous hotline that allows people to register their concerns with the guarantee of anonymity.”
Struthers adds they are frequently engaged with northerners through Environmental Quality Committees and the Athabasca Working Group.