Session Description
The Deep Geological Repository (DGR) for used nuclear fuel represents one of Canada's most significant and complex impact assessment processes. Since 2010, Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation (WLON) has undertaken an in-depth process of learning, technical studies, land-based knowledge, Ceremony, and community dialogue to determine whether and under what conditions the Nation would consider hosting the project. In November 2024 following more than a decade of Nation-led engagement and deliberation, 87.4% of participating WLON members voted to continue into the regulatory phase of the project. Central to that decision was WLON's commitment to exercise their jurisdiction through their Regulatory Assessment and Approval Process (RAAP), an Indigenous-led regulatory process grounded in Anishinaabe law, values, responsibilities, and governance. WLON's RAAP formalizes longstanding Anishinaabe governance processes, legal principles, and decision-making responsibilities into written frameworks, policies, procedures, and assessment tools that can be consistently applied within contemporary regulatory environments.
This panel will explore what WLON has learned over 17 years of working with the NWMO on the DGR Project and provide insights into their Indigenous-led impact assessment process. Panelists will discuss community engagement, data governance, relationships with proponents and federal regulators including IAAC and CNSC, and the formalization of WLON's RAAP. For the first time, WLON will publicly share lessons from its Indigenous-led regulatory assessment process.
Session Summary
Using Canada’s DGR as a case study, Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation will share lessons from exercising Indigenous jurisdiction through its Regulatory Assessment and Approval Process (RAAP), including community engagement, data governance, regulatory coordination, and Anishinaabe governance in contemporary regulatory frameworks
Additional Information
This session is proposed as an invitation-only panel. Invited panelists will participate in a moderated discussion contributing complementary expertise on the themes outlined in the session description. Anticipated participants include Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation Leadership, members of the RAAP team, and selected technical advisors whose experience spans governance, regulatory assessment, Indigenous knowledge, data governance, and community engagement.
Session Chair
Laurie Fisher
Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation
Canada
Session Co-chair
Lindsay Bain
Nibwaakaa Consulting and OAIA Canada
Canada