On September 13, 2010, the English River First Nation expressed interest in learning more about the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) site selection process to find an informed and willing community to host a deep geological repository for Canada’s used nuclear fuel (NWMO, 2010). This report summarizes the findings of an initial screening, conducted by Golder Associates Ltd., to evaluate the potential suitability of thirteen English River First Nation reserve areas against five screening criteria using readily available information.

Understanding the Choices is the NWMO’s second discussion document, an important milestone in a three-year study (2002-2005) designed to recommend to the Government of Canada an approach to managing Canada’s used nuclear fuel for the long term. The report begins with an examination of the values and priorities of Canadians, and how the NWMO has used this understanding to build a framework to assess and compare management approaches.