Canada is one of many countries around the world that use nuclear reactors to generate electrical power, in part to reduce our carbon footprint. Yet this energy produces hazardous, long-lived waste that emits dangerous radioactivity for tens of thousands of years.

Nuclear waste, stored temporarily for decades, must be safely disposed of so it will not pose a serious threat to human health and the environment. This means placing it in locations deep underground in granite, sedimentary rock, or clay. Canada’s ideal location is somewhere on the Canadian Shield, the 2.5-billion-year-old crystalline rock that undergirds much of the country. Beginning in 2010 some twenty-two communities, most in Ontario, volunteered to host the repository. In Deep Disposal William Leiss explains the challenges that have arisen in the evaluation of potential sites over the last decade.

High-level nuclear waste is the most hazardous byproduct of an energy source that is incredibly useful and increasingly in demand. Finding the ideal place to store it permanently is an urgent policy crisis facing our country. Deep Disposal reveals the nature of this crisis and how we might overcome it.

William Leiss is a fellow and past president of the Royal Society of Canada, an officer of the Order of Canada, and professor emeritus at the School of Policy Studies, Queen’s University. He is the author of several books, including Mad Cows and Mother’s Milk: The Perils of Poor Risk Communication.

William Leiss' profile page

“Deep Disposal addresses academics and industry professionals while appealing to a broader, more environmentally conscious crowd. Leiss … thoroughly explains his technical subject, from how pressurized heavy water reactors work to how nuclear stigma alters public perception of risk. It all amounts to a thoughtful compendium on a task as colossal as it is necessary for Canada to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.” Literary Review of Canada

“In light of climate change and the imperative to find new energy sources that are not carbon-based, this is a story of great consequence for the future of Canada and other nations. Leiss understands the technical issues exceedingly well and demonstrates a rare and valuable capacity to bring the narrative to life for non-specialists.” Michael Kraft, University of Wisconsin–Green Bay