The NWMO responds

NWMO Statement to the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development

The NWMO

March 30, 2021

Toronto, Ont.

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The NWMO
I read with interest Thomas Walkom's column published in the Toronto Star on March 25th 2021, "Ontario communities are divided over allowing burial of radioactive waste in exchange for cash."
 
I would like to ensure your readers have an accurate characterization of our relationship with potential host communities. 
 
We support the communities taking leadership in advancing this project by covering the costs associated with participating. As good corporate citizens we also contribute to community well-being and invest in skills development, education and capacity-building. 
 
The project will only proceed in an area with informed, willing hosts. The people in municipalities and Indigenous communities in close proximity need to understand what it means to host the project and agree to have it located there. 
 
The project is safe, in line with international best practice, and will generate stable jobs, community investment and long-term opportunity for many generations. 
 
Learn more at nwmo.ca.   
 
Laurie Swami
President and CEO, Nuclear Waste Management Organization 
About the NWMO

The Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) is a not-for-profit organization tasked with the safe, long-term management of Canada’s used nuclear fuel inside a deep geological repository, in a manner that protects people and the environment for generations to come.

Founded in 2002, the NWMO has been guided for more than 20 years by a dedicated team of world-class scientists, engineers and Indigenous Knowledge Holders that are developing innovative and collaborative solutions for nuclear waste management. Canada’s plan will only proceed in an area with informed and willing hosts, where the municipality, First Nation and Métis communities, and others in the area are working together to implement it. The NWMO plans to select a site in 2024, and two areas remain in our site selection process: the Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation-Ignace area in northwestern Ontario and the Saugeen Ojibway Nation-South Bruce area in southern Ontario.

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