It may be the biggest decision in Ontario’s history.

Whether or not to bury radioactive waste within 1.2 kilometres of Lake Huron, will be decided by members of the Saugeen Ojibway Nation (SON) by year’s end.

Saugeen First Nation Chief Lester Anoquot says he expects his community to hold a vote this October, with a final decision to support or not support the nuclear waste facility by the end of 2019.

Ontario Power Generation (OPG), who plans to bury hundreds of thousands of cubic metres of low- and intermediate-level nuclear waste in an underground bunker on the Bruce Power site, have said they will not build the facility without the first nation’s support.

A government appointed Joint Review Panel approved the project, in principle, back in May of 2015.

The federal government has told OPG to get SON’s approval, before they ultimately decide the project’s fate.