The proponents of an underground nuclear waste facility have released a statement declaring their commitment to protecting the watershed.
The Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) is considering two sites for a proposed “deep geological repository” for spent nuclear fuel. One of those locations is near Ignace and Wabigoon Lake, the other in southwestern Ontario’s South Bruce area.
The NWMO’s two-page Water Statement, released Tuesday, declares that the organization “respects the truth of the life-giving role water fulfills for all Creation” and that “the protection and safety of water is vital.”
The statement “shines a spotlight on how vital water protection is to our work,” NWMO regional spokesperson Vince Ponka said. “And it really is central to everything we do, and the whole real purpose of this (deep geological repository) project is to protect water.
“So, you know, I think it is very important to release these sorts of statements just to affirm that belief and just to really narrow down what it means to us.”
The Water Statement was released shortly before Imagine A Day Without Water 2023, which is set for Thursday, Ponka said.
Imagine a Day Without Water’s website describes it as a “Day of Action that brings together diverse participants to highlight how water is essential, invaluable and in need of continuous investment.”
The Water Statement incorporates Indigenous knowledge and “voices from the Northwest,” Ponka said.
One item on the statement’s list of principles is “To include Indigenous Knowledge Holders, western scientists and community voice in project planning and implementation.”
The full Water Statement can be found at the NWMO’s website. The NWMO describes it as a “sister document” to an earlier Environmental Responsibility Statement that says “protecting people and the environment is a key objective” in the organization’s plan for long-term nuclear waste management.
