This week, the Winnipeg Free Press has published an opinion piece by Society President Michelle Johnston celebrating Canada’s model for nuclear fuel storage.
In light of the recent council vote by Ignace township to express interest in hosting a deep geological repository, Johnston weighed in on the Nuclear Waste Management Organization’s (NWMO) “gold star” approach to identifying a storage site for the country’s spent nuclear fuel.
Johnston describes how, for a project to proceed, the NWMO must obtain free, prior, and informed consent from local and Indigenous communities in the area, in adherence with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). Ignace and the Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation have worked closely with the NWMO to become informed and establish their own decision-making processes in support or against the project.
She explains how nuclear power needs to expand if Canada is going to meet its climate change targets. And she commends the contributions made by Society members, whose expertise ensures that any project to store spent nuclear fuel is safe and environmentally sustainable.
“As president of the Society of United Professionals, I’m proud of our members whose work safeguards Canadians. Engineers, environmental scientists, nuclear safety scientists, geologists, and community engagement professionals will ensure that the project meets the high safety standards of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission and the International Atomic Energy Agency,” she writes.
You can read Johnston’s op-ed in the Winnipeg Free Press here.
