TORONTO, November 13, 2003 - Eva Ligeti, Ontario's first Environmental Commissioner, has accepted an appointment to the Advisory Council of the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO).

The NWMO was established under the Nuclear Fuel Waste Act to complete a study of approaches for the long-term management of used nuclear fuel, and to propose a recommended plan to the Government of Canada by November, 2005. The NWMO Advisory Council is chaired by the Hon. David Crombie. It provides independent and arms-length advice to the organization. It is also required to comment on the NWMO study and the waste management approaches that are considered.

"How used nuclear fuel will be managed over the long-term is a very difficult challenge," said Ms. Ligeti. "From an environmental and social justice perspective, it is vital that the NWMO do its study and consultation well and consider its recommended plan carefully."

"The Advisory Council is a significant guarantor of the public interest," said NWMO president Elizabeth Dowdeswell. "We welcome and encourage its active involvement," she added.

A lawyer, Ms. Ligeti is the Executive Director of the Clean Air Partnership, a non-profit organization with a mandate to make Toronto more environmentally sustainable and a world leader in clean air. As Environmental Commissioner from 1994 to 1999 she reported to the Ontario legislature annually on the provincial government's compliance with the Environmental Bill of Rights.