Concerns over how spent nuclear-fuel rods may be transported to a proposed underground storage facility near Ignace may still be part of the project’s overall assessment, says the federal agency overseeing the project review.
“The scope of the assessment — including whether transportation will be considered during the review — has not yet been determined, and could still be considered at some point,” an Impact Assessment Agency of Canada spokeswoman said last week in an email.
Citizens groups opposed to the proposed storage facility being put forward by the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) said they were dismayed last month when transportation issues weren’t included in the project’s initial project description.
Travel on provincial routes in Northwestern Ontario has been top of mind of late, given the noticeable number of fatal crashes in recent weeks involving transport trucks.
Late last month, a 28-year-old Kakabeka Falls woman was killed when her car collided with a transport near the village on Highway 11-17.
In the wake of the recent fatal crashes, Conservative MPP Kevin Holland on Monday issued a statement saying “improving highway safety is an ongoing effort that requires co-ordination, focus and action.”
Holland (Thunder Bay-Atikokan), a former Conmee Township mayor, said he regularly travels area highways, “so this is not an abstract issue for me.”
“The safety of our residents is always top of mind,” said Holland, adding he relays his personal experiences on the road to the government as to “where improvements are needed.”
The Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) has said that transportation is not part of the current stage of its project review process and, in any event, it said, there is a long track record in Canada of nuclear materials being transported safely without causing harm to people or the environment.
If the proposed storage site is approved, fuel rods could be railed or trucked to the Ignace-area site in specialized containers designed to withstand hard impacts, fiery crashes and immersion in water, the NWMO has said.
Though public comments regarding the project’s initial project description document were supposed to be submitted by Feb. 4, the federal assessment agency spokeswoman said comments are still being accepted after that date.
“Comments submitted after the (Feb. 4) deadline will still be welcome and will be considered at the next opportunity for input later in the planning process for the assessment,” she said.
If the proposed underground storage facility is approved, it’s expected to take 20 years to build and put into service, according to NWMO earlier estimates.
Meanwhile, Holland noted survey work has begun on a proposed four-lane route between Thunder Bay and Shabaqua Corners. He said construction can begin once that work is completed, though no timeline estimates were provided.
The Municipality of Oliver Paipoonge has said that when the province is developing that project, it should start from Shabaqua and have construction work proceed in a eastern direction and avoid going through its existing Spence Road landfill site.
The province says it has spent $580 million “in the past year alone” on Northern Ontario highway projects, including ongoing four-lane work between Thunder Bay and Nipigon.
Comments on the Nuclear Waste Management Organization’s storage site project can be made online at the assessment agency’s website: iaac.gc.ca.
By Carl Clutchey, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Original Published on Feb 10, 2026 at 10:20
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