NWMO Vice President of Site Selection Lise Morton and Ignace Site Director Bill Gascon/Staff Photo
If you have questions about nuclear waste, you can go to Ignace’s Learn More Centre once again.
The Nuclear Waste Management Organization welcomed back visitors at their grand reopening Wednesday.
“It’s great to be able to welcome the community back to the Ignace Learn More Centre after being closed due to COVID restrictions,” said Lise Morton, Vice-President of Site Selection. “Sharing information about Canada’s plan for used nuclear fuel is very important to us and the Learn More Centre is the perfect place to do that. The new displays are a great way to share information about this important topic.”
Grand Reopening/Staff Photo
The Centre has been redesigned taking feedback from community members into account, making it more visual and interactive with new displays including a large 3D model of a deep geological repository and a kids activity corner.
With more public engagement planned before site selection, Morton talks about the importance of working with Indigenous and Metis communities.
“Elder Paul Watts and Donna Chief from Wabigoon Ojibway Nation, they opened with such a beautiful ceremony, performed a smudge of the building and the mobile exhibit. You know, that really speaks to the work that NWMO does with Indigenous communities. We’re very committed to reconciliation, we have a strong reconciliation policy and it’s just really important to work with communities because we are in their traditional territories. Also, was very excited to see the Metis Nation of Ontario represented here (at the reopening) as well.”
Morton continues: “we understand that it’s a very complex project with a lot of moving parts so we think it’s very important that people come in and ask those questions. Those questions can range from everything from safety, the environment, transportation or even just what will this mean to our community. All questions are welcome.”
Morton says they expect to make a decision and site the repository to either Ignace or South Bruce in the next couple of years.
Since July 5, the Mobile Learn More Centre has travelled nearly 1,500 kilometres stopping in over 10 communities as part of public engagement efforts.
The Ignace Learn More Centre first opened in 2016 and is located at 304 Main Street
Provincial health and safety guidelines including social distancing and mandatory mask wearing indoors is still in place.
3D Model of DG Repository/Staff Photo
