The Community Liaison Committee welcomed a presentation on Thursday (May 5th) evening with key information setting the stage for the dozens of community studies that are nearing completion and will be publicly presented in the months ahead.
Dave Rushton, Project Manager for the South Bruce Nuclear Exploration Team at the Municipality of South Bruce, and Allan Webster, Director of Regulatory Affairs and Environmental Assessment at the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO), jointly gave the presentation as study managers for the respective organizations.
The studies are part of the Municipality’s participation in the site selection process for the NWMO Project to store used nuclear fuel in a deep geological repository (DGR).
In all, there are about 40 studies aimed at helping to inform decision making and whether the Project is feasible, safe, and will deliver benefits. Further, the studies will help the community understand what changes the Project may bring and how to address them if necessary.
The presenters noted that the studies focus largely on South Bruce, but many also look at impacts on the Core Study Area of four surrounding municipalities – Brockton, Huron-Kinloss, North Huron and Morris-Turnberry. Some studies will consider an even broader area, including several nearby municipalities and counties.
Webster and Rushton also presented key data and information which serves as the baseline – a foundation – for many of the upcoming studies.
This presentation included current figures on demographics, employment and housing in South Bruce and the Core Study area, as well as projected growth with and without the Project moving forward.
For example, forecasting shows that in the Core Study area of the five municipalities, it is expected that there will be an increase of 3,400 jobs by 2046. However, factoring in the Project would result in an additional 1,260 jobs, of which 840 would be located in South Bruce.
The entire presentation can be found in the CLC Agenda package, and a summary document has been mailed to community members.
The CLC will be having a Special Meeting on May 19th which will introduce the first of the Project related studies to the community. The theme of the presentation will be Project Workforce Development and the results of the Labour Baseline, Workforce Development, and Local Hiring Effects studies will be summarized.
South Bruce is one of two remaining communities that the Nuclear Waste Management Organization is considering for the site of a deep geological repository for Canada’s used nuclear fuel, a Centre of Expertise and many supporting facilities. The Municipality of South Bruce is working towards an informed decision for the community through the South Bruce Nuclear Exploration Project team, the Community Liaison Committee, and independent reviews to determine if the site is safe for people and the environment, offers positive benefits and if the community is willing to host the site.
