In pictures: Inside Whiteshell Laboratories A tour of Pinawa's former nuclear site By: Photography by Mikaela MacKenzie Posted: Last Modified:

The former Whiteshell Laboratories began in 1963, sprouting near Pinawa, around 100 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 12/12/2025 (281 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The former Whiteshell Laboratories began in 1963, sprouting near Pinawa, around 100 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS The Canadian Nuclear Laboratories Whiteshell Laboratories Restoration Project on Wednesday.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS

The Canadian Nuclear Laboratories Whiteshell Laboratories Restoration Project on Wednesday.

Its nuclear reactor was built for research, not electricity generation. At its peak, experts from across the globe visited the scientific hub.

The reactor shuttered in 1985 after being used for research on power reactors and testing coolants, among other things. Waste storage and small modular reactor research also occurred on site.

The site has been closing, piece by piece, since the late 1990s. The process is expected to finish in the 2030s.

Canadian Nuclear Laboratories — the private firm licensed to oversee and decommission the site — invited the Free Press to tour its facilities this week.

The WR-1 reactor building at the Canadian Nuclear Laboratories Whiteshell Laboratories Restoration Project
The WR-1 reactor building at the Canadian Nuclear Laboratories Whiteshell Laboratories Restoration Project
Jeff Miller shows what is left of the control room in the WR-1 reactor building.
Jeff Miller shows what is left of the control room in the WR-1 reactor building.
Inside the control room
Inside the control room
A model in the WR-1 reactor building
A model in the WR-1 reactor building
Demonstration models of organic coolant and fuel bundles
Demonstration models of organic coolant and fuel bundles
Around 500 staff — from surrounding communities and Winnipeg — work at the plant daily. Lately, staff have been reconditioning historic waste.
Around 500 staff — from surrounding communities and Winnipeg — work at the plant daily. Lately, staff have been reconditioning historic waste.
Radioactive materials sit behind the 1.4-metre-thick glass, which is interspersed with mineral wrap.
Radioactive materials sit behind the 1.4-metre-thick glass, which is interspersed with mineral wrap.
Staff have six hot cells, as they’re called, to work from. Researchers direct a robotic arm to move items.
Staff have six hot cells, as they’re called, to work from. Researchers direct a robotic arm to move items.
Site manager Brian Wilcox (left) and Brendan Barber show an Optimus transport cask in the hot cell room
Site manager Brian Wilcox (left) and Brendan Barber show an Optimus transport cask in the hot cell room
An Optimus transport cask in the hot cell room
An Optimus transport cask in the hot cell room
Brendan Barber shows an Optimus transport cask
Brendan Barber shows an Optimus transport cask
A peek inside the reactor hall
A peek inside the reactor hall
Inside the reactor hall, as seen from an access hallway
Inside the reactor hall, as seen from an access hallway
A reactor hall access hallway at the WR-1 reactor building
A reactor hall access hallway at the WR-1 reactor building
Jeff Miller in the C loop room, which formerly housed pumps and heat exchangers.
Jeff Miller in the C loop room, which formerly housed pumps and heat exchangers.
Outside the WR-1 reactor building. Eventually, at a building next door, about 7,500 cubic metres of concrete will be poured over a nuclear reactor, essentially entombing it.
Outside the WR-1 reactor building. Eventually, at a building next door, about 7,500 cubic metres of concrete will be poured over a nuclear reactor, essentially entombing it.
Post-decommissioning, most of the 11,000 acres — 99.5 per cent — will be reusable, according to Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, the private company overseeing the decommissioning.
Post-decommissioning, most of the 11,000 acres — 99.5 per cent — will be reusable, according to Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, the private company overseeing the decommissioning.
Mikaela MacKenzie

Mikaela MacKenzie
Photojournalist

Mikaela MacKenzie loves meeting people, experiencing new things, and learning something every day. That's what drove her to pursue a career as a visual journalist — photographers get a hands-on, boots-on-the-ground look at the world.

   Read full biography

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Fire safety no longer an issue at former nuclear site in Pinawa, decommissioning firm says
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS The Canadian Nuclear Laboratories Whiteshell Laboratories Restoration Project on Wednesday.
Government support sought for nuclear energy test site at former Whiteshell lab
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS Brendan Barber shows hot cells at the former Whiteshell Laboratories.
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