Some support for a nuclear waste repository in the region.
Thunder Bay’s Chamber of Commerce has drafted a written deputation to present at city council on Monday night.
This comes following Ignace’s town council decision to continue showing interest in hosting Canada’s first underground nuclear storage unit.
The community also held a “willingness survey” which saw that 77 per cent of voters were in favour of moving forward with the $26 billion project.
Thunder Bay’s Chamber is highlighting the potential economic benefits of the facility.
“The project would provide up to 600 jobs during the ten-year construction period valued at $5 billion and 400–600 jobs during the 100+ year operating period,” said the Chamber in the letter. “Due to the limited availability of supplies and services in the Ignace area, Thunder Bay will be a significant supply and service hub attracting new businesses, providing growth opportunities for existing operations, and increasing demand for commercial and industrial space.”
They added that Thunder Bay’s airport would also see increased usage and that the general population of Ignace could double.
The letter from the Chamber is coming with a deputation from the Nuclear Waste Management organization.
The NWMO is presenting an overview of the implementation of Canada’s plan for used nuclear fuel.
A rally against nuclear waste transportation and storage is also taking place ahead of Monday night’s council meeting.
