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Canada May Fast-Track $26 Billion Nuclear Waste Site but Still Needs First Nation Approval
The federal government said Wednesday the proposed deep geological repository near Ignace may be listed under the Building Canada Act. The designation could shorten timelines for the $26 billion project while leaving required assessments in place. Local officials are split between economic hopes and safety objections.
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The federal government announced on Wednesday that the proposed deep geological repository near Ignace and Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation may be listed as a project of national interest under the Building Canada Act, Cbc reported. The step would allow the $26 billion facility to move on an accelerated schedule. The repository would be Canada’s first deep geological repository for nuclear waste.
It is planned for a site near the Township of Ignace, population about 1,200, and Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation, which has about 200 members on reserve. Ignace sits roughly 245 kilometres northwest of Thunder Bay. Aaron Gullins, chief administrative officer of Ignace, said the township’s population could double or triple if the project proceeds.
He added that the community has struggled economically for decades and hopes the repository will restore growth levels last seen in the 1980s. Dave Plourde, president of FONOM and mayor of Kapuskasing, welcomed the federal decision. He and the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association urged both levels of government to expand and twin segments of Highway 11 and Highway 17 to manage added traffic from waste transport and mining.
The project is still undergoing a federal impact assessment under the Impact Assessment Act and a licensing review by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission. It also requires regulatory approval from Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation. Pierre-Alain Bujold of the Privy Council Office said the Building Canada Act is meant to streamline processes without bypassing approvals.
The government stated that consultations with potentially affected Indigenous communities will start over the next several months. The Minister of One Canadian Economy is expected to make a recommendation for a Governor in Council decision in the fall.
