To the editor,
The province’s recent announcement that it will go full steam ahead with new nuclear reactors at Bruce Power and Darlington without having resolved the industry’s toxic waste problem is both premature and foolish.
It places undue urgency and haste on those involved in siting proposal efforts of a deep geological repository (DGR), an internationally-accepted concept to dispose of the millions of highly toxic fuel rods already accumulated by Canada’s nuclear industry. A concept that has been adopted and is to be initiated and built at an estimated cost of over $28 billion by the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) – a supposedly arm’s length body funded by the industry.
Furthermore, the province’s unexpected decision is a slap in the face of the Saugeen Ojibway Nation (SON), on whose land the NWMO will likely propose to locate the DGR. And whose permission, along with the community of South Bruce, is required to do so. A decision by the municipality is expected to come in 2024, when it holds a referendum.
In a statement put out by the SON immediately after the province’s announcement, it would appear that historic concerns regarding nuclear development and the legacy of waste seemed to have been ignored.
“It is critical that our serious and ongoing concerns about the development of the nuclear industry in our territory be properly addressed by government and industry. Commitments have been made, but now we need to see action.
The long overdue resolution of the nuclear legacy issues must occur before any future project is approved. Similarly, we must also have a plan in place that has been agreed to by SON to deal with all current and future nuclear waste before any future projects could go ahead. There are issues that must be worked on in priority long before any new decision on new projects can be made.” – Environment Office, Saugeen Ojibway Nation – July 6, 2023
As a resident of South Bruce for some 30 years and a critic of the NWMO’s site selection process for over 10 years, I can only speak for myself. As such, I am in full agreement with the SON’s statement. However, considering that many in my community work at Bruce Power or see nothing but the economic opportunities from the NWMO proposal, I quite likely am in the minority. And although a recent trip funded by the NWMO to Finland’s nuclear waste DGR has convinced me that the science of DGR disposal is sound, I remain skeptical that the massive scale and complexity of such an industrial proposal would not overwhelm a small rural community such as South Bruce. I fear we essentially would lose the unique quality of life that comes with being a small rural community. As I see it, the doubling of nuclear power at this time will only double the scale and complexity of the DGR, as well as undermine the trust of local stakeholders in NWMO’s process of fair community consultation
David Wood
Mildmay
Editor’s note: David Wood attended the Finland trip as a representative of the Protect Our Waterways community group. The trip was funded by the NWMO, and the delegation consisted of members of council, staff, the South Bruce CLC, Protect Our Waterways and the Willing to Listen community group.
