As Prince Albert ponders a ban on the transport of radioactive waste through its streets, don’t expect Flin Flon to follow suit.
Flin Flon city council lacks an on-paper policy regarding Creighton’s potential pursuit of a nuclear waste repository.
But several councillors are unconcerned by the prospect of highly secure trucks moving the waste through Flin Flon en route to Creighton.
“I think anybody that’s researched it, that’s actually looked into what they (the Nuclear Waste Management Organization) are doing, wouldn’t have any concerns,” said Coun. Bill Hanson, speaking at Tuesday’s council meeting.
Coun. Colleen McKee said that “at this point, no, I don’t have concerns” as her questions were satisfactorily answered by a geophysicist at a NWMO event in Toronto.
Coun. Karen MacKinnon referenced an NWMO video showing a nuclear waste transport container surviving being hit by a train.
“From what we’ve seen it’s very safe,” said Coun. MacKinnon.
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But on Monday Prince Albert Mayor Greg Dionne announced he might pursue banning hazardous goods from being transported through his city.
“Especially the nuclear waste, (there) is a concern,” Mayor Dionne said, as quoted by the Prince Albert Daily Herald.
“I think what we need to do, and I’ll be making this motion early in the new year, to ask the city solicitor, do we have the right to ban that material from coming through our city? Because that is very dangerous.”
NWMO experts disagree that it’s “very dangerous,” but Mayor Dionne’s comments reflect how nuclear waste proponents are in some ways losing the PR battle.
Coun. McKee urges residents to learn about the NWMO project and form their own opinions.
“I think people need to take the time and educate themselves,” she said. “Creighton town council has a wealth of information out there for people to go and read and ask questions, and they have links to all kinds of things for people to access information.”
Coun. McKee said her comments should not be construed as either endorsing or opposing the concept of storing spent nuclear fuel rods in the area.
She pointed out that at this time, NWMO is only investigating Creighton to see whether the project would be viable in that community.
“So I mean, yeah, go ahead and have a look around and see what you think and do the testing and all those things,” said Coun. McKee. “It doesn’t necessarily mean that I’m on board with it or not on board with it, or that council is.”
The NWMO has been open about the fact that at some point, its waste transport trucks will likely be involved in an accident.
But the agency is not worried about radiation leaks, something the train video referenced by Coun. MacKinnon helps illustrate.
Creighton is now among 17 Canadian communities that will potentially vie for the NWMO repository. It is one of four communities furthest along in the site-selection process, but the 13 others still have time to catch up.
Creighton is also the only community outside of Ontario left in the running. Creighton town council has not applied to host the repository, only to learn more about it.
Despite fears from opponents of the project, the NWMO has said the repository will not be used to store nuclear waste from other countries.
