Red Rock new candidate to host country’s nuclear storage site

A fifth community in Northwestern Ontario is now being considered as a potential host site for the long-term storage of the country's nuclear waste.

The township of Red Rock is joining Schreiber, Ignace, Ear Falls and Hornepayne as potential candidates. Canada's Nuclear Waste Management Organization is tasked with finding a suitable and willing community for the construction of a deep underground repository.

Red Rock Mayor Gary Nelson led the township committee that recently met with NWMO officials in Toronto to formally request involvement in the program. 

The estimated $16-billion to $24-billion project is not expected to be in operation until at least 2035. 

The site selection process alone is expected to take up to 10 years.

Meanwhile, NWMO officials say they are planning to host public events in all the interested communities over the next several months.