CANADA’S GDF | SPECIAL REPORT Going far, together
Canada’s industry walks alongside First Nation and local communities for a long-term waste solution and a sustainable nuclear future.
By Jacquie Hoornweg, Fellow, Canadian Global Affairs Institute and adjunct professor, Ontario Tech and McMaster Universities
CANADA HAS BUILT A HALF-century nuclear energy track record on safe and reliable electricity generation and an isotope supply of lifesaving nuclear medical treatments and diagnostics, used globally. Success on several Ontario refurbishment projects in recent years has buoyed government and investor confidence for up to 16,000 MW of new-build expansion plans between now and the 2040s. Nuclear energy allowed Ontario, the country’s biggest province, to shut down all its coal generation by 2014, making it one of the lowest greenhouse-gas emitting jurisdictions in the world and significantly improving its air quality. But for many in the public, the conversation invariably
comes back to the question, “What about the waste?”. While there are demonstrated technical solutions for the long-term management and disposal of waste and wide scientific agreement on the safety of these approaches, opponents have long countered that until a socially acceptable solution is in place, there really isn’t a solution at all. It’s a fair point.
The long-term waste solution In November 2024, Canada’s Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) answered that call with a major milestone announcement on the selection of a deep geological repository (DGR) for permanent storage and disposal of Canada’s high-level nuclear waste, spent fuel. It did so with hard-earned support from the area’s
First Nation and local municipal communities following extensive national public and community consultation. During the process, 22 communities from three provinces expressed interest in investigating hosting the facility. Each participated in a process with a thorough review of site characteristics that included technical (including geologic) and social assessments, including willingness of the local community and nearby First Nations communities to move forward. On these criteria, sites were winnowed down to two,
Ignace and South Bruce; both are in Ontario, where most of the country’s nuclear spent fuel is located. Both of the sites had the geologic and technical requirements to
Above: NWMO President Laurie Swami (left) overlooking model of the DGR All images/illustrations courtesy NWMO
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