Section Synopsis
Pages: 12-17This section of the NWMO document outlines the history and future strategy for public engagement regarding the Deep Geological Repository (DGR). It details the site-selection process from 2010 to the present, highlighting the 'willingness' process in the Township of Ignace and the transition toward formal regulatory engagement. The text categorizes stakeholders into tiers, distinguishing between 'host' communities and 'surrounding' communities, and summarizes key concerns raised by the public, such as environmental safety, facility design, and socio-economic impacts like housing and infrastructure.
Community Assessment Narrative
The NWMO’s description of engagement reads like a corporate victory lap that conveniently sidesteps the residents of Melgund Township. While the document boasts about 'transparent, enduring relationships,' it reveals a troubling two-tier system of engagement. The NWMO explicitly states that for the future, they will 'Involve' Ignace through direct collaboration and hosting agreements, while they will merely 'Inform' nearby communities like Melgund. For those of us living in Dyment and Borups Corners, less than 10km from the Revell site, being 'informed' is a polite way of saying we have no seat at the table despite being on the front lines of the project's daily impacts. The 'Township of Ignace Story' co-developed by the NWMO ignores the fact that the actual 'hole in the ground' is in our backyard, not in the Ignace townsite. This 'glossy' narrative treats Ignace as the sole voice of the region, which is a significant oversight for those of us who will actually see the headframes and hear the blasting.
Impacts on Local Recreation: The document’s silence on the specific loss of land access is deafening for Melgund residents. The Revell site is not just a 'geological formation'; it is a primary corridor for our hunting, fishing, and snowmobiling. The influx of a massive workforce and the potential location of a worker camp in Ignace means our quiet backroads and ATV trails will be overrun with traffic and 'industrial tourists.' There is a legitimate fear that the acoustic environment—the very silence we moved here for—will be shattered by 24/7 operations, effectively ending the peaceful use of our seasonal camps. Furthermore, the Dyment Recreation Hall serves as our community's heart; if our population is displaced or our local roads become too dangerous due to heavy nuclear transport and construction traffic, the viability of our local social hub is at risk. The NWMO mentions 'community well-being' but fails to address how the stigma of a nuclear waste site will affect the 'Sunset Country' brand that draws people to our lakes and trails.
Finally, the mention of 'Gender-based Analysis Plus' and 'inclusive policies' feels like marketing fluff designed to check a box for federal regulators. It does nothing to address the practical reality of a senior citizen in Melgund trying to navigate a highway clogged with heavy machinery or a local hunter losing access to traditional grounds. The NWMO’s reliance on 'Learn More' centers and webinars does not replace the need for a formal, legally binding agreement that protects the specific interests of the Melgund Local Service Board area.
Corrective Measures & Recommendations
The NWMO must immediately move Melgund Township (Dyment/Borups Corners) from the 'Inform' category to the 'Involve' category. Given our proximity to the Revell site (under 10km), a 'Neighboring Community Agreement' should be established that mirrors the protections and benefits provided to Ignace. This must include dedicated funding for the Dyment Recreation Hall to ensure it can continue to serve as a community hub during the decades of construction and operation, as well as a formal 'Recreation Mitigation Plan' that guarantees continued access to surrounding Crown lands for hunting and snowmobiling.
Furthermore, the NWMO must provide a specific, localized traffic and noise study for the Highway 17 corridor between Ignace and Melgund. If the worker camp is located in Ignace, the daily commute of hundreds of workers past our homes creates a safety and noise hazard that has not been quantified. We demand a commitment to 'No-Haul' hours during peak local travel times and the installation of permanent noise monitoring stations in Melgund, with data made publicly available in real-time to ensure the 'acoustic environment' is actually being protected as claimed.
On 16 February, 2026 the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAAC), with input from the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC), published a Summary of Issues (SOI) for the proposed Deep Geological Repository (DGR) for Canada’s Used Nuclear Fuel Project, put forward by the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO). The SOI identifies the key issues that IAAC considers relevant to the federal integrated impact assessment process for the project. NWMO’s response to the SOI will assist IAAC in determining whether an impact assessment is required under section 16 of the Impact Assessment Act. If an impact assessment is required, the issues outlined in the SOI—together with NWMO’s response—will help shape the scope of the assessment and inform the continued development and finalization of the Integrated Tailored Impact Statement Guidelines and associated plans.
Alignments to IAAC Summary (SOI)
The community findings from Melgund Township show a high degree of alignment with the IAAC Summary of Issues (SOI), particularly regarding the socio-economic inequities and transportation risks facing "neighboring" versus "host" communities. Melgund’s primary concern regarding its classification in the "Inform" tier rather than the "Involve" tier directly supports the IAAC’s identified issue under Socio-Economic Conditions: Distribution of economic benefits for all regional communities. The Township’s observation of a "haves and have-nots" dynamic validates the Agency’s concern that project benefits and institutional support may not be equitably shared with communities outside the formal hosting agreement, despite their proximity to the Revell site.
