Concerns about how Canada’s used nuclear fuel would be transported to a proposed underground storage site near Ignace continue to be one of the biggest issues raised by the public as the project moves through the federal review process.
Speaking to Kenora’s City Council during a public meeting held on Tuesday, Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) director of municipal relations and transportation Jamie Matear said more than 400 of approximately 900 public comments submitted on the organization’s initial project description focused on transportation.
“Transportation of nuclear materials is already regulated by Transport Canada and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission,” Matear said. “But it’s a very difficult conversation to have.”
The proposed deep geological repository (DGR) would be designed to permanently store Canada’s used nuclear fuel from existing nuclear reactors. While NWMO selected a site near Ignace in partnership with Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation and the Township of Ignace, Matear emphasized that the project has not yet been approved.
“All we’ve done as an organization is we’ve selected a site,” he said. “It doesn’t mean that the site has been approved. There’s an enormous amount of work left in the regulatory approvals process before we have a project.”
The project is currently undergoing federal review through the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission. If timelines remain on track, NWMO expects a decision by the end of the decade, pushing its hypothetical opening into the 2040s.
One of the most common concerns raised by some Indigenous communities and stakeholders relates to the transportation of used nuclear fuel through their territories.
Matear said NWMO has committed to continuing discussions with First Nations to build awareness and confidence in the transportation program.
“We’re not satisfying that concern yet, but it’s a huge amount of work that we need to do,” he said.
The issue of Indigenous consultation has also been raised during the federal review process. Lac Des Mille Lacs First Nation recently challenged NWMO’s characterization of its consultation efforts, arguing the organization had misrepresented the community’s engagement with the project. The Impact Assessment Agency of Canada has since directed NWMO to continue with Indigenous engagement in good faith.
During the back and forth, transportation concerns were also raised around the safety of the Trans-Canada Highway corridor, which has in all likelihood just seen one of its most deadly winter seasons in history.
Coun. Kelsie Van Belleghem noted worries about moving used nuclear fuel are heightened by existing concerns about safety along the highway corridor.
Matear acknowledged that while the used fuel shipments would not travel through Kenora, disruptions caused by collisions or highway closures east of Ignace could still have regional impacts.
NWMO estimates approximately 30,000 shipments of used nuclear fuel would be required over a 50-year period, averaging about 700 shipments annually, or roughly two shipments per day once operations begin. The earliest the repository could begin receiving used fuel is 2043.
The project could also create economic opportunities across Northwestern Ontario. NWMO estimates the repository could create hundreds of jobs during different phases of the project, including approximately 200 positions leading up to construction and around 600 during the construction phase, although those figures remain conceptual.
While many jobs would be centred around Ignace and Dryden, Matear said the project’s labour needs could extend across the region, including Kenora, Thunder Bay and as far as Winnipeg.
“We are going to have to look more broadly to satisfy the requirements of the project,” he said.
Matear also encouraged businesses interested in future procurement opportunities to register through NWMO’s supplier portal and said the organization is open to further outreach with regional communities as the project develops.
