THUNDER BAY — The choice of a Northwestern Ontario site for the storage of Canada's nuclear waste is going to “revolutionize” the way the region operates on many levels, says the chairperson of the City of Thunder Bay’s intergovernmental affairs committee.
“The benefits to Thunder Bay are going to set us in a whole new trajectory of economic development,” said Kristen Oliver on Thursday after the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) announced it had selected Revell Lake, between Ignace and Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation, as the location for its proposed nuclear waste site.
The deep geological repository, commonly referred to as a DGR, would be used to store the waste from Canada’s nuclear power plants. The site near Ignace was on a shortlist along with an area in South Bruce, Ont.
Oliver said she was “utterly shocked” Ignace was chosen, saying Northwestern Ontario often fights an uphill battle when trying to diversify its economic development.
“I think that they made the right choice,” she said. “We have a brand new industry coming to Northwestern Ontario.
Oliver noted the project is years away from fruition as the NWMO estimates construction of the DGR could possibly begin in 2033 with operations to start by 2045.
The Westfort councillor acknowledged safety concerns in the region about having nuclear waste transported and stored in the area, but she is “very convinced this is a good thing for the area.”
“They are working to the best of their benefit to ensure that nuclear waste is transported as safely as possible. They're looking at what other countries have done, what they've done well, and where we can apply that here,” said Oliver.
“I'm well educated on what containers are used, what the nuclear waste is stored in, how they’re putting it in the Canadian Shield, which is solid rock a half mile down in the ground, away from water sources, knowing that the nuclear waste is transported in solid form,” she continued. “It's not a liquid form that's sloshing around in the back of a transport truck.”
Oliver emphasized safety is paramount and there is already nuclear waste travelling through the community.
“We have nuclear medicine. We have all kinds of operations already occurring where we do have nuclear waste transports through,” she said. “We have hazardous and dangerous goods travel through this community every single day, if not more than once a day.”
In a statement released Thursday evening, the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association board said they appreciate the work and preparation that has been done throughout the 14-year site selection process.
"NOMA will support the Town of Ignace and Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation and surrounding municipalities to continue to advocate for any support they may need for the area in preparation for the influx of new people, which will have tremendous direct and indirect economic benefits for the region," the board said.
