Indigenous group vows to stop nuclear waste shipments unless new deal struck

As CTV London's Scott Miller explains, the Saugeen Ojibway Nation is threatening to block nuclear waste from entering its territory unless a new deal is made.

Leaders with the Saugeen Ojibway Nation (SON) say they are no longer willing to have their territory “exploited” for the production of nuclear energy and storage of radioactive waste.

“The nuclear issue has the biggest footprint in the Saugeen Ojibway Territory. It’s the biggest footprint bearing on the environmental imprint, so we need to start getting some of that stuff resolved,” said Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation Coun. Paul Jones.

The SON is home to Bruce Power, the world’s largest operating nuclear station, as well as Ontario Power Generation’s (OPG) Western Waste Management Facility that houses most of Ontario’s nuclear waste.

That includes over one million used nuclear fuel bundles and approximately 100,000 cubic metres of low and intermediate level nuclear waste.

SON leadership say they didn’t agree to either nuclear facility being constructed in their territory, but they are left to deal with them on their traditional lands that stretch from Tobermory to Goderich.

“I believe there were some formal agreements with SON in 2018 and 2022. Since then, Ontario Power Generation has reneged (renegotiated) on some of those commitments, and it kind of put some of the talks on standstill for now,” said Saugeen First Nation Chief Conrad Ritchie.

To restart those talks about compensation for hosting a large portion of Ontario’s nuclear waste, SON has threatened to stop allowing shipments of nuclear waste into their territory unless “significant progress” is made “towards the resolution of nuclear legacy issues” within six months.

“We’ll take any legal or any political means necessary to enforce the moratorium. Until there is a just and satisfactory resolution to what we’re proposing in our territory,” said Ritchie.

By May, SON is seeking deals with OPG and the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO), similar to their profit sharing deals with Bruce Power on medical isotopes, or partnership with Hydro One for the Bruce to Milton hydro corridor.

“They get the benefit of utilizing our particular territory for free right now. I mean, it’s not just about money. But right now they’re utilizing it for free, impacting on our territory for free,” said Jones.

Ontario Power Generation had this to say about SON’s proposed moratorium on allowing nuclear waste into Saugeen territory:

“OPG respects the rights and interests of Indigenous Nations across the province. We will continue our discussions with Saugeen Ojibway Nation and look forward to the collaboration, partnership and learning opportunities these conversations will provide.”

The NWMO said, “The Nuclear Waste Management Organization is aware of the resolution adopted by the Joint Chiefs and Councils of the Saugeen Ojibway Nation. It’s important to note that the Nuclear Waste Management Organization is not responsible for the interim storage of nuclear waste. The role of the NWMO is to build permanent storage for used nuclear fuel and intermediate-level and non-fuel high-level nuclear waste.”

Bruce Power, who leases the Bruce Nuclear Plant from OPG, said, “Bruce Power respects that our facility is on the traditional territory of the Saugeen Ojibway Nation (SON), and we will continue to engage with SON leadership and the community in an open, transparent and collaborative way to grow our partnership and address concerns and advance opportunities. We also support the appropriate organizations engaging on historic concerns raised by SON. Bruce Power will continue to work as hard as we can every day to build trust with the SON leadership and community, expand collaboration related to our existing operation as we’ve done with our isotope partnership, and approach potential new opportunities in a manner that is unifying and brings meaningful benefit to the communities.”

Although the plan is to eventually move the millions of used nuclear fuel bundles currently stored at the Western Waste Management Facility to a yet constructed underground facility in northern Ontario, the highly radioactive material will remain in Saugeen territory for many more decades, and that’s worth something, said SON leadership.

“We’re taking all the risk and there’s no benefits coming to SON,” said Jones.

“Hopefully we’ll come up with a good plan or a resolution that’s fair for all parties. And that Saugeen and Nawash get their equal share of operating within our traditional treaty territory,” said Ritchie.

The SON is comprised of the Saugeen First Nation and Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation. Their traditional territories stretch from Tobermory east to Collingwood, and south to Arthur and Goderich.