South Bruce is receiving almost $2.8 million from the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) as it amends its Multi-Year Funding Agreement (MYFA).
Project Manager of the South Bruce Nuclear Exploration Team Dave Rushton says, the funding from the NWMO covers the cost for a number of projects as well as any progress related to the potential deep geological repository (DGR) in South Bruce. These include various environmental studies conducted.
South Bruce is one of two communities in Ontario under consideration by the NWMO for a DGR to store Canada’s spent nuclear fuel.
Representatives from the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission and Impact Assessment Agency of Canada recently met with a South Bruce committee to talk about the NWMO’s proposed DGR project and the site selection ongoing between South Bruce and Ignace, Ont.
Rushton says the funding from the NWMO is important as it helps ease the burden of residents paying for various projects out of their tax dollars.
“When you consider that our tax funding for the whole community is just over $5 million, that is what we receive in taxation from our community members, over $2 million would be a very large burden for us to try and take on,” says Rushton. “We have to decide whether or not we want to be a final site for this fuel and this allows us to determine that it is something that can be done safely for the environment and the people and it provides us with financial benefits.”
Rushton says currently the municipality is wrapping up various studies on the environment as well as working on a hosting agreement with the NWMO, should the municipality choose to host the DGR.
While he was not able to say when a hosting agreement would be completed, he says it will be done before the municipality holds a referendum late next year on hosting the project.