One community still undecided in nuclear waste willingness vote

Example of a used nuclear fuel bundle in Mildmay, Ontario (File, Scott Miller/CTV News London)

The Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation became the third of four communities that have agreed that they are “willing” to host Canada’s first permanent nuclear waste storage facility.

Members of Wabigoon Lake, near Ignace in Northern Ontario, voted in favour of “moving forward in the process” to host over six million radioactive used nuclear fuel bundles in an underground storage facility.

They join the Town of Ignace and the Municipality of South Bruce that narrowly declared itself a “willing host” in a 51 per cent to 49 per cent community referendum late last month.

That only leaves the Saugeen Ojibway Nation, near Southampton, Ont., to decide if they are willing to host the $26 billion project in their territory, encompassing South Bruce, or not.

Following Wabigoon’s decision, Chiefs Conrad Ritchie and Greg Nadjiwon of the Saugeen Ojibway Nation (S.O.N) said, “Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation’s decision does not affect S.O.N.’s ongoing evaluation of the Nuclear Waste Management Organization’s proposal to build a Deep Geological Repository in our territory near Teeswater. Due to the long history and ongoing reality of the nuclear industry in our territory, we face unique challenges as we grapple with this difficult decision.”

S.O.N said they won’t ask for their residents to vote on the project until a “hosting agreement” has been agreed upon and shared with the people.

Earlier this year, the Nuclear Waste Management Organization agreed to pay the Municipality of South Bruce $418 million over the next 138 years if the project ends up there.

S.O.N. said they do not expect to make a “willingness decision” this year, despite efforts from the Nuclear Waste Management Organization to pick a “preferred site” for the project by Dec. 31.