concerned about transportation and storage of nuclear waste in treaty 3 territory

I am a member of Lac Seul/Obishikokaang First Nation, a mother, artist, hide tanner, harvester, and food sovereignty advocate based in Sioux Lookout, Ontario.  My grandfather was a commercial fisherman on Lac Seul, a lake that was flooded 100 years ago to made into a reservoir for a hydro-electric dam to provide electricity to Manitoba. The raised water levels from the dam covered our medicines, manoomin (wild rice) bed, and much more. I feel the effects of that loss today.

I live close to HWY 17, the proposed transportation route for this nuclear waste, and use it often to travel to Thunder Bay. In winter months I hear of highway closures from transport collisions once or twice a week – these collisions happen in warmer months as well. I cannot fathom this hwy being used to transport nuclear waste.  Transportation must be included in the impact assessment.

I am concerned about the long-term safety of a deep geologic repository in this territory.  Especially with extreme weather occurrences becoming more common with a changing climate. The human, animal, plant, and insect populations, would be greatly impacted if the DRG and methods of transportation were to fail.
The impact assessment must include thorough examination of alternatives to this project and alternative means of carrying out the project.