Overview: As part of NUCLST 4NN3 (Professional Development), I toured four Canadian nuclear sites over four days, October 13–16, 2026. Together they covered the full lifecycle: waste, power generation, fuel, and research. I kept a field journal with questions for each host.

NWMO (Oct 13): Learned how the Deep Geological Repository (DGR-1) in Ignace, a $27B project, will store about 6 million CANDU fuel bundles 500–1000 m underground. Construction targets the early–mid 2030s. Community consent, not engineering, is the first hurdle.

Darlington NGS, OPG (Oct 14): Toured the station and discussed the Darlington SMR project, the Pickering B refurbishment, and the CANDU Monark vs. AP1000 decision for Wesleyville. Labour supply and knowledge transfer are the biggest risks. The full-scale vault mock-up connected to my work at CANDU Energy.

Cameco (Oct 15): Saw fuel manufacturing and UO₃ conversion. The plant runs at about half capacity (up to 85,000 bundles per year) and holds a strong quality-assurance culture. Cameco leaders made their case for the AP1000 reactor design, helping me to understand the challenges the utility companies face when picking a future reactor design.

CNL, Chalk River (Oct 16): Visited the ZED-2 reactor, CRIPT muon detection, tritium research, and hot cells. CNL sits on 9,000 acres and is moving ahead with a near-surface repository for legacy low-level waste, with a legal appeal still expected.

Takeaway: This trip helped me gain insight and context that is not provided in the classroom. Seeing each of these facilities is something that few people have the opportunity to do, let alone in one trip. The scale and pace of Canada's nuclear expansion, and how much of it depends on waste solutions, a skilled workforce, and public trust, only became clear in person. Unfortunately, I am unable to provide images from most of the trip due to security restrictions.