Chalk River, ON – April 05, 2021 – Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL), Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) and the Town of Deep River issued the following joint statement today:
In response to the ongoing revitalization of the Chalk River Laboratories campus, including the decommissioning of aging infrastructure and new capital investments, AECL, CNL and the Town of Deep River have agreed to an examination of recent assessments of property value for some of the buildings at the AECL-owned site.
The objective of this evaluation is to provide for a fair valuation of new and renovated facilities at the Chalk River Laboratories’ facilities, as the foundation for updating the payment in lieu of property taxes. The three parties will work together with the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation to review assessments.
“As the company contracted to operate AECL’s Chalk River Laboratories campus, CNL is pleased to participate in this process and will work collaboratively to support this review,” commented Joe McBrearty. “All three parties recognize just how important it is that these payments reflect the proper value of the site, and I’m pleased that we were able to proactively come to an agreed path forward on this assessment.”
“AECL is making significant investments in the Chalk River Laboratories to transform it into a modern, world-class nuclear science and technology campus.” Fred Dermarkar added, “As we modernize our facilities, it is important that this be reflected in our contributions to the local communities through payments in lieu of taxes. We are proud of our history in this strong and vibrant local community, and want to see this continue for decades to come.
“On behalf of the Town of Deep River, I want to express our appreciation to AECL and CNL for the open, professional and constructive dialogue they have engaged in with us. As a conscientious corporate citizen, they volunteered to have the recent new construction at Chalk River Laboratories reassessed to ensure fairness in taxation, despite the fact that they are not legislatively obliged to do so. AECL, CNL and CNEA are exceptional members of our community and have partnered with us on many recent initiatives including: fire services, water and improvements to internet. We are fortunate to have them as part of our town.” Sue D’Eon, Mayor
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CNL Contact:
Patrick Quinn
Director, Corporate Communications
CNL, 1-866-886-2325 or pat.quinn@cnl.ca
AECL Contact:
Maude-Émilie Pagé
Director, Communications and Government Reporting
343-303-5345 or mpage@aecl.ca
Town of Deep River Contact:
Seam Patterson
Chief Administrative Officer
613 584 2000 SPatterson@deepriver.ca