The land deep underneath Canada’s Parliament buildings will soon be home to the country’s first storage facility for nuclear waste.
The Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) made the announcement on Thursday, putting an end to a nearly decade-long search for a host location.
“Even though the new repository will be located downtown in the nation’s capital, we’re confident that it’s perfectly safe,” said NWMO president and chief executive officer Bianca Pura.
“The site only houses around 338 Members of Parliament and their staff, so any potential risks are minimal.”
The announcement came as a surprise to many, since the NWMO has always maintained that nuclear waste should only be stored on First Nations lands.
“Parliament Hill is not a reserve, per se,” Pura said. “But it is the subject of a land claim, and frankly that’s close enough.”