There is also a strong technical alignment regarding the repository’s design. Melgund’s specific critique of the absence of a ramp for safety and evacuation purposes provides a localized justification for the issue flagged in the IAAC’s Other Key Issues: Alternative means section. The Agency specifically noted a lack of considered alternatives for "vertical shafts," and Melgund’s technical concern regarding emergency egress confirms that this is not just a regulatory oversight but a significant point of public safety anxiety for those living within 10km of the site.
Regarding transportation, Melgund’s findings provide granular evidence for the broad concerns listed under the IAAC’s Transportation theme. While the IAAC identifies "Transportation service and infrastructure preparedness and demand" as a general issue, Melgund specifies the Highway 17 corridor through Dyment and Borups Corners as a high-risk zone. The community’s demand for localized noise monitoring and "No-Haul" hours supports the IAAC’s interest in the "capacity" and "demands on existing infrastructure." Furthermore, Melgund’s concern about the worker camp being located in Ignace—forcing a daily commute past Melgund homes—validates the IAAC’s concern under Socio-Economic Conditions: Local economic 'boom and bust' cycle, which notes that communities may experience disproportionate impacts if the workforce resides elsewhere.
Finally, a significant alignment exists regarding land use. The IAAC’s section on Socio-economic impacts to land use explicitly mentions impacts on "recreation, tourism, fishing, hunting... and existing roads." Melgund’s findings specify the Revell Lake area and the need for a "Recreation Mitigation Plan" for hunting and snowmobiling. This suggests that the community’s assessment has successfully identified the specific local assets that fall under the Agency’s broader "land use" umbrella. A potential gap identified by the community that requires more emphasis in the IAAC process is the specific protection of the Dyment Recreation Hall as a "community hub," which serves as a concrete example of the "Social cohesion and community wellbeing" issue flagged by the Agency.
Key Claims
Underlying Assumptions
Critical Observations & Gaps
Analysis Table| Issue Identified | Implication | Information Required |
|---|---|---|
| The distinction between 'Involve' (Ignace) and 'Inform' (Melgund/Dryden) creates a two-tier stakeholder system. | This creates a 'haves and have-nots' dynamic where Melgund bears the proximity risk without the same level of institutional support. | A formal definition of what 'Involve' entails for immediate neighbors like Melgund. |
| The preference to locate the worker camp in Ignace increases traffic through the Melgund corridor. | Melgund residents will face the brunt of traffic and noise without the economic 'stimulus' of the camp being in their own community. | A detailed traffic impact assessment for the Highway 17 stretch through Dyment. |
| The community questioned the absence of a ramp in the repository design for safety/evacuation. | If the community is raising safety concerns about shafts vs. ramps, the NWMO's 'transparency' is tested by whether they actually change the design. | A technical justification or design update addressing the ramp vs. shaft safety concerns. |
| Vague commitments to 'protecting local lakes and ecosystems' without specific land-use guarantees. | General claims of 'protection' do not address the specific loss of recreational land use for locals. | A map of restricted zones and a plan for maintaining recreational access to the Revell Lake area. |
Working Group Recommendations
Challenge the Proponent's engagement classification of Melgund LSB as an 'Inform' stakeholder (Section 5.4) regarding Emergency Preparedness, specifically in light of the commitment to 'support emergency services' in Ignace (Section 5.1).
Assess the proposed location of the 'worker accommodation camp' described as being 'within or near the town of Ignace' (Section 5.3.2) to determine potential spillover impacts on Melgund.
Request confirmation that the baseline data collection for 'local lakes and ecosystems' (Section 5.3.2) includes water bodies and land within the Melgund LSB jurisdiction, distinct from the data collected for the Township of Ignace.
Require the inclusion of 'Regional Evacuation Safety' as a Valued Component, addressing the specific design concerns raised regarding the 'absence of a ramp' and reliance on vertical shafts (Section 5.3.2).
Understanding the Impacts of Nuclear Waste on our Community
This digital archive houses the public comments submitted to the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada regarding Project 88774: The Nuclear Waste Management Organization Deep Geological Repository (DGR) for Canada's Used Nuclear Fuel Project. The impact assessment is led jointly by the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission. This archive preserves community perspectives, concerns, and observations shared during the assessment process, particularly in relation to Melgund Township, Northwestern Ontario and the communities of Dyment and Borups Corners who are the closest and most impacted of all in the process.