Hornepayne residents met with the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) on July 11 and 12 to help the NWMO decide where to focus its next phase of studies in the area. Interested community members participated in an open house to provide their views on nearby locations that have the potential to meet the safety requirements of a deep geological repository and would also be considered acceptable by people living in the area.

Visitors offered information on areas under consideration, provided their views on preferred sites for borehole drilling and reasons for their preferences, and identified their sensitivities or concerns. The locations up for discussion were identified following recently completed desktop and field studies, including airborne surveys, ground observations, and detailed geological mapping. 

Opinions offered by people in the area will be important in decision-making about where the NWMO might drill an initial borehole, at or near a potential repository site. The drilling is required to further advance understanding of the geology in the region.  

The open house also featured the NWMO’s new interactive display to support discussion with visitors about Canada’s plan for the long-term used nuclear fuel management, radiation, transportation, and other questions about the organization’s work.

Hornepayne is one of several Ontario communities that remain engaged in the NWMO site selection process. No decision will be made on a preferred site for a used nuclear fuel repository until Preliminary Assessments are completed, several years from now.