The news is being welcomed by some leaders, who say the project is critical for the region\u2019s economic revival. However, others, namely those involved with We the Nuclear Free North, say the government’s efforts to fast-track its approval are \u201ca betrayal of public trust.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n WATCH | Why this Ontario town agreed to take Canada\u2019s nuclear waste: Why this Ontario town agreed to take Canada\u2019s nuclear waste <\/p>\n The northern Ontario community of Ignace has agreed to be the future home of Canada\u2019s nuclear waste. The National\u2019s Nick Purdon went to the region to find out why the majority of people were in favour of the move and see how the toxic materials will be stored deep underground.<\/p>\n About 1,200 people live in Ignace, located about 245 kilometres northwest of Thunder Bay, while Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation has about 200 members on reserve.<\/p>\n Aaron Gullins, chief administrative officer of Ignace, said the township\u2019s population could double or triple in size if the DGR is approved.<\/p>\n \u201cWe’re hoping that Ignace realizes that growth,\u201d Gullins said, \u201cbecause it hasn’t done well in the last couple of decades.\u201d<\/p>\n After years of industrial losses and an ever-rising cost of living, the township is welcoming opportunities \u201cto offset some of those pressures and make sure that the community can thrive like it once did back in the \u201880s.\u201d<\/p>\n Project ‘still subject to impact assessments’: feds<\/p>\n The DGR is undergoing a federal impact assessment under the\u00a0Impact Assessment Act\u00a0and a Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission licensing review under the\u00a0Nuclear Safety and Control Act. As well, it’s subject to a regulatory assessment and approval process by\u00a0Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation. <\/p>\n \u201cThe\u00a0Building Canada Act\u00a0is not about bypassing approvals. It is intended to streamline federal regulatory processes to ensure that projects of national interest move forward efficiently and predictably,\u201d wrote Pierre-Alain Bujold, media relations person with the Privy Council Office, in an email to CBC News Thursday.<\/p>\n \u201cProjects listed under the Act are still subject to impact assessments, as well as Crown consultations with potentially impacted Indigenous communities.\u201d <\/p>\n According to the Government of Canada, before any decision is made about listing the DGR as a project of national interest, \u201cconsultations will be held with Indigenous communities who may be impacted by the project, to determine whether this project should be listed under the Act.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThese consultations will begin over the next several months, with the intent for the Minister of One Canadian Economy to make a recommendation for Governor in Council decision in the fall,\u201d the government\u2019s website says.<\/a><\/p>\n \u2018The future of Ontario is in northern Ontario\u2019<\/p>\n Regional leaders are celebrating the national interest in the DGR, including the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association (NOMA) and Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities (FONOM).<\/p>\n \u201cWe knew that the future of Ontario is in northern Ontario, and the fact that the federal government wants to move fast is music to our ears,\u201d said FONOM president and mayor of Kapuskasing, Dave Plourde.<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s about taking the bull by the horns and moving forward and making sure that we have everything we need in place to really take advantage of the growth that’s going to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n That, he said, means making critical infrastructure improvements along the Highway 11-17 corridor to address long-standing safety concerns.<\/p>\n NOMA and FONOM have been advocating for the federal government to recognize the highway \u2014 which forms the country\u2019s primary east-west transportation corridor \u2014 as strategic national infrastructure.<\/p>\n LISTEN | Northwest nuclear waste repository could become a nationally important project:<\/p>\n 7:01Northwest nuclear waste repository could become a nationally important project<\/p>\n The federal government is considering listing Canada\u2019s first deep geological repository, proposed for the Ignace area, as a project of national interest.\u00a0We hear from Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities President Dave Plourde about what this could mean for the region.<\/p>\n \u201cBoth those routes are in dire need of repair, whether it be for nuclear waste [transportation] \u2014 just the mining alone that’s going to happen in our neck of the woods \u2014 certainly is going to increase the traffic along those highways,\u201d Plourde said.<\/p>\n The municipal associations are calling on the provincial and federal governments to work \u201cto identify and advance priority segments for expansion, twinning, and safety improvements along Highway 11 and Highway 17,\u201d says Wednesday\u2019s news release.<\/a><\/p>\n Calls for consultations, thorough examination<\/p>\n Transportation is among the main concerns of those opposed to the DGR. A recent rally drew dozens of community members and First Nation leaders to Thunder Bay earlier this month, with a focus on issues related to safety, the environment and the rights of the region\u2019s First Nations.<\/p>\n \u201cOur primary concern is always the safety \u2014 and through whatever ways or means are decided, we need a comprehensive and full examination of the safety aspects,\u201d said Wendy O\u2019Connor, a volunteer with We the Nuclear Free North.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s always the physical safety and the social safety of the project, considering nothing like this has been undertaken before.\u201d<\/p>\n Work on the world\u2019s first deep geological repository for nuclear waste, located in Onkalo, Finland, is nearing completion.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1768501032_671_default.jpg\")
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Dave Plourde is mayor of Kapuskasing, Ont., and president of the Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities. (Town of Kapuskasing website)<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1782495858_918_default.jpg\")
Several rallies have been held in Thunder Bay, Ont., in recent years in opposition to the proposed DGR, including one seen in this October 2024 file photo. (Sarah Law\/CBC)<\/p>\n