South Bruce signed a hosting agreement with the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) which maps out what would happen if the municipality ends up with a deep geological repository for Canada’s used nuclear fuel.
Council endorsed the agreement at a meeting Wednesday and then Mayor Mark Goetz and CAO Leanne Martin signed it on behalf of the municipality.
The agreement provides a breakdown of more than $418-million in financial benefits and taxation for South Bruce over the lifespan of the 138-year DGR project.
But it’s up to the community to decide if they even want to host a DGR, and they will answer that question in an October referendum.
In addition to a breakdown of financial benefits for South Bruce, Mayor Mark Goetz says the hosting agreement also includes details about maintaining access to the nearby Teeswater River and hiking trails, the creation of around 1,800 jobs and other benefits.
“There is opportunity there for local businesses to supply the facilities. There is also training of the trades. They have committed to working collectively with the municipality to train trades in various areas and to also help support other local businesses that are currently and already operating here,” says Goetz. “We are going to train trades for future replacement of retirees and things like that.”
Goetz says the process of crafting the hosting agreement began in 2020.
“The first thing we did was we had a public consultation with the community members. And through that, we developed the 36 guiding principles and that was feedback from the community members that told us what they wanted to see in that hosting agreement. After we did that public consultation, then we started meeting with the NWMO. That led into full negotiations well over a year ago,” says Goetz.
The 36 principles were grouped into seven themes and include safety and natural environment, people, community and culture, economics and finance, capacity building, services and infrastructure, governance and community engagement, and regional benefits.
Saugeen Ojibway Nation is also being consulted by the NWMO, and will make its own decision about the DGR.
South Bruce is one of two communities in Ontario under consideration by the Nuclear Waste Management Organization for a DGR to store Canada’s used nuclear fuel. The site selection process began in 2010.
Goetz encourages people to read over the hosting agreement, which can be found on the municipal website here, before the referendum vote happens this October. Additionally, information on the hosting agreement is being mailed to all residents in the municipality.