IGNACE – Being on the shortlist for a nuclear waste repository has its benefits.
The Township of Ignace used $1.7 million of Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) money last year to buy things for its public library, arena, fire department and other important services in the community.
The NWMO is considering the Ignace-Wabigoon Lake area and southwestern Ontario’s South Bruce-Saugeen area for a proposed deep geological repository (DGR) for spent fuel from Canada’s nuclear power plants. It is set to choose between the two locations later this year.
As part of the process of engagement with communities, the NWMO has entered into funding agreements to support local projects. A new funding agreement for 2024 has been endorsed and signed by Ignace council, opening the door for more cash for projects in the township of approximately 1,200 people along Highway 17.
The biggest of the big-ticket items of 2023 was a $779,000 fire truck unveiled during the community’s White Otter Days in July. The tank on the pumper truck holds up to 4,500 litres of water and 113.5 litres of foam. The truck replaced a 33-year-old pumper that, according to the township’s fire chief, was “not making its certifications anymore.”
Money for the fire truck came out of the Near-Term Investment Fund, one of two financing components under the township’s funding agreement with the NWMO.
Three other items are on the list of Near-Term Investment Fund purchases made in 2023: a rescue truck ($344,000) for the fire department, and a patrol truck ($62,000) and loader ($276,000) for public works.
The other fund in the Ignace-NWMO agreement is the Community Well-Being Fund, which is for things that better the quality of life in Ignace.
The largest purchases out of that fund in 2023 were playground equipment ($85,000), a plow truck with sander ($61,000), a pickup truck for Ignace’s arena and rec centre ($54,000), a compressor for the arena ($44,000), a gas stove ($12,000) and school jerseys ($5,000).
The township’s public library benefitted from the purchase of a 3D printer ($9,100) and $2,000 worth of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) toys.
The STEM toys included a 50-piece Magformer building toy and a 45-piece Magformer walking robot, township spokesperson Jake Pastore said.
Community Well-Being Fund money also paid for, among other things, water heaters at three township buildings.
“These projects and infrastructure are key components of our community and our overall well-being and would never have been financed without the support and investment made to us by the Nuclear Waste Management Organization,” Mayor Kim Baigrie said in a news release from the township.
“We look forward to another extremely productive year of cooperation and collaboration in 2024 with our stakeholders and partners in the Township of Ignace.”
NWMO funding is having a “positive impact on the community,” said NWMO vice-president Lise Morton. “We look forward to continuing to work with Ignace as we move towards a site selection decision in late 2024.”
