Northwestern Ontario communities chosen for Canada’s nuclear waste storage site [Video]

Northwestern Ontario has been chosen for Canada’s first deep geological repository, a multibillion-dollar project that aims to eventually store the country’s nuclear waste. 

In an announcement Thursday morning, the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) said Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation (WLON) and the township of Ignace will be the host communities for the repository. The other Ontario area in the running was northwest of London.

The site selection process began in 2010 and stirred heated debate, including in the two communities in the running for the permanent repository. The project has faced backlash from a number of environmental organizations, as well as a coalition of a dozen First Nations from northern Ontario.

After more than a decade of engagement with potential hosts, the NWMO narrowed down the choice to: 

• The Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation-Ignace area, about 250 kilometres northwest of Thunder Bay.
• The Saugeen Ojibway Nation-South Bruce area in southern Ontario, …