In August 2010, Ignace's Mayor and Council passed a resolution requesting an initial screening of the community's potential suitability to host the project. This screening involved a review based on readily available information about the geology of the community and vicinity.

Ignace's initial screening was completed in March 2011. It did not identify any obvious conditions that would exclude the Ignace area from further consideration in the site selection process.

We encouraged communities that passed the initial screening to begin learning more about the project. We provided an initial briefing and invited representatives to take a tour of an interim storage facility for used nuclear fuel. We also encouraged communities to meet with the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission to learn about the regulatory framework that will govern the project.

Resources:

• Summary Report Initial Screening For Siting A Deep Geological Repository For Canada's Used Nuclear Fuel - The Corporation of the Township of Ignace, Ontario
• Initial Screening For Siting A Deep Geological Repository For Canada's Used Nuclear Fuel - The Corporation of the Township of Ignace, Ontario

In November 2011, Ignace's Mayor and Council passed a resolution asking the NWMO to initiate a Preliminary Assessment of the community's potential suitability to host the project.

In November 2013, we completed the first phase of Step 3: Preliminary Assessment of the site selection process in collaboration with Ignace.

This phase involved:

• Desktop studies that explored the potential to find a site that can safely and securely contain and isolate used nuclear fuel; and
• Community learning and dialogue activities to build understanding about the project and to explore its potential to align with the community's long-term vision.

Based on studies to date, the community appeared to have strong potential for meeting strict safety and geotechnical requirements and for the project to align with its long-term vision. The studies also identified a number of uncertainties to be further explored through more detailed study.

Resources:

• Phase 1 Preliminary Assessments Summary Findings and Decisions Creighton, Saskatchewan Ear Falls, Ontario English River First Nation, Saskatchewan Hornepayne, Ontario Ignace, Ontario Pinehouse, Saskatchewan Schreiber, Ontario Wawa, Ontario
• Preliminary Assessment for Siting a Deep Geological Repository for Canada’s Used Nuclear Fuel The Corporation of the Township of Ignace, Ontario Findings From Phase One Studies
• Draft Community Profile Township of Ignace, Ontario
• Phase 1 Geoscientific Desktop Preliminary Assessment of Potential Suitability for Siting a Deep Geological Repository for Canada’s Used Nuclear Fuel Township of Ignace, Ontario
• Phase 1 Geoscientific Desktop Preliminary Assessment, Terrain and Remote Sensing Study Township of Ignace, Ontario
• Phase 1 Geoscientific Desktop Preliminary Assessment, Lineament Interpretation Township of Ignace, Ontario
• Phase 1 Geoscientific Desktop Preliminary Assessment, Processing and Interpretation of Geophysical Data Township of Ignace, Ontario
• Phase 1 Desktop Assessment Environment Report Township of Ignace, Ontario
• Phase 1 Preliminary Community Well-Being Assessment Township of Ignace, Ontario

Established in 2011 by the Ignace Municipal Council, the Ignace Community Nuclear Liaison Committee (ICNLC) acted as a resource for the community during the site selection process. Independent of the NWMO and comprised of residents from the Ignace area, the ICNLC working group helped community members learn more about Canada’s plan for managing used nuclear fuel.

The NWMO and communities have ongoing discussions on how to advance learning and build the sustainable partnerships that will be required to implement Canada’s plan for the safe, long-term management of used nuclear fuel.

The NWMO outlined a multi-step road map to guide these partnership discussions, which focus on exploring potential to advance the project in partnership with people in the area. The roadmap also puts in place a framework to implement the project if a preferred site is identified in the area.

Starting from the bottom and moving upwards, the road map guides our discussions about partnership with communities.

Resources:

• Guiding principles for exploring partnership – Community conversations update (summary report)
• Community conversations (supporting material)

A partnership working group has been formed between the NWMO and the Township of Ignace. 

It includes municipal and NWMO representatives, with the purpose of exploring the Adaptive Phased Management (APM) project and what it would mean if Canada’s plan were implemented in the area.

The partnership working group also explores:

• The potential for partnership and how the APM project might be configured in order to align with the municipality’s priorities and objectives;
• The near- and longer-term investments in the community related to the Canada’s plan; and
• How the broader area would be involved.

The partnership working group works towards the ongoing development of the strategic project plan for the municipality and the NWMO, as well as pursuing related activities to support the potential for partnership.

The group proposed a framework and list of milestones (including scope, timelines, resources and budgets) for further dialogue and decision-making. The partnership working group has no decision-making authority. It meets monthly or as agreed to by working group members.

