Q - What is a Willingness Study?
A - There are three important characteristics about the Ignace Willingness Study that help to frame its definition. The characteristics of our study are that,
A formal and confidential decision to be cast and counted, like an election,
A broad inclusive engagement program offering opportunities to explain why a person made that decision, like a study, and that
An exhaustive approach is taken, like a census, where all eligible participants are encouraged to participate.
What makes this engagement a willingness study is because its aim is to assess community willingness to continue the process of potential siting of a Deep Geological Repository of used nuclear fuel near Ignace, and be able to clearly, accurately, and transparently convey that willingness to community leaders.
Q - What are the steps that I can take to participate in the Willingness Study?
A - There are five key ways to participate that are supported by the Engagement Team at all times - they are:
Getting familiar with the Willingness Study - reach out to us via our website, voicemail service/local phone number, email, or in-person at the Engagement Team office located beside the library while we are in town (January 25 - 29 and April 26 - 30 2024)
Registering to participate in the Willingness Study - find the link to submit your registration on our website or contact us to get help with registration using our secure data collection platform
Answering the preliminary questions of the Willingness Study - immediately after registering, you are prompted to answer a few short questions about your readiness to log a choice, including what more information you need to feel confident about your choice and how you want to access that information. You can also opt-into a confidential interview at this stage of the process.
Booking and participating in a confidential interview - book and complete an optional and confidential interview with a member of the Engagement Team so you can explain why you will make the choice you anticipate making in April 2024
Logging your choice - login to the platform or find us at the office to perform the final step, which is to make your position known about the DGR on the secure and confidential platform, just like an election. Your options will be to abstain (I do not want to make a choice for or against), Yes (I support continuing the process of potential siting of a Deep Geological Repository of used nuclear fuel near Ignace), or No (I do not support continuing the process of potential siting of a Deep Geological Repository of used nuclear fuel near Ignace)
Q - Can I just ‘vote’ and not offer my reasons why?
A - Yes! You can choose to register and only log a choice in April 2024. The limitation of that interaction is that your reasons why will not be included in the report.
Q - Why are you calling it “logging a choice” and not voting?
A - We are using the language “logging a choice” instead of voting because the community desired to engage in more than a referendum. This means that residents wanted to participate in opportunities to explain and contextualize their choice beyond a simple vote. In the end, the results will be expressed as though residents have “voted” and will be counted confidentially on the system, just like in the 2022 municipal election which used the same online system and saw 70% voter turnout.
Q - Do I have to upload my ID to participate?
A - ID is required to demonstrate that you are eligible to participate in the Willingness Study. Review our website resource page for a list of methods and documentation that can be used to register and participate in the Willingness Study. The Engagement Team can support you to find the best option for you based on your preferences. Offline options are available as well, and can be performed during the Engagement Cycle taking place in Ignace at the end of April only.
Q - Is my personal identity safe?
A - The system being used throughout the Willingness Study has been developed and used to manage election data throughout the world. The system is a secure digital environment that uses multi-authentication and safe data storage practices to ensure that participant information is secure. At no time does the Engagement Team store your private information off of this platform and express permission is required for the Registrar and Resident Participant Steward to access any information for verification purposes.
Q - Why are only residents and property owners of Ignace eligible to register?
A - This study is being performed at the request of the Township of Ignace because a decision was made that the geographic boundaries of Ignace proper were critical to containing the Willingness Study to the reisdents of Ignace in order to centralize the community that initially participated in the voluntary siting evaluation process fifteen years ago. Those who live external to these boundaries have the option of having their voices heard via their local Member of Parliament.
Q - When will you be visiting our home, or conduct door-knocking in the community?
A - The community outreach approach that we are employing involves door-knocking as a means to reach residents who have not been connected with through other means of outreach. It is part of what we call our “perseverance protocol” that outlines all the ways we must try to reach people before counting them as “non-participating”. Our next time frame where door-to-door visits will occur is at the end of January, on the 25-28th. If a Resident Participant requests home-based accommodations and support to participate, we may visit your home for that reason as well.
