Ont. First Nation challenging underground nuclear waste site in court

A First Nation in northern Ontario is challenging the selection of a nearby region as the site of a deep geological repository that will hold Canada’s nuclear waste, arguing in a court filing that it should have had a say in the matter as the site falls “squarely” within its territory.

Eagle Lake First Nation has filed an application in Federal Court seeking a judicial review of the Nuclear Waste Management Organization’s decision to select the Township of Ignace and Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation area as the repository site.

The decision was announced in November after Ignace’s town council and Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation both agreed to move forward, but Eagle Lake First Nation says it was “unjustifiably” rejected as a host community and denied its own right to consent to the project.

Eagle Lake First Nation argues that the Nuclear Waste Management Organization acted in “bad faith” and therefore its decisions should be quashed.

The NWMO says it is reviewing the legal challenge and notes that the nuclear waste site was chosen after “extensive” technical study and community engagement.

The $26-billion project to bury millions of used nuclear fuel bundles underground will include a lengthy regulatory and construction process, with operations not set to begin until the 2040s.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 24, 2024.

The Canadian Press