In September 2019 and January 2021, the NWMO initiated community surveys in Ignace to better understand and improve the way we communicate and engage with the public. The surveys were conducted by an independent Canadian research firm on behalf of the NWMO and were designed to determine how communities would like to receive information during the site selection process.

• Ignace Community Survey Report (2019)
  
  
• Community Survey Methodological Note (2019)
  
  
• 2021 Ignace Community Survey Report
  

Initial studies, completed as part of Preliminary Assessment, built on earlier studies, and were designed to deepen our understanding of rock characteristics at potential repository sites, the potential for willing hosts, and beyond that, the potential to develop supportive partnerships to implement the project in the area.

Airborne surveys were used to gather additional geological information about potential siting areas. They helped us build a more detailed understanding of bedrock geology both at the surface and deep underground.

Visually observing general geological features helped us build knowledge about the rock. We also use these observations to inform more detailed studies in the future.

Borehole drilling and the resulting studies advanced our understanding of the subsurface geology in the Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation-Ignace Area.

Resources:

• Phase 2 Geoscientific Preliminary Assessment - Initial Findings, Township of Ignace and Area, Ontario
  
  
• Phase 2 Geoscientific Preliminary Assessment - Geological Mapping, Township of Ignace and Area, Ontario
  
  
• Phase 2 Geoscientific Preliminary Assessment, Findings from Initial Field Studies Township of Ignace, Ontario
  
  
• Phase 2 Geoscientific Preliminary Assessment, Acquisition, Processing and Interpretation of High-Resolution Airborne Geophysical Data Township of Ignace, Ontario
  
  
• Phase 2 Geoscientific Preliminary Assessment, Lineament Interpretation Township of Ignace, Ontario
  
  
• Phase 2 Geoscientific Preliminary Assessment, Observation of General Geological Features Township of Ignace, Ontario
  
  
• Phase 2 Preliminary Environmental Studies: Township of Ignace and Area, Ontario


• Phase 2 Preliminary Assessments in Crystalline Rock Settings: Working Together to Identify Study Areas

In 2017, the NWMO began drilling the first of six one-kilometre-long boreholes in a rock formation known as the Revell Batholith, located south of Highway 17, about 35 kilometres west of Ignace, between Ignace and Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation (WLON).

Selecting locations for these boreholes provided an opportunity for the NWMO, the interested community, and First Nation and Métis communities in the area to work together to consider where the project might best fit.

Once borehole locations were identified, the NWMO was required to submit an application to the provincial government for permission to drill. Assembling a permission application was one activity among many in the process designed to help advance the NWMO’s understanding of the perspectives of people in the area about the project.

In April 2022 we completed borehole drilling in the area. Ultimately, the preferred site will need to meet robust technical requirements focused on safety. The implementation of the project must also foster the well-being of the area as defined by people who live there and will need to be supported by strong partnerships. The project can only proceed with the involvement of the interested community, First Nation and Métis communities in the area, and surrounding communities.

Resources:

• Initial Borehole Drilling and Testing in or Near Ignace: Draft for Discussion with Communities
  
  
• Potentially Geologically Suitable Areas Based on Early Phase 2 Studies – For Discussion with People in the Ignace Area
  
  
• Initial Borehole Location Based on Early Phase 2 Studies
  
  
• Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry Ignace Borehole 1 Submission
  
  
• Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry Ignace Borehole 1 Permission
  
  
• Amendment Request to Ignace Area Borehole 1 Permission
  
  
• Amendment Agreement to Ignace Area Borehole 1 Permission
  
  
• Locations of additional boreholes – For discussion with people in the area
  
  
• Location of Boreholes 2, 3 and Temporary Access Roads – For Discussion with People in the Ignace Area
  
  
• Locations of additional boreholes: For discussion with people in the area ⁠— July 2019 Update
  
  
• Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry Ignace Borehole 2 and 3 Permission
  
  
• Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry Ignace Borehole 4 to 6 Permission

In 2021 the NWMO began conducting field activities to further characterize the geology in the Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation-Ignace area, including:

• Installing micro-seismic monitoring stations across the area to monitor for natural or manmade seismic shifts, such as earthquakes or the effects of borehole or well drilling;
• Installing shallow groundwater monitoring wells to study the hydrogeology of the area; and
• Conducting geophysical studies to assess the suitability of the area to host a repository.

At a special meeting of the Township of Ignace Council on March 18, 2024, the council unanimously passed a resolution approving a historic hosting agreement between the township and the NWMO. The signing of this agreement was considered the next logical step in the ongoing process towards a decision on willingness by the Township of Ignace. 

In July 2024, the Township of Ignace confirmed its willingness to move forward to the next phase of the site selection process. Ignace was the first potential host community in the site selection process to share their decision, which came following more than a decade of engagement with the NWMO.