The Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) recently unveiled the final design for our Centre of Expertise. It will be located in Ignace, Ont., a host community for Canada’s deep geological repository for used nuclear fuel.

The centre represents an approximately $50-million investment in the community. It will incorporate a range of features identified through local community input, including flexible multipurpose and educational spaces, a design that blends into the natural environment, and an accessible location connected to community amenities.

“We are very proud of this design that integrates nature, knowledge and community,” said Christina Van Drunen, Vice-President of Operations at the NWMO. “It has been exciting to see the NWMO’s new home in Ignace grow from the concepts presented seven years ago to these final renderings, and it couldn’t have happened without input from community members.”

Designed at approximately 55,000 square feet — about the size of a football field — the facility will accommodate 160 to 200 NWMO employees, bringing sustained economic opportunity to northwestern Ontario for generations to come.

The centre will anchor the NWMO’s long-term operational presence in the region, supporting training, innovation and the development of world-class expertise to support the NWMO's work.