Dear Editor:
Recent announcements seem to have raised some confusion in our community about the possibility of building Canada’s Deep Geological Repository (DGR) for spent nuclear fuel in South Bruce. Here is a summary, for readers who may be confused about the path forward. Several years ago, the long list of potential host communities in Canada was reduced to two – South Bruce, and the small community of Ignace, Ontario, north of Thunder Bay. The process being followed by the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) is laid out in Canada’s Fuel Waste Act. There are several key criteria for siting the DGR:
1. The geology of the site must be appropriate to safely construct the DGR, which will be built under hundreds of meters of stable bedrock. In South Bruce, geologists have identified the Cobourg Formation, a layer of stable, non-porous bedrock, ideal to house the DGR, between 600m and 650m below the surface. The community of Ignace is located on Canadian Shield granite, which is different, but similarly suitable.
2. The local municipality must demonstrate that they are informed and willing. Ignace recently polled its ratepayers, held a vote by council, and indicated that it is a willing host community. South Bruce has scheduled a referendum for late October, where residents will vote on a single question “Are you in favour of… declaring South Bruce to be a willing host for the Nuclear Waste Management Organization’s proposed Deep Geological Repository (DGR)?”
3. The local Indigenous community must give “free, prior and informed consent,” a principle entrenched in the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), which Canada adopted in 2010. Ignace is on the traditional territory of Wabagoon Lake Ojibway Nation, and South Bruce is on the traditional territory of the Saugeen Ojibway Nation, which includes the Saugeen First Nation (near Southampton), and the Chippewas of Nawash, located at Neyaashiinigmiing (a.k.a Cape Croker). Each of these First Nations, will follow the appropriate process under their own governance, to determine consent. The NWMO is hoping that both sites (Ignace and South Bruce) will be declared “willing host communities”. Then they will decide which site is best.
Key to the decision is the hosting agreement which has been negotiated between each community and the Nuclear Waste Management Organization. This agreement lays out the long-term arrangements for the community to participate in directing the project, and dictates the funding that will flow to the community on an ongoing basis. Opening a large business like the DGR has many benefits for the municipality, in terms of increased employment and lots of trickle-down business for local services and retailers. However, there are also some additional costs to bear, like roads and bridges to be upgraded, infrastructure for additional housing, and recreational facility upgrades. The ongoing funding laid out in the hosting agreement is intended to offset these costs. Fortunately for South Bruce residents, our Mayor Goetz, who led the South Bruce negotiation, is a long-time labour union leader, and a veteran of many hard-fought negotiations. I can’t think of a better person to represent us, and am confident the deal on the table is reasonable.
My fellow residents of South Bruce have an important decision to make in October. If we vote in favour, it opens the door to the largest economic development in our history – one that will create unprecedented employment and revenue opportunities for generations to come.
Tony Zettel, RR5 Mildmay
