Thunder Bay – Members of We the Nuclear Free North held a peaceful rally at city hall and spoke before council before receiving a favourable result on Monday.
Charles Faust, founding member of We the Nuclear Free North, said he thinks the ask was realistic.
“We're asking council to urge the Nuclear Waste Management Organization to seek a solution whereby they can store this waste and secure storage near the reactors, where it is now stored and where it was produced."
The resolution will allow the city to advocate to the province to adopt the proximity principle and city administration will review current standards with respect to the transportation of hazardous goods within city boundaries.
“And we think that's possible within 30 years, 40 years at the rate things are changing. We think that's a realistic ask. We're also asking them to oppose the creation of a deep geological repository in Northwest Ontario," Faust said.
“That's all they can do. They can't stop the stuff from coming through here – it's a provincial highway."
Chief Michele Solomon from Fort William First Nation attended the peaceful rally.
“I was made aware of this event happening by some of my community members who have actively been involved in opposing nuclear waste for years now and are actively doing this work. They asked me if I would come and be present.
“Of course this is something that Fort William First Nation leadership has been strongly opposed to. It made sense that I come and echo their voices.”
Solomon is concerned about the possibility of nuclear waste spills along the highways.
“We know the number of accidents that happen with trucks on our highways and how that can impact our waterways, the safety of our communities and the long-term impacts of that on Mother Earth.
“I think it's really important that the people who lead these protests and keep the message at the forefront need to be acknowledged for the work that they have done to make sure that this gets attention, to make sure that the voices of people are heard and to keep getting the message of the concerns of safety at the forefront of this,” she said.
Kristen Oliver, chair of the intergovernmental affairs committee, brought forward a motion to have administration review the city's Dangerous Good Route in light of the possibility of nuclear waste being transported through the city.
We the Nuclear Free North members Faust and Mary Veltri addressed council, asking them to take a stand against that possibility.
After the deputation, Coun. Kasey Etreni said she appreciated some of the topics they were discussing.
“I think there's a lot of fallacies in our community, and I encourage everyone to educate themselves on this topic. I hear your concerns about water and transportation. I understand those, but I also hear the engagement piece and the engagement piece to me is a lot of education.
"We've had a couple of different groups but we've not had the information, the education of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission. I don't get that.”
Etreni asked the disputants if they have reached out to the CNSC, to which they said yes.
“Because some of the information that you've given is kind of not quite right,” she said.
Coun. Mark Bentz asked: “Is your group aware that the Canadian Shield is one of the safest places to store nuclear waste, given its geologic stability?”
The motion passed with one opposed and one abstention.
There was also an amendment to direct administration to draft a letter “urging the Nuclear Waste Management Organization to pursue the option of managing used nuclear fuel waste closer to the reactor stations where the waste has been generated and is currently stored, thereby avoiding transportation of nuclear waste in Thunder Bay.”
The amendment passed seven to five.
If it's ratified, the city will write to the federal government and NWMO urging them to manage nuclear waste closer to the reactors and administration will take a look at how dangerous goods move through the city.
Faust said he felt elated after the meeting.
“It was a long night, but we had a positive outcome and I really thank all the hard work that everyone's done to get us this far.
“I think these people really care and enough to come out and sit in council for that long and wait. There's a lot of frustration with people, they like to see some movement and it is a polarizing topic after all,” he said.
Faust along with members of the organization are thankful to council for giving them a voice.
“We hooted once we got into the elevator and doors closed,” he said.
A section of this story was added at around 5:20 p.m. on Tuesday to include information about the amendment.
