Bruce Hyer pushes nuclear waste group for more consultation

A Thunder Bay MP is holding meetings in his riding concerning the possibility of nuclear waste disposal in northwestern Ontario.

Bruce Hyer, the MP for Thunder Bay-Superior North, said the organization responsible for nuclear waste should consult more widely before choosing a site.

"To be blunt about it, I really hope it will light a fire under the Nuclear Waste Management Organization,” he said.

The Green party member has organized meetings, trying to find out what people in places like Terrace Bay and Marathon think about having a nuclear disposal site in their neighbourhood.

The NWMO has narrowed down its list of 21 "willing host communities" to 15, including several in northwestern Ontario.

"But there's no definition of a willing host community, and there are no geographical parameters around it,” Hyer noted.

Hyer said the organization should be consulting with people in all communities that might be affected by a waste disposal site, including towns along transportation routes and neighbouring communities.

NWMO spokesman Mike Krizanc told the CBC that's part of the plan, but "We're very early in a very long process."

Krizanc said the waste disposal project will not be operational until at least 2035.

"There has been no potential site anywhere identified ... So there is no transportation route, or mode of transportation yet been identified."

Both Hyer and the Nuclear Waste Management Organization will have the ear of municipal leaders from across the Thunder Bay district today. Hyer is addressing a meeting of the municipal league in Schreiber, and an official with Nuclear Waste Management will speak to the same group later in the day.

Hyer wraps up his series of community meetings in Nipigon tonight. Additional meetings are planned for Thunder Bay and Greenstone.

He is also gathering input through a published survey.