Intergenerational Impacts of the Proposed Project Schedule
This article is part of a series exploring the views and perspectives of youth, artists and community members working with the Melgund Integrated Nuclear Impact Assessment Project. This initiative is a climate entrepreneurship and arts-based community recreation program, developed through community consultation, engagement participation in the integrated impact assessment process for the NWMO’s proposed Deep Geological Repository for nuclear waste fuel.
What is Proposed
The Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) has outlined an anticipated schedule for the Revell DGR project that spans over 160 years, beginning in 2030 and extending through 2193. As detailed in the Initial Project Description, the proponent claims the project will move through four distinct phases: a 13-year Site Preparation and Construction phase, a 50-year Operations phase, a 100-year Decommissioning and Closure phase, and a final stage of Institutional Control. The proponent asserts that these timelines are consistent with Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) terminology for managing residual risks through both active and passive measures.
Underlying Assumptions
- The project will commence in 2030 without significant regulatory, legal, or technical delays.
- A 100-year duration for decommissioning is sufficient and technically appropriate, despite a lack of specific activity breakdowns.
- Institutional controls will remain effective and funded beyond the year 2193.
- Social and financial structures will remain stable enough to maintain site knowledge and safety obligations across multiple human generations.
Community Assessment
Our assessment reveals significant concerns regarding the clinical language used to describe this multi-generational transformation. The 13-year construction phase is framed as a preliminary step, yet for residents of Dyment and Borups Corners, it represents over a decade of industrial noise, dust, and permanent ecosystem alteration. Furthermore, the 100-year decommissioning phase lacks technical justification, suggesting it may serve as a placeholder for deferred action or a tacit admission of high complexity. This creates a profound intergenerational equity issue; the project effectively externalizes long-term risks onto future generations who have no say in today’s decisions. The term “Institutional Control” acts as a bureaucratic euphemism for the permanent alienation of local lands and the management of “residual risks” that will persist long after the proponent’s corporate existence may have ended. Without a strategy for “social memory” or knowledge transfer, the community faces the risk of losing critical site safety information over the next 16 decades.
Path Forward
To address these gaps, the proponent must provide a more granular breakdown of the 100-year Decommissioning and Closure phase, distinguishing between active decommissioning and extended monitoring. We recommend that the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAAC) require a robust framework for Intergenerational Knowledge Management to ensure site markers and records survive for centuries. Additionally, clear financial guarantees must be established and adjusted for inflation to ensure that monitoring and potential remediation do not become an unfunded liability for future taxpayers or local communities.
About the Integrated Assessment Process
The federal Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAAC) has formally launched the integrated impact assessment process for the proposed Deep Geological Repository (DGR) for Canada’s Used Nuclear Fuel Project, a major national infrastructure initiative led by the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO).
The proposed underground repository is designed to permanently contain and isolate used nuclear fuel in a secure geological formation. Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation and the Township of Ignace have been selected as host communities for the project. The site is located approximately 21 kilometres southeast of Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation and 43 kilometres northwest of Ignace, Ontario, near Highway 17.
According to project materials, the repository would provide permanent storage for approximately 5.9 million bundles of used nuclear fuel. The full lifecycle of the project is expected to span roughly 160 years, including site preparation, construction, operations, closure, and long-term monitoring.
Integrated Federal Review
Major nuclear projects in Canada are subject to an integrated assessment process jointly led by the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC). This “one project, one review” approach is intended to streamline regulatory oversight while ensuring rigorous evaluation of environmental, health, social, economic, and Indigenous rights impacts.
Under this framework, IAAC oversees the impact assessment requirements under the Impact Assessment Act, while the CNSC regulates nuclear safety under the Nuclear Safety and Control Act. The CNSC will issue the initial site preparation licence and manage all subsequent nuclear licensing for the project’s duration.
The integrated assessment also includes a focus on potential impacts on Indigenous Peoples, including rights, land use, cultural practices, health, and socio-economic conditions. Where potential adverse effects are identified, the process is intended to identify mitigation measures to reduce or avoid harm.
Public Comment Period Now Open
The first public comment period for the project is currently open and will run until February 4, 2026. During this phase, the public is invited to provide feedback on the Summary of the Initial Project Description submitted by the NWMO. Submissions received during this period will inform IAAC’s summary of issues, which will guide the next stages of the impact assessment. All comments submitted become part of the public project record and are posted to the federal Impact Assessment Registry.
This plain-language summary is provided by ECO-STAR North and Art Borups Corners to support public engagement.
Disclaimer: The views and perspectives expressed in this article are solely those of the independent arts program led by ECO-STAR North and Art Borups Corners. They do not reflect the official positions of the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) or the Government of Canada.
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