South Bruce council has approved a hosting agreement between the
Municipality and the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO).
The 132-page
document not only outlines what happens if South Bruce decides it is a willing
host and is selected as the site for the NWMO's deep geological repository that
will store Canada's nuclear waste; it also maps out how to exit the process
reported CKNX News at Wingham.
South Bruce Mayor
Mark Goetz said the agreement was guided by community feedback collected over
the last decade.
"The whole
thing was based off the 36 guiding principles and that was all through
community consultation... it was a group of community members that came forward
and directed us 'this is what we want to see in that agreement for this
development to be put here in South Bruce.' We used that as a pattern to get to
our end result."
The guiding
principles address everything from safety concerns and environmental impact to
economic benefits and community involvement.
Lise Morton, vice-president
of site selection at the NWMO, said the agreement is comprehensive but doesn't
signal a decision.
"I think
what's most important for people to understand as well is that this is still
just the beginning. Obviously the community still needs to make a decision and
in each of the siting areas, but in this one in particular, we still need a
decision as well from Saugeen Ojibway Nation. And then if we select this area,
that's still just the beginning."
Ignace, the other
candidate to host the project, wrapped up it's community vote on Tuesday, but results
have not been announced.
If South Bruce is
determined as the host, the next steps include a review by the Impact
Assessment Agency of Canada and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC).
The NWMO would also set about establishing the Centre of Expertise in the
Municipality.
The agreement
also outlines what happens if South Bruce determines it's not willing to host
the project, or if it's willing but not selected. (Both result in an exit
payment, the former a $4 million lump sum, the latter $8 million.)
