Ignace council votes in favour of potential nuclear waste repository

The northwestern Ontario township of Ignace is one step closer to hosting a $26-billion deep geological repository (DGR) for nuclear waste.

At a special meeting held Wednesday, Ignace council voted in favour of a recommendation by the township's willingness committee to continue with the Nuclear Waste Management Organization's (NWMO) site selection process.

The vote does not guarantee the repository will be located in the Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation-Ignace area, however.

The final decision rests with the NWMO, which is also considering South Bruce in southern Ontario for the site. An announcement is expected later this year.

"We are proudly the first community in Canada to be indicating our support and our willingness to continue in the selection process by the NWMO in the potential siting of the DGR project in this area," Ignace Mayor Kim Baigrie said in a media release.

"The residents of the Township of Ignace have spoken loud and clear and we fully respect their direction as a council, and we clearly have now indicated our support through an official resolution to the NWMO based on the recommendations from our willingness ad hoc committee members."

"We certainly understand that the endorsement of these recommendations does not mean that we are guaranteed and are going to host a DGR, but it does allow Ignace to continue to move another step closer, now as a willing host community in the selection process by NWMO. What it also means is that we now have an accurate, clear, concise, and signed resolution to the NWMO on the community's willingness to move forward in the process."

At Wednesday's meeting, willingness committee co-chair Roger Dufault said a consulting firm was hired to conduct a vote by Ignace residents.

Of approximately 1,035 eligible voters, 660 registered to participate in the vote. Of those, 640 actually cast a ballot, Dufault said, with 495 voting yes, indicating they were willing to continue with the process.

"The resident willingness ad-hoc committee recommends the following to the Township of Ignace council," Dufault said. "One, to make public and accessible in its entirety the Ignace Willingness Study Final Report."

"To continue to advocate for socioeconomic growth and carefully monitor and enhance and strengthen this aspect of the host agreement with NWMO, and actively engage the residents of Ignace in fostering ownership."

"And last and most importantly, to pass a resolution to continue to participate in the process and proceed as a potential host community."

The Township of Ignace noted in its release that Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation (WLON) will hold its own willingness process, and Ignace respects that WLON's support will also be required if the repository is to be built in the area.

Whichever municipality ends up being chosen, the site won't be operational for some time; construction is expected to start in 2033, and the site would be up and running by the early 2040s.