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Nuclear waste has another ‘willing’ community

In a close decision, South Bruce residents voted to join Ignace as a willing potential host community for a deep geological repository.
NWMO Ignace office

IGNACE – South Bruce, a rural municipality near Lake Huron in southwestern Ontario, has joined Ignace as an officially willing host for proposed deep-underground storage of nuclear waste.

That suits Ignace just fine, township outreach lead Jake Pastore said Tuesday.

“That’s great,” he told Newswatch. “We’re thrilled that there’s another community in the process and that there’s ample interest in the project.”

South Bruce “had a very strong voter turnout and a positive result, and that’s great,” he said.

“We appreciate what all the municipalities and First Nations are doing,” he said.

“The mayor and council want to congratulate South Bruce for the years of leadership and community engagement.”

South Bruce’s referendum on the issue closed Monday evening with approximately 51 per cent of 3,138 ballots (a 69 per cent voter turnout) answering “yes.”

The question on the ballot was “Are you in favour of the Municipality of South Bruce declaring South Bruce to be a willing host for the Nuclear Waste Management Organization’s proposed Deep Geological Repository (DGR)?”

The results show weak support for a DGR in South Bruce, said Brennain Lloyd of Northwatch, a member group of We the Nuclear Free North.

“The NWMO has persistently been saying they would not proceed without a willing host, and they’ve consistently said they want a compelling demonstration of willingness,” Lloyd said from North Bay.

“Well, 51 per cent is not compelling.”

It’s evident from the close vote that South Bruce is “a split community,” she said.

“I think what the vote shows is that NWMO has divided South Bruce, same as it has divided other communities.”

Lloyd said the industry-funded organization “should consider this result a failure.”

Regional NWMO spokesperson Vince Ponka had a different take on the South Bruce vote.

“We’re really happy that the municipality of South Bruce has completed their willingness process,” Ponka said Tuesday in a phone interview.

The vote was close but “it’s still a yes,” he said. “That’s the main thing.”

He noted that voter turnout was high enough to make the referendum binding under Ontario’s Municipal Elections Act.

In a statement posted Monday night by the Municipality of South Bruce, Mayor Mark Goetz called the referendum “an extremely proud moment” for his community.

The referendum results are to be formally received by South Bruce municipal council in a Nov. 12 special meeting.

The NWMO wants to build a facility hundreds of metres below ground for the long-term storage of spent fuel from Canada’s nuclear power plants.

Construction of the DGR, as the proposed facility is called, would begin in 2033 or 2034, with it becoming operational about 10 years later.

South Bruce and an area west of Ignace are the two finalists in the NWMO’s siting process.

Ponka said Tuesday the nuclear organization still intends to choose between the two locations by the end of this year.

In a community poll in late April, Ignace residents voted 77 per cent in favour of the township continuing to be a potential host community for the DGR.

Ignace council voted in July for the township to carry on as a potential host community.

The NWMO is still seeking approval or willingness from the two First Nations that have the southeast and northwest sites respectively on their traditional territory.

Saugeen Ojibway Nation, near South Bruce, has said it won’t be making a decision until next year.

Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation, the host First Nation for the northwest site, has said it will hold a community vote on the matter and its council will make a decision.

Ponka said the NWMO expects to hear Wabigoon Lake’s decision at some time in November.

Wabigoon Lake Chief Clayton Wetelainen confirmed there will be a vote there in November.

“Wabigoon Lake is going through its process … and we’re taking this very seriously,” Wetelainen said. “It’s in our land, our backyard.”



Mike Stimpson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

About the Author: Mike Stimpson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

After working at newspapers across the Prairies, Mike found where he belongs when he moved to Northwestern Ontario.
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