The Township of Conmee has deferred a proposed resolution that would have expressed concerns about transporting spent nuclear-fuel rods across its boundaries.
At Wednesday’s council meeting, councillors opted to table the resolution until they’ve heard a presentation by the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO), the agency that plans to ship the radioactive rods to an underground storage site either near Ignace, or in southwestern Ontario.
Conmee chief administrator Shara Lavallee said on Friday a meeting with Nuclear Waste Management Organization officials has yet to be set.
Conmee’s decision to defer follows this week’s announcement by the Township of Ignace to declare its willingness to become a host community for the proposed storage site, technically known as a deep geological repository.
Ignace council passed a resolution in favour of the Nuclear Waste Management Organization’s proposal after more than 77 per cent of residents who took part in a vote on the issue said they supported becoming a host.
The Nuclear Waste Management Organization is expected to announce its choice for a repository site later this year, although the agency has said it won’t build the facility where locals don’t want it.
Opponents to the plan, like the Environment North advocacy group, contend that spent fuel rods from nuclear reactors should be contained “in the vicinity” of the power plants where they are used.
The groups argue that communities along a proposed transportation route deserve the same consideration as communities that may host the repository.
If Conmee council approves a resolution opposing shipment of the spent rods, it will join other area communities, such as Nipigon, Red Rock and Fort William First Nation, which have already done so.
Conmee Mayor Sheila Maxwell has earlier expressed concerns about shipping radioactive rods by transport truck, given the high rate of collisions involving heavy trucks on main Northern routes like highways 11 and 17.
The Nuclear Waste Management Organization maintains the rods will be shipped by truck or rail in specialized containers designed to withstand hard impacts, fiery explosions and immersions in water.
Environment North nuclear-issue spokeswoman Dodie LeGassick, who took part in an earlier presentation to Conmee’s council, said it remains to be seen if tests on the containers have shown them to be able to withstand actual collisions.
