Section Synopsis
Pages: 27-28The document outlines a multi-generational timeline for the Revell Site DGR Project, beginning with a 13-year site preparation and construction phase (2030–2042), followed by a 50-year operational period (2043–2092). A century-long decommissioning and closure phase, including extended monitoring, is scheduled from 2093 to 2192, after which the site enters a period of institutional control starting in 2193.
Community Assessment Narrative
The NWMO presents this 160-year timeline with a clinical detachment that masks the profound disruption facing Melgund Township. For those of us in Dyment and Borups Corners, a 13-year 'Site Preparation and Construction' phase isn't just a line on a table; it represents an entire childhood of noise, dust, and heavy machinery for our local youth. The document uses 'approximate' as a shield, failing to acknowledge that industrial projects of this scale rarely stick to the script, often leading to 'temporary' disruptions that last decades. The term 'Institutional Control' is classic corporate-speak, a vague placeholder for a future where the proponent has long since exited, leaving the local community to live with the permanent footprint of a nuclear repository.
Impacts on Local Recreation: The proposed schedule poses a direct threat to the lifestyle that defines Melgund. The 13-year construction window will likely involve blasting and heavy hauling that will shatter the acoustic environment, driving away the moose and deer our local hunters rely on. Access to traditional fishing spots and the network of snowmobile and ATV trails near the Revell site faces decades of 'temporary' closures or permanent rerouting. Furthermore, the Dyment Recreation Hall, the heart of our social life, sits dangerously close to the anticipated traffic surge on Highway 17. The influx of a transient workforce and the constant roar of trucks will fundamentally alter the character of our community gatherings, turning a quiet rural hub into a staging ground for an industrial wasteland.
Corrective Measures & Recommendations
The proponent must provide a Melgund-specific 'Construction Mitigation Agreement' that includes enforceable limits on noise and dust, and a guaranteed traffic management plan that prevents industrial vehicles from idling near residential areas or the Dyment Recreation Hall. This agreement should also include a 'Community Vitality Fund' to upgrade local facilities, ensuring our social spaces can withstand the pressures of a decade-long construction surge.
To address recreation impacts, the NWMO must fund a 'Recreation Continuity Program' managed by local residents. This program should map all existing hunting, fishing, and trail assets and provide legally binding guarantees for alternative access or land offsets if current areas are restricted. We need more than 'monitoring'; we need a commitment that our grandchildren will still be able to use the land for the same activities we enjoy today, regardless of the 'Institutional Control' status.
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 "Health, Social, and Economic Conditions" and "Other Key Issues" sections of the IAAC Summary of Issues (SOI). Specifically, Melgund’s concern regarding the 13-year construction phase and the resulting "boom-bust" cycle directly supports the IAAC’s identified issue under Socio-Economic Conditions: Local economic 'boom and bust' cycle. While the IAAC flags this as a general regional concern, Melgund’s analysis provides a critical local lens by identifying a gap in the proponent’s planning: the lack of a workforce housing and service-impact study for the immediate 10km radius. This validates the IAAC’s concern regarding the Effects of temporary workers on services and infrastructure, but adds a specific requirement for localized mitigation, such as the proposed "Construction Mitigation Agreement" to protect residential areas and the Dyment Recreation Hall from noise, dust, and traffic.
Regarding the long-term phases of the project, Melgund’s concerns about the "Extended Monitoring" phase align closely with the IAAC’s section on Monitoring and institutional control. The IAAC notes a need for "criteria for project modification, suspension and reversal," which mirrors Melgund’s demand for specific "success vs. failure" triggers during the 100-year monitoring period. Furthermore, Melgund’s focus on "intergenerational equity" and the long-term "stigma" of being a nuclear host validates the IAAC’s themes of Psychosocial health impacts and Long-term sustainability. Melgund’s recommendation for a "Community Vitality Fund" that extends into the "Institutional Control" phase (starting in 2193) addresses a gap in the current SOI by proposing a concrete financial mechanism to manage the "intergenerational rolling stewardship" mentioned in the IAAC document.
Finally, there is strong alignment between Melgund’s "Recreation Continuity Program" and the IAAC’s concern regarding Socio-economic impacts to land use. The IAAC identifies the need for information on how the project affects hunting, fishing, and trail assets; Melgund’s findings go a step further by demanding legally binding guarantees for alternative access or land offsets. This community-led recommendation provides a specific pathway to address the IAAC’s broader concern about the Current use of lands and resources. By identifying the need for "grandchildren" to use the land regardless of the project's status, Melgund reinforces the IAAC’s focus on the Long-term implications for rights and the sustainability of traditional and recreational lifestyles in the Revell Site vicinity.
Key Claims
Underlying Assumptions
Critical Observations & Gaps
Analysis Table| Issue Identified | Implication | Information Required |
|---|---|---|
| Lack of 'boom-bust' mitigation planning for small townships like Melgund. | A 13-year construction phase will cause a massive, temporary population spike that could overwhelm local services and then collapse. | A detailed workforce housing and service-impact study for the immediate 10km radius. |
| The 'Extended Monitoring' phase is poorly defined regarding what triggers an intervention. | 100 years of monitoring suggests a high degree of uncertainty regarding the long-term stability of the site. | Specific criteria for 'success' vs. 'failure' during the 100-year monitoring period. |
| Intergenerational equity and the long-term 'stigma' of being a nuclear host. | The project spans multiple generations, meaning current residents are making decisions for descendants who will inherit the risk. | A long-term community compensation trust that extends into the 'Institutional Control' phase. |
Working Group Recommendations
Challenge the Proponent to demonstrate full self-sufficiency in emergency response capabilities (fire, ambulance, spill response) specifically for the 13-year "Site Preparation and Construction" phase (2030–2042) outlined in Table 12.1.
Request a detailed definition of "Institutional Control" (2193+) and "Extended monitoring" (2093–2192) specifically regarding permissible community land use, recreation access, and resource harvesting rights during these periods.
Require the Proponent to model environmental effects (specifically noise, vibration, and air quality/dust) based on a continuous 13-year "Site Preparation and Construction" duration.
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.