The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Jonathon Naylor Editor The deadline has passed for communities to show an interest in hosting Canada's nuclear waste, with Creighton in the running with 20 other towns and cities. Of those 21 communities, all but three _ Creighton, English River First Nation and Pinehouse, all in Saskatchewan _ are in Ontario. Among those Ontario communities is tiny Ear Falls, located in the northern part of the province about 125 kilometres east of the Manitoba border. Also on the list are Ignace; Nipigon; Schreiber; Manitouwadge; Homepayne; White River; Wawa; Blind River; Elliot Lake; North Shore; Spanish; Arran-Elderslie; Saugeen Shores; Huran-Kinloss; South Bruce; Central Huron; and Brockton. While it's too early to tell for certain, many believe an Ontario community would have an advantage since 90 per cent of the nation's nuclear waste is already in that province. The Town of Creighton has not formally applied to host the waste but has left that door open as it learns more about the project. Canada's Nuclear Waste Management Organization plans to build a high-tech underground repository to permanently store spent nuclear fuel rods from nuclear power plants. The NWMO expects the repository to open in 2035. It is still years away from selecting a host community.
