Dear Editor,

As the prospect of a Deep Geological Repository (DGR) for Canada’s spent nuclear fuel continues to gain momentum, the potential project is already putting South Bruce on the map internationally.  Earlier this year, South Bruce Council hosted executives and government officials from Finland, where the Finnish DGR is already nearing completion.  Subsequently, two delegations from our area visited Finland, to see the project in action, and talk to local citizens and stakeholders.

This Autumn, the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) has hosted officials from Great Britain and the United States in their Teeswater office, to meet with NWMO experts and local municipal leaders.  Why are we drawing the attention of these two powerful nations?  Of all the places in the world, why are industry leaders coming to South Bruce?  It seems to me that the NWMO has put Canada in a world-leading position in creating a permanent solution for spent nuclear fuel, and South Bruce stands to become a world leader by hosting the new facility.  

Not that Canada will be the first – other countries like Finland, Sweden and France already have sites selected, and will have their respective DGRs in operation before Canada.  But Canada is well ahead of many countries like Great Britain and the US, who have large fleets of nuclear power reactors, but still no permanent solution for spent fuel.

This shows once again how the Bruce area has become Canada’s nuclear power heartland.  Just talk to your friends and neighbours, and count how many nuclear operators, nuclear engineers, technicians and other experts you know.  We are truly privileged to have this concentration of expertise right here in our community, and as a result, we are poised to become world leaders in the safe, permanent storage of spent nuclear fuel.