'Not realistic': Saugeen Ojibway Nation may not vote on nuclear waste plan in 2024
The chiefs in charge of the Saugeen Ojibway Nation said their community will get to vote on whether or not they want Canada’s most radioactive waste buried in their territory.
“The Saugeen Ojibway Nation (SON) will have a referendum, and the majority wins,” said Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation Chief Greg Nadjiwon.
When that vote will take place however is still undecided. The Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO), tasked with finding a permanent home for Canada’s used nuclear fuel, wants to select a site by year’s end.
“That’s the NWMO’s goal, whether we will be able to meet that target is I would say no, not realistic,” said Nadjiwon, speaking from the Saugeen Ojibway Nation’s Environment Office in Wiarton, Ont. on Friday.
The NWMO has plans to bury Canada’s high level nuclear waste, 5.6 million used nuclear fuel bundles worth, under 1,500 acres of farmers fields north of Teeswater, Ont. in Bruce County.
Those fields fall within the traditional territory of the Saugeen Ojibway Nation.
According to the NWMO, the project will not move forward without the approval of the Saugeen Ojibway Nation, or the local municipality, the Municipality of South Bruce, who have scheduled a community referendum on the project this October.
Graphics show what a deep geological repository to store Canada’s used nuclear fuel bundles might look like. (Source: Nuclear Waste Management Organization)“Worldwide it’s accepted as the right thing to do, to put it [used nuclear fuel] well beneath the ground where it can be contained and safely stored,” said Municipality of South Bruce Mayor Mark Goetz.
In January 2020, members of the Saugeen Ojibway Nation voted overwhelmingly against plans to bury Ontario’s low and intermediate level nuclear waste within two kilometres of Lake Huron.
Nadjiwon said while this project is different, the biggest question facing SON voters will be whether containing the radioactive waste in underground containers is the safest thing to do.
“You’ve got to ask yourself the question: if they do break down, what is the risk of that un-contained radioactive waste getting to the surface, where it could have an impact?” asked Nadjiwon.
Nadjiwon said SON will continue to educate itself and its members on the NWMO’s nuclear waste plan, and will hold their community referendum when they feel the time is right, whether that’s this year or next.
A used nuclear fuel bundle is seen in Mildmay in October 2016. (Scott Miller/CTV News London)
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6975593.1721827455!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
BREAKING 2 dead, 2 injured after 'gun battle' outside Toronto plaza: police
Two people are dead and two others suffered serious injuries following a shooting that police have described as a 'gun battle' outside a plaza in Scarborough, Ont. early Wednesday morning.
Privacy commissioner probing customers' claims they can't delete PC Optimum accounts
The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada has opened an investigation into allegations that some Loblaw customers have been unable to delete their PC Optimum accounts.
Bank of Canada cuts interest rate, signals more to come if inflation keeps dropping
The Bank of Canada has decreased its policy interest rate for the second consecutive time and signalled more cuts are coming if inflation continues to ease.
2 Canadians being 'sent home immediately,' removed from Olympic team after drone incident
An analyst and an assistant coach with Canada Soccer are being removed from the Canadian Olympic Team and 'sent home immediately,' according to the Canadian Olympic Committee.
Republican leaders urge colleagues to steer clear of racist and sexist attacks on Harris
Republican leaders are warning party members against using overtly racist and sexist attacks against U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, as they and former U.S. president Donald Trump's campaign scramble to adjust to the reality of a new Democratic rival less than four months before Election Day.
Are cold showers good for you? What the science says
You may have seen people jumping into frigid seas or stylish ice baths, claiming these dunks are good for heart health, muscle recovery, stress and more.
Wildfire north of Calgary prompts evacuation alert, highway closures
A wildfire is prompting evacuations and highway closures north of Calgary.
The flickering glow of summer's fireflies: Too important to lose, too small to notice them gone
For many, the flash of the firefly calls up memories of summer childhood evenings gone by -- and now, the worry that the bugs are disappearing.
Russian man is among those arrested in plots targeting Paris Olympics
French authorities have foiled several plots to disrupt the 2024 Olympics, including arresting a Russian man in one of them, officials said Wednesday, just days before the opening ceremony of the Summer Games in Paris.