Approximately 40 Exhibits, Panelists and Nuclear Industry representatives from all of over Canada set to descend in Ignace, ON on April 12th and 13th, 2024!
The Township of Ignace Mayor and Council, event planning personnel and Township staff, including members of the Willingness Ad Hoc Committee have been diligently preparing to host the most important Northwestern Ontario Nuclear Exploration Event yet. The event is set to take place on April 12th and 13th, 2024 at the Ignace Recreational Centre, with a special smudging ceremony and prayer from Donna Chief, Wabigoon Lake Ojibway First Nation at 10 am.
“We are so excited to once again be hosting this important, learning, and educational event for our residents, surrounding municipalities, our First Nation neighbours, local students and regional partners and stakeholders. We are stressing that all our greater community comes out and has an opportunity to ask questions about our recently signed potential hosting agreement, our recent tours, and meetings with industry partners across Canada, First Nation, and other community meetings we have attended around Canada and the world, including Finland. We have Canadian representatives that are ready to tell their stories and we are so pleased that we have over 40 exhibits who will be on the ground and providing factual and critical information about the nuclear industry, safety in transportation, this proposed deep geological repository and the opportunities that are associated with it”, stated Mayor Kim Baigrie. “But we don’t stop there, we also have invited those who are presenting the potential challenges of this project, and their voice must also be heard”, the Mayor went on to state.
On March 18th,2024 Mayor and Council passed a unanimous resolution to sign an historic potential hosting agreement with the NWMO. The signing of this historic agreement allowed the Township, the Willingness Ad Hoc Committee, its residents, stakeholders, and other interested parties to consider the legal, financial, and regulatory implications as critical data points in moving forward with the willingness process and the determination of a final decision by Council in mid 2024. This agreement and the Ignace Community Well Being Studies become very important resources for both the residents and Council in the community moving forward. Representatives of the Township and NWMO will be on hand to answer questions about that agreement and share summaries with the residents of Ignace. The agreement in its entirety, a summary of the agreement, the Township resolutions and other information are all posted on the Township website.
The Northwestern Nuclear Exploration Event will also be an important opportunity resident within the community to continue to stay engaged with the willingness process currently underway in the Township of Ignace. With Chela Inc., the municipal engagement consultants, advisors and peer review experts for the study and Willingness Ad Hoc Committee members will all be represented and in attendance. With Chela Inc. will also be registering residents for confidential interviews, and the community will be able to ask questions about the methodology and hear about the progress of the study.
Mayor Kim Baigrie will be hosting a special PANCAKE Breakfast on Saturday April 13th at 9:00 am in the Kid’s Zone with Mayor Blair Skinner (Pinawa, Manitoba) and Mayor Adrian Foster (Clarington, Ontario) both members of the Canadian Association of Nuclear Host Communities. The breakfast will be sponsored by the Township of Ignace, and everyone is invited to come free of charge. Organizers are asking those attending that, if they are able to, please bring and donate a dry good for the local Mary Berglund Food Bank. It would be very much appreciated.