Original post via Toronto Star.
SOUTH BRUCE – Mayor of South Bruce, Bob Buckle, greeted a small audience that attended the opening day of the NWMO Learn More Mobile Centre in Teeswater on Sept. 23.
“Now is the time to get involved and learn more about Canada’s plan,” Buckle said. “I encourage residents across South Bruce and our neighbours in the area to take advantage of this opportunity and tour the Mobile Learn More Centre.”
Many NWMO staff were on hand to walk people through the trailer, to continue their information sharing about a deep geological repository (DGR).
A press release from NWMO said, “the Mobile Learn More Centre includes multimedia, interactive, and static exhibits to explain Canada’s plan for a deep geological repository.”
The mobile unit, which spent three days in Teeswater, was greeted on the second day by POW-NNW, who staged a parade and a picnic in the park.
About 26 people attended the “yellow picnic and parade,” who walked by the traveling trailer carrying signs and wearing their yellow shirts that say “No Nuke Dump.”
They then walked through downtown Teeswater ending back at the community centre, where the trailer was sitting.
Becky Smith, regional communications manager for NWMO, responded to their presence with the following statement.
“This project has always been about listening and engaging with people who have diverse views. We are heartened that more people than ever are engaging in dialogue, and sharing their thoughts, questions, and concerns.”
She added, “We use input from people to inform our plans and activities, and to ensure we are responding to the things that matter most to people in the area.”
Smith said that their goal is to make sure people in the community can make an informed decision when the time comes. She encouraged people to continue learning and asking questions as their work to identify a single preferred site evolves over the next few years.
The Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) is implementing Canada’s plan for the safe, long-term management of used nuclear fuel. The organization was created in 2002 by Canada’s nuclear electricity producers. Ontario Power Generation, NB Power, and Hydro-Québec are the founding members, and along with Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, they fund the NWMO’s operations. The NWMO operates on a not-for-profit basis and derives its mandate from the federal Nuclear Fuel Waste Act.