In a Divided Ontario Town, Debate Rages Over Nuclear Dump Site Voting Decision
A citizens’ group opposed to burying Canada’s stockpile of spent nuclear fuel beneath a southwestern Ontario farm town is pushing for a traditional paper ballot instead of an online vote in an upcoming referendum on whether to accept radioactive waste.
Canada’s nuclear industry’s longstanding search for a disposal site for its highly radioactive waste has narrowed down to two potential host communities in Ontario: Ignace (four hours northwest of Thunder Bay) and the Municipality of South Bruce (two hours north of London).
In South Bruce, the community remains deeply divided over the prospect of becoming a host. Some view it as an opportunity to revive the local economy lost with the decline of farming, while others fear the risks associated with welcoming radioactive waste.
In a recent decision, South Bruce town councillors agreed on the wording of the official ballot question: “Are you in favour of the Municipality of South Bruce declaring South Bruce to be a willing host for the Nuclear Waste Management Organization’s (NWMO) proposed deep geological repository?”
Stein pointed out a key difference between paper ballots, which are open to audit and verification by anyone, and computerized voting systems. She argues that the process by which a computerized system sorts and tallies ballots is largely opaque to the general public, concealed within source code that’s incomprehensible to those without specialized expertise.
However, proponents of online voting argue that it streamlines the voting process, reduces costs, and has the potential to increase voter participation. Consequently, online voting has gained traction among Ontario municipalities, with approximately 3.8 million voters in the province opting for this method in the 2022 municipal elections.
Mark Goetz, Mayor of South Bruce, explained that the decision to utilize online voting for the upcoming referendum was driven by the need for a substantial majority vote to make the referendum outcome binding. Since implementing online voting for municipal elections, Goetz noted a significant surge in voter turnout in South Bruce.
“We achieved a 59 per cent voter turnout through electronic voting, which I believe is an Ontario record.”
Concerns arose within the council regarding the possibility of failing to reach the required 50 percent voter turnout threshold, which would then leave the decision to Goetz and the town’s six councillors through an official vote.
“I want the people to make the decision in this referendum and I’m going to do everything I can to make that happen.”
Nevertheless, detractors argue that online voting is susceptible to cyber attacks, raising concerns about voter privacy and the integrity of the electoral process. Additionally, the absence of a standardized protocol for online voting systems, both provincially in Ontario and federally, further compounds these apprehensions.
