Atikokan will be considered part of the local service area as Canada’s Impact Assessment Agency considers the proposal to develop a deep geological repository for nearly six million spent nuclear fuel bundles in the Revell Lake area about 85 km northwest of the town.
The town is cited, along with Dryden, Ignace, Kenora, Machin and the Melgund Local 1995 Services Board in the “Integrated Tailored Impact Statement Guidelines” issued by the agency last month. These guidelines (112 pages of them) direct the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) on the exact studies, information, and factors it must consider in making the case for the repository.
Atikokan Council passed a resolution on April 27 declaring that the town could be affected by the development of the repository.
“Almost immediately [upon passing the resolution] we found a change of tone in discussions with the NWMO and other people,” said Chief Administrative Officer Jason Young. “It is important that we are listed in [the guidelines] and it will help us moving forward.”
Mayor Rob Ferguson agreed, saying the town’s talks with the NWMO have since had a lot more substance.
Specifically, the resolution called on the NWMO to include Atikokan in its baseline data collection and effects analysis as it considers the health, social, and economic impacts of the project.
“At a minimum, the Town expects consideration of housing and accommodation capacity, workforce and population changes, municipal infrastructure (including water, wastewater, and transportation systems), community services (including healthcare, childcare, education, and emergency response), local and regional economic effects, transportation and traffic impacts (including regional routes such as Highway 622), and cumulative effects across sectors and across nearby communities,” stated the resolution.
The Town further “expects these assessments to include quantitative analysis and the identification of potential mitigation measures and community readiness considerations.”
CAO Young said administration was planning with the NWMO on a presentation to Council, likely in late September.
The impact assessment and approval process for the deep geological repository is expected to take more than three years. It started in January. The NWMO hopes to complete the studies and gather the data required by the guidelines over the next two years, at which point the agency will review its work and hold public hearings.
