NO! DGR

I am writing to express my deep concern about the Nuclear Waste Management Organization’s (NWMO) proposed deep geological repository (DGR) for nuclear fuel waste which the NWMO is proposing to construct and operate between Ignace and Dryden in northwestern Ontario.  
I have many concerns about the project itself and the NWMO’s method of selecting the site and their site selection, my comments are on the Impact Assessment review process which began on January 5th and the NWMO’s “initial project description” (IPD). 
The 30-day comment period is too short to have a critical analysis of the 1, 233-page Initial Project Description: Deep Geological Repository (DGR)for Canada’s Used Nuclear Fuel Project that was released in December 2025.  More time is needed to review the full document, to have professional, legal, community, and academic commentary and analysis, and to have meaningful community engagement in the review of the IPD including a full impact assessment and public hearing.
The project description is poorly done and leaves out important information about the project.  The following highlight key issues:
1)Long-Distance Transportation
For one, the NWMO is trying to persuade the Impact Assessment Agency that Long-Distance transportation can be left out of the review after describing transportation as part of their project for more than twenty years.
Further, there are several issues about Long-Distance Transportation that need to be considered;
i)what is the amount of nuclear waste being transported in each container and what would be the impact on people and the environment in the event of a Long-Distance transportation accident, 
ii)what is the containment and clean-up process in the event of an accident during Long-Distance transportation, 
iii)what is the current capacity of Ministry of Ontario Transportation to assist with nuclear accident emergencies, 
iv)environmental damage especially to the pristine freshwater source of the Great Lakes that are also international boundary waters,
v)who will bear responsibility for containment and clean-up of a traffic-related accident during Long-Distance Transportation, 
vi)what are the financial compensation plans for those who would be impacted by a Long-Distance transportation accident, 
vii)concerns about training and monitoring of Long-Distance Transportation staff,
viii)concerns about safety of highway (no. of accidents), 
ix)weather impacts on Long-Distance Transportation
2)Health Assessments
More information is needed about the health assessments of those individuals living near the current stored nuclear waste facilities, particularly the radiological risk for workers and residents, and more information is needed about the health assessment strategy for Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation (WLON) and surrounding communities including three other First Nations.
3)WLON Community Engagement
There are a few concerns about WLON community engagement;
i)What consultation has WLON had with the local, regional, and provincial Indigenous communities and organizations that will be impacted by the transportation of nuclear waste through their territory?
ii)How long has the WLON Regulatory Assessment and Approval Process (RAAP) been in effect?
iii)There should be greater transparency and reporting in the WLON consultation process and RAAP as the DGR project impacts both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, the environment including international boundary waters, and involves multiple levels of Indigenous and non-Indigenous governments.
4)Reporting of Nuclear Waste Materials Incidents
There is a need for accessible, timely, and accurate reporting of any nuclear waste materials incidents/accidents.
Currently, the federal government website for the Blind River Uranium Refinery has a link for information related to the release of nucleotides data sets, https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/6ed50cd9-0d8c-471b-a5f6-26088298870e/resource/1f44948a-0a10-4d1e-87f1-f7fde016fef3,  however, this information is not accessible to the public and when attempts are made to access the datasets, the site responds with the message, “There are no views created for this resource yet.”  
Further, on December 15, 2025, there was a traffic accident at the Blind River Uranium Refinery where six of 8 containers were damaged, and 150 kilograms of uranium ore concentrate was released.  This incident was not made public until January 12, 2026 and then, was only indirectly made available via a link on a federal government website, https://www.cnsc-ccsn.gc.ca/eng/uranium/processing/nuclear-facilities/blind-river/ and 
https://www.cameco.com/businesses/fuel-services/refining-blind-river/environment-safety.  
Given these issues, how can we be sure that the governments—federal, provincial, and WLON—will have accessible and current data available for the public?
5)Used Fuel Packing Plant
There is not enough information about the Used Fuel Packaging Plant, how the wastes will be transferred into the underground and placed in the emplacement rooms, how the containers will be monitored after they are underground, and how they will be retrieved or repaired in the event of a container failing.  The NWMO must be required to provide a detailed project description that is accessible to the public.
I am requesting that this project be the subject of a full impact assessment including a public hearing, and that the Impact Assessment Agency ensure that the public can participate in a meaningful way through each step of the process. 

Miigwetch/Thank you for considering my comments and concerns.

Natalie Owl
Sagamok Anishnawbek