A Northern Ontario township’s council has agreed to host a nuclear waste repository deep underground. If selected by Canada’s Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO), the C$26 billion dollar site’s construction and maintenance would bring multiple employment opportunities and economic growth to Ignace.
However, the unanimous decision made on Wednesday angered some locals concerned about its potential environmental implications. In particular, several We the Nuclear Free North members were out protesting with picket signs last week.
The NWMO has narrowed its potential selection to two locations for the massive project. The other option is an area in the province’s South Bruce municipality, five kilometres from the community of Teeswater. South Bruce’s council will be holding a referendum on the matter this October.
“Following more than a decade of engagement and significant community participation, we are pleased that the Township of Ignace has confirmed their willingness to host a deep geological repository for used nuclear fuel,” Lise Morton, Vice President of Site Selection at the NWMO, said last week.
Canada’s radioactive waste management organization will make its decision on the project’s location by year-end. Its extensive construction will not start until 2033 and it won’t be operational until 2040.
The township of Ignace in northwestern Ontario is one step closer to hosting a $26 billion deep geological repository to house Canada’s nuclear waste. Mayor Kim Baigrie joins @Candace_Nandi for more on why the community voted in favour. pic.twitter.com/nVFlBvQILE
— Global News Toronto (@globalnewsto) July 15, 2024
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Local First Nations approval pending
The NWMO is still awaiting assent from the Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation, which would host the Revell Lake site within the Ignace township on its traditional territory.
Furthermore, the organization may need approval from South Bruce’s Saugeen Ojibway Nation, which would host the other potential location on its land near Lake Huron. Saugeen won’t be voting on the matter until next year.
A similar large-scale repository for spent fuel was recently completed in Finland, the world’s first. In fact, four councillors from Ignace travelled there to view it last fall.

Used fuel repository concept, Ontario. Image credit: NWMO
Canada agrees to enhance nuclear capacity immensely by 2050
Despite many recent innovations in the nuclear industry, an increasing amount of waste is expected to be produced in Canada by an ever-growing number of nuclear power units. North America’s northernmost nation was one of many that agreed to triple its nuclear capacity at last year’s COP28 conference in Dubai.
This increasing nuclear capacity is one of the factors that inspired this massive future undertaking. It will become a critical feature of Canada’s nuclear power infrastructure.
The country is home to major nuclear industry influences, particularly key uranium suppliers like Cameco Corporation (TSX: CCO) and Orano Canada. Northern Saskatchewan’s section of the Athabasca Basin holds the highest-grade uranium needed for reactor fuel in the entire world.
Many exploration companies in the region have been hunting for the next big discovery in the Basin while the uranium and nuclear market continues to have bullish conditions and major interest. Key operators in this regard include ATHA Energy Corp. (TSX-V: SASK) (OTCQB: SASKF) (FRA: X5U), Stallion Uranium Corp. (TSX-V: STUD) (OTCQB: STLNF) and IsoEnergy Ltd. (TSX-V: ISO).
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