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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 2014-09-24, Page 1616 Lucknow Sentinel • Wednesday, September 24, 2014 a/J-4, r/t, nwmo nwmo NUCLEAR WASTE MANAGEMENT ORGANIZATION SOCIETE DE GESTION DES DECHETS NUCLEAIRES Ensuring Community Well -Being r Canada's plan for the long-term management of used nuclear fuel involves the construction of a national repository and a Centre of Expertise in an area with an informed and willing host. The NWMO is committed to implementing the project in a way that fosters the well-being of the community and the surrounding area. Q. Why "community well-being"? A. Ensuring safety is always the number one priority. Any community and site that is selected to host this facility must be demonstrated to be able to safely contain and isolate used nuclear fuel for a very long period of time. Beyond ensuring safety, Canada's plan will be implemented in a way that contributes to the long-term well-being or quality of life of the community and area. Q How is "community well-being" dened? A. Only the community can decide what is in its long-term interest and whether this project will help the community both protect what is important and help achieve the community's long-term goals and objectives. Each community may dene "well-being" differently. A broad approach will help highlight the resources (social, economic, cultural, environmental) of the community and pave the way for thinking about how the project may affect the community in a variety of ways. Depending on the community's vision for itself, this may include a broad range of elements, such as: Safety and security Spiritual dimensions » Economic health Social conditions » The environment Enhancing opportunities for people and communities » Cultural dimensions The project offers signicant employment and income to the host community, area and province. However, with a project of this size and nature, there is the potential to contribute to social and economic pressures that must be carefully managed. The NWMO is working with communities to identify the processes and supports the NWMO would need to put in place to ensure the project helps foster well-being. In order to ensure that well-being is fostered, the project will require a partnership among the NWMO, the interested community, First Nation and Metis communities, and surrounding municipalities. With planning, the project has potential to be used as an economic engine to achieve the vision and objectives of an area. Q How is the NWMO supporting communities? A. The NWMO encourages communities, early in the site selection process, to consider this project in the context of their long-term interests. The NWMO provides resources to communities in the site selection process to develop a community sustainability vision or plan. This is designed to help the community in thinking about whether or not this project does or does not align with the long-term objectives, goals and interests of the community. Assessment studies, currently underway, are designed to help answer this question. Jo -Ann Facella is the Director of Social Research and Dialogue at the Nuclear Waste Management Organization. She has worked for prominent public opinion firms (Gallup Canada and Goldfarb Consultants) and as Senior Advisor at Ontario Power Generation before joining the NWMO in 2002. Over the past 20 years, her work has focused on public involvement in policy making, and in particular, societal needs and expectations concerning the long-term management of used nuclear fuel. Ms. Facella has a master's degree in Political Science. For more on community well-being, please visit: www.nwmo.ca/community_wellbeing "Ask the NWMO" is an advertising feature published regularly in this and other community newspapers to respond to readers' questions about Canada's plan for managing used nuclear fuel over the long term and its implementation. The Nuclear Waste Management Organization welcomes your questions. Please forward your questions to askthenwmo@nwmo.ca.