Ottawa extends deadline for Canadians to challenge, question and weigh in on the proposed national interest designation of Canada’s Deep Geological Repository for Nuclear Waste.

Canada’s proposed nuclear waste repository is facing another round of public scrutiny, and Canadians now have more time to make their concerns known. The Major Projects Office has extended the public comment period on a proposed federal designation that could place the Deep Geological Repository for Canada’s Used Nuclear Fuel on the list of Projects of National Interest under the Building Canada Act. The new deadline is January 15, 2027.

The announcement, published in the October 31 Canada Gazette, follows the original September notice and provides an additional opportunity for Canadians to weigh in on a proposal that has become deeply controversial.

The Nuclear Waste Management Organization’s proposed Deep Geological Repository has prompted significant debate over its location, potential environmental and community impacts, long-term responsibilities and the process through which such a consequential project should be approved. These are not small questions. The project concerns the permanent management of Canada’s used nuclear fuel, with implications that extend far beyond the communities closest to the proposed site.

Now, the possibility of adding the project to the federal government’s list of national interest projects brings another layer of scrutiny. What does this designation mean for the future of the project? What considerations will guide the government’s decision? And how will the designation interact with the integrated impact assessment already underway?

That assessment is being led jointly by the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission. Its work is central to examining the project’s potential impacts and providing an opportunity for meaningful public participation. Canadians should be able to expect a thorough, independent and transparent process, particularly when decisions involve nuclear waste and responsibilities extending across generations.

The extended comment period is an important opportunity to reinforce that expectation. People should not assume that this is simply a local debate or that the decisions surrounding the repository are matters only for the immediate project area or the two “host” communities. Nuclear waste management is a national issue, and the implications of how Canada approaches it deserve attention from across the country.

We encourage Canadians, community organizations, environmental groups, researchers and anyone concerned about the proposal to take this opportunity to write to the Major Projects Office. Ask questions. Raise concerns. Explain why an independent impact assessment and meaningful public participation must remain central to decisions about this project.

The extension gives the public more time, but it is up to Canadians to use it.

The new deadline for submissions is January 15, 2027. Send comments directly to the Major Projects Office: DGRComment-CommentaireDSCGP@mpo-bgp.gc.ca

Canada’s nuclear waste decisions will have consequences for generations. They deserve more than a quick decision. They deserve scrutiny, public accountability and a full and independent assessment.