THUNDER BAY -- Bruce Hyer is concerned about how the entire region could be affected if one Northwestern Ontario community is selected to host the country’s nuclear waste.
The Thunder Bay-Superior North MP said the residual effects of storing the hazardous materials need to be more closely examined
Hyer is holding open houses throughout the week in his riding, starting on Sunday night in Thunder Bay at the Italian Cultural Centre. The meeting drew about 40 people.
He said not enough people in the region are aware of what’s happening.
“It’s a poor substitute for a proper consultation process by them but it’s better than nothing,” he said. “I really want to find out from my constituents in Thunder Bay-Superior North and beyond what they think about the possibility of high level nuclear waste being stored here and transported through here.”
Schreiber, Ignace, White River, Manitouwadge and Hornepayne are five of about 15 communities that have applied to the Nuclear Waste Management Organization as prospective storage sites for nuclear waste.
Hyer wants to know about things like transportation of the material and how other municipalities and residents feel about the possibility of one of those five taking part.
“It’s my feeling that all of Northwestern Ontario should be consulted,” he said.
“Even if Thunder Bay is not a likely disposal site it’s possible 53 trucks a month for 30 years could be rumbling through Thunder Bay on their way to places like Ignace. We could be seeing an awful lot of nuclear waste transported through Thunder Bay.
Representatives from the NWMO were present at the meeting and spoke to the assembled crowd.
Michael Krizanc, the organization’s communications manager, said picking a host community is a nine-step process that still has a long way to go before any decision is made.
He told the assembled crowd it would likely be more than 10 years before a repository site would be selected.
“This is a very long-term process. We’re in the early stages of identifying an informed and willing community,” Krizanc said in an interview before the start of the open house.
“The process itself requires communities interested in learning about this project reach out to their neighbours and that their neighbours be involved. It also requires that this project will not proceed without a partnership between the interested community, its neighbouring and surrounding communities as well as Aboriginal people in the area.”
With the process still in the early stages, he cautioned that interested communities should be given time before being expected to conduct consultation.
They are still looking for information themselves.
“These communities are still in the early stage of learning and they have a right and expectation that they should learn something about the project before they reach out to their neighbours and talk to them,” Krizanc said.
However, he said there are examples of communities reaching out with Schreiber communicating with Terrace Bay and Ignace in talks with Dryden.
The process has been met with voices of opposition across the region.
The town of Nipigon withdrew from consideration, with town council in June voting to not pursue any further.
Also, the Terrace Bay council received a petition with more than 1,000 signatures during the summer.
Hyer will continue with open houses in Nakina, Longlac, Geraldton, Schreiber and Manitouwadge later this week.
