The Grand Council of the Anishinaabe Nation in Treaty #3 (GCT3) has formally raised concerns over the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada’s (IAAC) “Summary of Issues” (SOI) regarding the Nuclear Waste Management Organization’s (NWMO) proposed nuclear waste facility. The facility, proposed within Treaty #3 territory, is intended to store all of Canada’s high-level nuclear fuel for the duration of its toxicity, estimated at one million years.
GCT3 submitted detailed comments on NWMO’s Initial Project Description (IPD) on February 4, 2026, followed by a corrected submission on February 5. On February 23, IAAC posted its SOI on its electronic registry, intended to summarize concerns raised by Indigenous groups, provincial and territorial governments, federal authorities, and the public.
However, GCT3 reports that the SOI fails to comply with IAAC guidance and does not reference any of the Nation’s February 2026 comments, which were organized under six key issues:
- The IPD ignores Nation laws (Manito Aki Inaakonigewin) and the Crown’s constitutional and statutory duties within Treaty #3 territory.
- The IPD’s timing breaches Agency commitments to collaborate with the Nation on MAI/IAA Harmonization.
- The IPD avoids any Impact Assessment Act (IAA) review of serious social and unique technical challenges that influenced site selection.
- Ambiguities in the IPD overlook key IAA factors, despite the requirement for impact assessment.
- The IPD fails to provide information required by IAA regulations and the MAI Framework, including scoping issues and information deficiencies.
- Since 2020, the federal Crown and GCT3 have engaged in Nation-to-Nation discussions on MAI/IAA Harmonization for any nuclear used fuel site in Treaty #3 territory, which NWMO, as a non-Crown entity, is disregarding.
Lack of Independent Review
GCT3 highlights that NWMO has conducted a self-guided, internal site selection process since 2008, without independent regulatory oversight under federal environmental assessment. The IAA now provides the first opportunity for external scrutiny of site selection, but neither the IPD nor the SOI provide a rationale for scoping site selection out of impact assessment.
Ignace’s “Host Community” Designation
The Nation also expresses concern over the IPD designating the Township of Ignace as the “host municipal community.” The project site is more than 40 km outside the township’s boundaries, meaning Ignace has no municipal authority or regulatory jurisdiction over the facility. The SOI does not address this fundamental issue, nor does it clarify that Ignace is not a “jurisdiction” under the IAA.
Special Chiefs Meeting
On February 12, 2026, Treaty #3 Chiefs convened a Special Chiefs Meeting in Thunder Bay, Ontario, with quorum established. Chiefs directed GCT3 and the Territorial Planning Unit to continue ensuring that Manito Aki Inaakonigewin is respected by NWMO and IAAC. The meeting reaffirmed the Nation’s mandate and reviewed all IPD comments.
GCT3 expects NWMO to respond in detail to the issues outlined in the Nation’s IPD comments, ensuring compliance with IAA requirements and recognition of Nation laws and authority.
Click here to read more about their concerns.
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