Five communities had expressed strong interest in hosting a facility, although the Rural Municipality of Rossburn dropped out of contention after a January 1990 referendum was defeated. Among the remaining communities, the City of Winnipeg and the Local Government District of Pinawa are thought the most likely candidates. The Winnipeg metropolitan area generates more than 80 percent of the province's hazardous waste, and a nearby site would limit the dangers and costs associated with long-distance waste transport. Pinawa, a town of 2,100 residents located ninety kilometers northeast of Winnipeg, has appeared most eager to acquire the facility. It has a sizable concentration of technically skilled residents accustomed to environmental risk since the primary employer is the Whiteshell Nuclear Research Establishment.
Pinawa leaders view the hazardous waste facility as a potential source of economic diversification.
The state abandoned its politically disastrous regulatory approach in 1986 through amendment of the Minnesota Waste Management Act. Much like Alberta's approach, the new legislation sought local voluntarism through a series of public participation mechanisms and compensation packages. It simultaneously pursued the selection of a site and the recruitment of a private firm for site development and management. Although it did not establish an equivalent of a crown corporation, it does provide for possible state financing and ownership of any facility. This would give Minnesota a far greater role in hazardous waste management than most other states.