Sunset Country Spirit Alliance
~ a member of the We The Nuclear Free North alliance (links above)
Sunset Country Spirit Alliance is an organization of concerned Dryden-area residents who oppose the transportation and burial of high-level nuclear waste in Northwestern Ontario’s Sunset Country.
Sunset Country is home to over 70,000 interconnected freshwater lakes, rivers and streams in the heart of the Canadian wilderness.
In November 2024, the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) made the decision to target Sunset Country for transporting all of Canada’s highly radioactive nuclear fuel waste for repackaging, possible temporary shallow storage, and burial + abandonment in a Deep Geological Repository (DGR).
In 2025 we continue our opposition to the burial & abandonment of nuclear fuel waste
We oppose the intention of the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO), an association of nuclear power producers, to bury all of Canada’s nuclear fuel waste – over 5 decades’ worth – at a site between Ignace and Dryden, just off Hwy. 17.
We continue our active opposition of the NWMO’s plan. Please read more below. We can be contacted at scsa.dryden@yahoo.com.
2020 – 2024 Peaceful Walk Against Nuclear Waste on Treaty 3 Lands Is a Success
On Sept. 5, 2023, Darlene Necan’s 2023 Walk Against Nuclear Waste on Treaty 3 Lands (the 4th annual Walk) wrapped up across Hwy 17 from the proposed site for burial and abandonment of all of Canada’s nuclear fuel waste. Many thanks to Darlene and all the walkers for this meaningful demonstration on the lands we and among the waters we love and must protect.
Thank you to Darlene Necan and Walkers: 2022 Peaceful Walk Against Nuclear Waste on Treaty 3 Lands
On Sept. 8, 2022, Darlene Necan’s 3rd annual Peaceful Walk to oppose nuclear waste transport and burial on Treaty 3 lands concluded in Sioux Lookout, having set out from Ignace on Sept. 1. Thank you to Darlene and all the walkers and supporters! You have made the opposition even more noticeable and meaningful.
Please read NOCANDU’s paper, “Panel Report Criteria for Safety and Acceptability Review.”
NOCANDU is NW-Ontario based group that opposes nuclear waste burial in Northwestern Ontario. Their name stands for Northern Ontario Coalition Against Nuclear Dumping Underground.
For current posts & events, find SCSA on Facebook!
Our watershed hangs in the balance
The Hudson Bay watershed is the largest ocean watershed in Canada (3.8 million km2 ) and extends over five Canadian provinces from Alberta to Quebec, and also over the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
Burying all of Canada’s high-level nuclear fuel waste here in Sunset Country risks contamination of our waterways all the way to Hudson Bay.
Who decides where nuclear waste goes?
Click to read the Winnipeg Free Press article by Anne Lindsay.
“Nowhere has ‘consent’ been defined, nor has the process to be used in its determination.’
2024 nuclear industry decision to target Sunset Country
In 2024, the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) made decided to target Sunset Country for transporting all of Canada’s highly radioactive nuclear fuel waste for repackaging, possible temporary shallow storage, and burial + abandonment in a Deep Geological Repository (DGR).
If “temporary shallow storage” is implemented, it may allow for shallow storage of high-level nuclear waste at the central site before the deep geological repository (DGR) is even constructed.
Small town vs. Billion dollar Corporation
= David vs. Goliath
Targetted area
The Nuclear Industry has set its sights. Target: Sunset Country
Public opinion on the planned DGR has been manipulated by the NWMO’s ongoing ability to offer endless dollars to anyone willing to sign their “Learn More Agreement”.
How NWMO divides communities
Click here to read the Letter to the Editor of the Lucknow Sentinel by Jason Wall. Summary below:
- Target rural and northern communities
- Overpower community concerns with promises of economic prosperity
- Offer financial benefits to community organizations who want to “Learn More”, and tightly control the narrative
- Give money to all community organizations who want to “Learn More”
- Discredit community opposition
- Ignore the provincial policy statement to protect land, and create a sense of inevitability about the project
- Create a diversion by encouraging municipalities to measure willingness through innovative ways
- Give more money to municipalities, including funding municipal staff positions
“Mother Earth is a living being, even the rocks. We refer to them as grandfathers in our language. Mother Earth might get mad that we are digging holes in her. I wouldn’t want anyone coming around and digging into me.”
Roy Napish – elder from Migisi Sahgaigan (Eagle Lake First Nation)
Highly Recommended Viewing & Reading
From Environment North:
“Nuclear Waste in Northwestern Ontario – Why We Should Be Concerned” presentation by Dodie LeGassick. Webpage with downloadable PDFs.
Canada’s Radioactive Waste: Abandonment vs. Stewardship – video of Dr. Gordon Edwards’ speech at the Environment North 2021 AGM: YouTube link, 1 hour 25 minutes.
From We the Nuclear Free North:
Article: “What is the Risk that Surface Water will be Affected if a Deep Geological Repository for All of Canada’s High Level Nuclear Waste Proceeds?” (link to 4-page PDF)
From Aboriginal Peoples’ Television Network (APTN):
Two half-hour episodes describing how NWMO woos northern communities.
From Nuclear Waste Watch:
2019 letter to federal Minister of the Environment and Climate Change regarding proposed DGR in the other possible location beside Lake Huron. This provides valuable background on the issue. nuclearwastewatch-re-opg-decision-statement-2019
From Dr. Gordon Edwards of Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility:
Dr. Edwards’ very informative 34-minute video, “How I Became a Nuclear Skeptic.”
Chiefs of Ontario – “We Are The Land” Declaration
“We, the Anishinaabek, the Mushkegowuk, and the Onkwehonwe, are the land. Our ancestors were the land, we are the land and our youth and future generations will be the land… What we do to the land – we do to ourselves, and to our future generations…..We draw from sacred law, traditional law, customary laws – we need to protect the lands, the waters and all living things for future generations.”
Four nuclear energy sessions were hosted in 2009 by Chiefs of Ontario and the Nuclear Waste Management Organization to provide information on nuclear energy, waste management processes, and feedback on nuclear energy to prepare a position statement.
A report was prepared for leadership based on the sessions and recommendations, and presented to the Nuclear Waste Management Organization as well. The “We are the Land” Declaration was developed based on recommendations from these sessions, and approved by the Chiefs in Assembly at the November 2010 Special Chiefs Assembly (Resolution 10/19). The Declaration encompasses all industrial activities, including forestry and mining.
“We are the Land” Declaration can be used as a tool and living document when undertaking initiatives that impact the land. CHIEFS OF ONTARIO
You Can Help
- Attend public information sessions hosted by NWMO and ask tough questions
- Submit articles and Letters to the Editor of area newspapers
- Write letters to your MP and MPP’s to share your unwillingness to consent
- Learn about the issues
- Put a sign on your lawn, window or mailbox
- Download a poster here: You Can Help! Place it in your window and on public bulletin boards.
- Refuse to financially gain from NWMO’s “Learn More Agreement”
- Discuss the NWMO’s Adaptive Phase Management Plan with family and friends
- Join the Sunset Country Spirit Alliance to help spread the word! Email scsa.dryden@yahoo.com.
- Share your concerns, comments, questions and upcoming events with us
Past Events
CBC News, Sept. 2020: Concerns about nuclear waste near Ignace, Ont., prompts one woman to hit the pavement
The Sioux Lookout Bulletin, Sept. 2020: Peaceful Awareness Walk Against Nuclear Waste in Sioux Lookout
About Sunset Country Spirit Alliance
We are concerned Dryden-area residents who oppose the transportation and burial of high-level nuclear fuel waste in Northwestern Ontario’s Sunset Country.
We the Nuclear Free North 