Ontario First Nation Takes Legal Action Over Nuclear Waste Site Selection
Eagle Lake First Nation is challenging the choice of a nuclear waste site, claiming it was excluded from the decision-making process.
Eagle Lake First Nation, Ontario, Nuclear Waste, Ignace, Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation
Ignace: A First Nation in northern Ontario is pushing back against the decision to pick a nearby area for a nuclear waste site. They’re saying they should have been involved since the site is right in their territory.
Eagle Lake First Nation has taken their case to Federal Court. They want a judicial review of the Nuclear Waste Management Organization’s choice of the Township of Ignace and the Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation area for the repository.
This decision came out last November after both Ignace’s town council and Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation agreed to it. But Eagle Lake First Nation feels they were unfairly left out and didn’t get a chance to consent to the project.
They argue that the Nuclear Waste Management Organization acted in “bad faith,” and they want the court to overturn the decision.
The NWMO is currently looking into this legal challenge. They mention that the site was chosen after a lot of technical studies and community discussions.
This massive $26-billion project aims to bury millions of used nuclear fuel bundles underground. But don’t expect it to start anytime soon; operations won’t kick off until the 2040s.
This report was first published by The Canadian Press on December 24, 2024.