Q - Can I preview the confidential interview questions prior to an interview?
A - Yes! All registered Resident Participants can request a copy of the interview questions ahead of their interview time. They can also request a copy of the transcript of their interview at any time, once completed and logged by the Engagement Team.
Q - Who’s paying for the Willingness study?
A - At the request of the Township of Ignace, the NWMO has provided the funding for this study. The Engagement Team invoices the Township of Ignace directly for our services.
Q - Where can I find more information on the Deep Geological Repository project?
A - When you register, you will be asked preliminary questions about your readiness to log your choice. In this section you can indicate what kind of information you wish to learn about. We pass this anonymous report to educators and information holders so they can respond and we will follow up with you to ensure you receive it, should it be made available. We cannot act as educators because we are a neutral community based research team.
Q - When will the Willingness Study be completed?
A - In the summer of 2024 the Engagement Team will present a final report to the Ignace Willingness Committee (formerly ICNLC) so they can review and provide their recommendation to Council.
Q - When can I expect to see some reports?
A - Council, via the Willingness Committee, will have received the final results by summer 2024 in our final report and it will be made public record at that time.
Q - How can I stay anonymous?
A - While the election management platform provides each registrant with an identification number that cannot be traced back to an individual’s name without express permission and controls, the Engagement Team cannot provide anonymity in this study.
Residents must register to participate, and produce proof of eligibility, meaning that someone will always be able to trace their unique ID number back to their name. The Resident Participant information collected is kept in the secure system of Neuvote where each Resident Participant is assigned a unique confidential ID that is never connected to the personal identification information provided on the Neuvote platform by anyone other than the Registrar and Resident Participant Steward. This information can also never leave the platform and secure digital storage facility unless required by law and with appropriate clearances. All information is therefore confidential, meaning that it will not be shared with outside parties, names will not be connected with IDs outside the Registrar’s system, information will be kept securely stored, and no identifying information will ever be shared in reports, conversations, presentations, or in any public manner.
Q - Should I register if I don’t know where I stand on the DGR issue?
A - Yes! Regardless of where you are with respect to clarity and confidence in making a decision, your opinions matter and you can change your position right up to the final logging of your choice in April. Early registration is helpful for uncertain Resident Participants because of the importance of the preliminary questions. Your responses to prompts about “what other information do you require to help inform your decision” are the direct path to the Engagement Team who will help connect you to educators and resources as well as report back to Council about these informational requirements. It is the responsibility of educators and information holders to offer a response to those questions and requests, and it is ours to help you access them once provided to the Engagement Team. Still on the fence in April? That’s a great reason why we are offering an option to abstain when logging your choice. Explaining why you are undecided in a confidential interview is another way to express reasons why you are uncertain.
Q - Do I have the option to participate in the interview without one of the Engagement Team members present?
A - As all confidential interviews are witnessed, recorded and documented by an Interview Facilitator to ensure confidentiality, consistency, accuracy, and document controls, all interviews must take place with a member of the Engagement Team. These are important ethics and standards applied to all studies that are confidential in nature. All other inputs on the secure platform can be made in the privacy of your own home, or wherever an internet connection and device to access it is available.
Q - Do I have to do an interview?
A - No. Interviews are optional. The benefit of providing an interview is that your voice, and your reasons regarding your choice, will be officially counted and reported on confidentially to the leaders of your community. If you have more to say than Yes, No or not sure/abstain, an interview is a great option to consider.
Q - Why are you offering incentives to participate like prizes and food offers at community events?
A - The Engagement Team is committed to following the recommendations made by the residents of the Township of Ignace captured in the HSAL Report in terms of how those same residents want to be engaged. The Engagement Team wants to act in a reciprocal manner by providing incentives, meals and events in exchange for Resident Participants’ participation and time (and further, as outlined in the HSAL Report). The Engagement Team remains committed to Inclusion, Transparency, Fairness, Confidentiality as requested by Ignace residents in the HSAL Report. Also, incentives to participate in a study is a normal practice for research teams. Incentives are like invitations backed by a benefit for accepting the invitation and agreeing to participate.