Request a detailed 'Site Characterization Environmental Management Plan' that quantifies the physical footprint (drilling, land clearing, water withdrawal) of activities the Proponent claims are exempt from IAA Section 7 prohibitions.
Strategic Rationale
"The Proponent's submission explicitly states that site characterization is 'not a designated activity' and is therefore not subject to the prohibitions in Section 7 of the Act. While this may be legally accurate, it presents a significant risk to the local environment in Melgund Township. Site characterization involves heavy machinery, deep drilling, and potential aquifer interaction. Because Melgund is an unorganized territory without municipal bylaws to regulate these activities, there is a danger that significant environmental disturbance could occur under the guise of 'data gathering' without the scrutiny of the Impact Assessment. We must demand transparency on these 'exempt' activities to ensure they do not degrade local land and water resources before the project is even approved. This ensures that the 'baseline' is not artificially altered by the characterization work itself."
Source Context
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.