Globally, we are witnessing a nuclear renaissance as governments catch up to the science behind clean, emissions-free nuclear power. Ontario is a world leader in low carbon electricity grids precisely because the majority of its electricity comes from nuclear energy. And with electricity demands set to increase 75 percent by 2050, only major investments in nuclear energy will enable us to meet emissions targets and power a net-zero energy transition.
As the nuclear renaissance takes hold, countries are navigating how to manage spent nuclear fuel – a necessary byproduct of nuclear energy generation. Canada has demonstrated to the world that this challenge can be met while honouring Indigenous and local self-determination.
We witnessed that this week when the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) announced that the communities of Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation (WLON) and Ignace Township have been selected to host Canada’s historic first deep geological repository for spent nuclear fuel.
This decision was not made lightly. In fact, it’s the outcome of a long, collaborative process that has been centred around Indigenous reconciliation and local democracy.
The consent-based selection process used to determine a repository site should be regarded as a world-leading best practice model for how governments and industries should engage with First Nations rights holders and local communities around major infrastructure projects. The $26-billion repository will be one of Canada’s largest ever infrastructure projects, and the communities will reap the benefits of the economic development and investment. But none of this would be possible without a decade-long process of research, education, and meaningful engagement with would-be partners.
In 2010, the NWMO began its community-driven site selection process. Initially, 22 communities expressed interest in learning more about the project. After extensive technical testing and assessments spanning multiple years, two potential sites were identified among the 22 communities to host the repository. The NWMO selected the Ignace and WLON area as a site because both Ignace Township and the WLON obtained local consent through their own decision-making processes. Ignace Township expressed willingness to continue with the project after successful community-wide resident and town council votes. WLON hosted a referendum to gauge community consent.
The twin pillars of the NWMO approach - respect for local democracy and respect for Indigenous self-determination – make Canada’s process a shining example on the global stage. This model is especially important now that an international consensus has emerged identifying deep geological repositories as the best practice for storing nuclear waste.
This could not have been achieved without all the skill, determination, and painstakingly hard work our members at the NWMO have contributed to this vitally important project. Engineers, environmental scientists, nuclear safety scientists, geologists, and communications and engagement professionals at the NWMO have played a critical role in ensuring that a repository meets the high safety standards of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission.
Kudos must also be extended to the host communities and their councils for their leadership on this issue, and their willingness to meaningfully and democratically engage in the selection process.
These are communities on the frontlines of the nuclear renaissance.
The repository is critical to achieving our country’s energy independence, and our climate goals. Once the repository is complete, the life cycle for our CANDU nuclear plants will remain almost entirely made-in-Canada with a heavily unionized workforce—from the uranium we mine out of the ground all the way to the storage of our carefully regulated spent fuel.
Host community buy-in, a deep commitment to Indigenous reconciliation, and broad social license matter now, more than ever, as Canada seeks to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).
With the nuclear renaissance taking the world by storm, Canada’s world-class model for locating a deep geological repository site is welcome leadership.
