Evaluating the ‘Listening and Learning’ Phase of the DGR Project
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 NWMO’s Phase 1, ‘Conversations About Expectations,’ sought to build an information foundation by gathering input from the Canadian public and Indigenous Peoples. The proponent claims to have integrated expert research with Indigenous knowledge and lived experiences to define the study’s scope and management options. This phase included various initiatives such as face-to-face meetings, technical methods exploration, and a Scenarios Exercise to model future interactions with nuclear fuel.
Underlying Assumptions
- The consultation was representative of the Canadian public despite a lack of demographic and geographic data.
- A small group of 26 individuals can accurately model multi-disciplinary societal interactions with nuclear waste over a 10,000-year horizon.
- Proponent-commissioned papers provide a neutral and sufficient information foundation without independent verification.
- Vague ‘Indigenous dialogues’ equate to meaningful integration of Traditional Knowledge and respect for specific treaty rights.
Community Assessment
Our review of the Initial Project Description and Phase 1 activities highlights a concerning lack of granular data. For residents of Melgund Township, Dyment, and Borups Corners, the NWMO’s framing of ‘listening and learning’ employs emotive language that obscures the power imbalance between a national organization and small communities. The ‘Scenarios Exercise’ is particularly troubling; while the project’s hazards span hundreds of thousands of years, detailed modeling only covers 25 years, leaving the most critical containment periods to ‘simple what-ifs.’ This temporal imbalance downplays the long-term risks of containment failure and water table contamination that local residents will bear long after the planning window closes.
Path Forward
The proponent must provide a detailed ‘What We Heard’ report that explicitly links feedback to specific project modifications. We recommend disclosing participant demographics, expert selection criteria for the 70 commissioned papers, and granular details on how Indigenous consultations were ethically handled. Independent, third-party verification of the ‘information foundation’ is essential to ensure the assessment is based on objective data rather than proponent-led narratives.
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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