After finding his calling as a nuclear engineer, Jeff became charmed by the small town of Pinawa, Manitoba and the interesting career opportunity it offered.
Pinawa is home to Whiteshell Laboratories, a complex for nuclear research established by Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) during the early 1960s. The complex is a legacy of nuclear research in Canada and is currently being decommissioned by Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) Ltd.
Ever since Jeff was young, he loved playing with lego blocks and finding solutions to difficult problems.
Today, he’s a project engineer for CNL, and he faces every new challenge with enthusiasm.
“One of the biggest challenges is communicating with the public, Indigenous groups and other stakeholders as to what we do and how we do it, so they have a better understanding of how we are moving forward safely and effectively,” Jeff says.
Jeff studies and models the contaminant transport of radionuclides through groundwater and their impacts on the biosphere. This information is essential to ensuring the safety of communities and the environment when disposing of the WR-1 reactor at Whiteshell.
Through this research, Jeff and his team have found the best way to decommission the project: disposing of the reactor where it stands.
“We have a plan before the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission – an environmental assessment – to get regulatory permission to dispose of this reactor right where it is,” he says.
Jeff is proud of the work he does to protect our environment, he’s proud of his research into solutions for the ever-growing climate crisis, and he’s proud of his union.
“PIPSC has been instrumental in helping us obtain fair collective agreements that recognize that we are all working ourselves out of a job, and we all have to look forward to a new career opportunity in the very near future.”
Jeff’s bargaining group executive works hard to ensure he and his colleagues not only have the professional development resources they need but also the flexibility to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
Outside of work, Jeff loves spending time with his children, playing hockey, coaching the local Timbits soccer team, and engaging with his community. Being a PIPSC member means he can do the things he loves while working towards the goals he cares about the most.
We need people like Jeff, who are passionate about protecting Canadian communities, to find solutions to safely dispose of nuclear waste.
“My work here at Whiteshell is an example of how nuclear waste can be safely and effectively cleaned up and managed,” he says. “We can do it safely and we can do it cost-effectively. That’s good for the workers here, it’s good for the people who live in the area, it’s good for the environment, and it’s good for the Canadian taxpayer.”