An important agreement has been reached as the Nuclear Waste Management Organization continues down the path to select a site for an underground repository in 2023.
The group has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Township of Ignace.
The MOU focuses on the importance of creating a collaborative plan that would lead to the development of a potential hosting agreement should Ignace and area agree the project is a good fit for the community.
Mayor Penny Lucas says this is a huge step in moving both parties towards the drafting of a potential deal.
Lucas stresses it’s been quite a journey to get to this stage and there’s a lot of work to do.
NWMO President and CEO Laurie Swami says signing this MOU is an important step forward and collaborating with communities is a critical component of Canada’s plan and to their success.
Swami notes there is plenty of work yet to do, but the agreement shows they have accomplished a great deal in their engagement with Mayor Lucas and Council.
She adds it helps solidify the next steps and it’s exciting to see they are advancing together.
A statement from the organization reads:
“Both Ignace and the NWMO acknowledged the importance of reflecting on community priorities and objectives including project safety, community understanding of the project, and to advance community well-being. While the MOU celebrates the successes this relationship has had to date, it is not intended to be legally binding and imposes no obligations upon either party.”
