At least five First Nations chiefs in Northwestern Ontario have a message for the Nuclear Waste Management Organization: They say “no” to nuclear waste in the region.

“Nuclear waste poses the potential for a spill or a leak that will impact our rivers (and) our lands, and our way of life will be severely damaged,” they say in a letter to Laurie Swami, the industry-funded organization’s president and CEO.

“If and when the spill or leak occurs, the harm will impact us for generations and our lands will never be the same.”

The letter is signed by Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug Chief Donny Morris, Asubpeeschoseewagong (Grassy Narrows) Chief Rudy Turtle, Wapekeka Deputy Chief Allan Brown on behalf of Chief Brennan Sainnawap, Neskantaga Chief Chris Moonias and Onigaming Chief Jeffrey Copenace – all members of the First Nations Land Defence Alliance.

Morris told Dougall Media on Thursday he “can’t sit back” and let the NWMO put land, water, wildlife and people at risk by placing radioactive materials underground near the Wabigoon-English River system.

The NWMO recently published a Confidence in Safety report saying the Northwestern Ontario site being considered for a deep geological repository is suitable for safe containment of waste.

“I’ll have to disagree with that,” said Morris, adding that “there’s going to be cracks made when you’re drilling or blowing up” Canadian Shield rock to build an underground storage facility.

“I’m not a scientist and all that, but I know when you touch something to make changes, it’s going to break sometime in the future,” he said.

Morris said it’s good that the people of Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation will have a say in whether they would welcome a nuclear repository near them, but it’s important for other First Nations in the region to have a say as well.

“The environment is a priority for our community, and money won’t be able to buy you a better life after a catastrophe happens,” he said.

His own First Nation and others “have every right to be consulted,” he said.

Steven Chapman, Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug’s lands and environment director, had a suggestion for where any nuclear waste repository should be situated.

“I would suggest that they try it first near Toronto or near Ottawa, where the leaders are, if it’s containable,” Chapman said. “Let them get the first crack at it.”

The NWMO has a shortlist of two possible sites for its proposed deep geological repository.

One is next to Revell Lake between Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation and Ignace; the other is near South Bruce and Saugeen Ojibway Nation in southern Ontario.

A final decision on the site is slated for late this year.

“Our Nations have not been consulted, we have not given our consent, and we stand together in saying ‘no’ to the proposed nuclear waste storage site near Ignace,” the chiefs’ letter says. “We call on you to respect our decision.”