This week, the communities of Ignace and South Bruce separately completed their process to determine how each of their communities will express willingness to be a host community for a deep geological repository for used nuclear fuel.

We are pleased to see both municipalities in the site selection process, Ignace and South Bruce, make resolutions that outline how they will determine willingness, as this marks a major milestone in this process.

In Ignace, willingness will be determined by a Council resolution, which will be informed by public input.

In South Bruce, Council has endorsed a process to determine willingness through a by-election after a draft hosting agreement has been negotiated.

The NWMO has always said the project will only go ahead in a location that is safe for people and the environment and has informed and willing hosts. That’s why open and transparent dialogue with the public, and listening to different viewpoints, have always been fundamental to the NWMO approach and will continue to be integral to every step moving forward.

The NWMO has a number of rigorous environmental, safety, and socio-economic studies underway that will yield important data on the project for people, land and water. The results of many of these studies will help inform communities making this very important decision about willingness.

The Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) is a not-for-profit organization implementing Canada’s plan to safely contain and isolate used nuclear fuel inside a deep geological repository in a manner that protects people and the environment for generations to come.

Canada’s plan will only proceed in an area with informed and willing hosts, where the municipality, First Nation and Métis communities, and others in the area are working together to implement it. The NWMO plans to select a site in 2024, and two areas remain in our site selection process: the Ignace area and South Bruce, both in Ontario.