Following a community willingness decision-making process, Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation has advised the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) that the community supports moving forward to the next phase of the site selection process to host a deep geological repository to safety contain and isolate Canada’s used nuclear fuel for the long term.

“We sincerely thank the members of Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation, Chief Wetelainen and Council for their thoughtful approach and commitment to learning and engagement over the past 12 years,” said Lise Morton, Vice President of Site Selection at the Nuclear Waste Management Organization.

In northwestern Ontario, Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation is the second of the two communities in the site selection process to indicate a willingness to move forward. In July 2024, the Township of Ignace confirmed it was willing to move forward.

In the other potential siting region in southwestern Ontario, the Municipality of South Bruce confirmed their willingness following an October 2024 municipal referendum. Saugeen Ojibway Nation (comprised of Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation and Saugeen First Nation) continues to consider the project.

Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation’s decision does not indicate that the NWMO has selected a site for the deep geological repository. The NWMO will carefully consider this new information as part of our ongoing site selection decision analysis.

In addition to working with informed and willing host communities, to select a site the NWMO must demonstrate that after extensive technical study and community engagement we have achieved the priorities identified at the outset of the site selection process: that the site can safely contain and isolate Canada’s used nuclear fuel and that Canada’s used nuclear fuel can be safely transported to the site.

Once a site is selected, the project will enter a mandatory multi-year regulatory decision-making process, including an impact assessment and licence applications. Led by the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, the impact assessment provides an opportunity for public participation and is designed to ensure the project meets or exceeds strict regulatory criteria to protect the health, safety and security of people and the environment.