Highlights:

• The Township of Ignace has selected a team specializing in inclusive community engagement in smaller communities
• They will study and report on resident willingness to continue the process of site-selection for a Deep Geological Repository to store used nuclear fuel near Ignace
• The Willingness Study is designed to provide options for residents to indicate their willingness and provide insight into their choices
• The Engagement Team will be on-site in Ignace in November 2023, January 2024, and March 2024 to connect with residents and invite their confidential participation in the study

After more than ten years of interaction with the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) for the potential siting of a Deep Geological Repository (DGR) of used nuclear fuel near Ignace, Ontario, the Township Council has arrived at a milestone.

The Township has hired a specialized team of community engagement professionals who will conduct a Willingness Engagement Study so that the residents of Ignace can have their say about the siting project and the opportunity to explain why.

The Willingness Study is a formal and structured process that will capture the voice and choice of residents. The study will be carried out between November 2023 and June 2024. Council committed to the process and made it a reality when they awarded an Eastern Ontario-based firm, With Chéla Inc, to take the lead.

The Township is committed to a process of transparent and open communication to learn what the community thinks about the proposed DGR as facilitated by With Chéla Inc. Township Council is ultimately responsible for making the final decision regarding the DGR project, and to do so, the voices of Ignace residents must be accurately captured in terms of willingness to proceed.

Township Council will make the final decision about the willingness to host the DGR near Ignace in the end.

Support for Council's decision will come from the findings of the Willingness Study conducted by With Chéla Inc., which will clearly outline the community's position regarding willingness. The Ignace Community Liaison Committee will bring forth the recommendation from With Chéla Inc. to the Ignace Town Council for their final review, consideration, and approval.

Chéla Breckon, the Engagement Team Lead and owner of With Chéla Inc, brings an expert team that combines project management from the nuclear sector, a municipal data expert, a sociologist specializing in qualitative methods, and a dynamic communications professional. This team ensures the unbiased and unaltered translation of Ignace resident willingness to the Liaison Committee, and ultimately, Council.

Breckon says, “there is nothing more important to the team than to offer every resident an opportunity to be heard, their voice captured, and their reasons understood. That’s why we chose our slogan - Your Voice, Your Choice. It says it all. We are here in Ignace to be that neutral party who can bring clarity to the leaders because each resident’s perspective was deeply honoured.”

The Engagement Team will offer residents opportunities to come together and discuss the siting project and share their thoughts. They will also provide residents a formal interview opportunity to those that want to express their reasons for their choice confidentially.

In March 2024, all residents of Ignace over the age of 16 will have the opportunity to log their choice and have their decision captured confidentially in the report.

Chéla and her team will offer residents easy access to participation in the study through a website, toll- free and local phone numbers, and email. The Engagement Team will also be door-knocking and offering opportunities to participate in interviews where residents live, work, and play, ensuring that every resident is engaged in ways that are most accessible to them.

“We are the team, and we’re all ears,” stated Breckon as she greeted visitors at the recent Northern Nuclear Energy Exposition. The With Chéla Inc. Team is in Ignace for Ignace residents. The Team's central purpose is to capture the voice of the community in order to inform Council about what the community wants.

With Chéla Inc. is working for the residents of Ignace and looks forward to the community conversations where Ignace residents can clearly state their voice and their choice.

Reach us at 1-877-473-4090 toll-free or 807-697-0565 local number for comments
Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Web www.yourchoiceignace.ca