Neighbours of a Nuclear Plant
What Durham Region Residents Should Know about Nuclear Energy
Ontario’s power grid has become increasingly reliant on nuclear energy. Currently, Ontario is home to three nuclear stations – two of them are in Durham Region, within 30km of each other; the Pickering and Darlington generating stations.
With 753,500 Durham residents living near these two stations, it is crucial that every person is fully informed about nuclear activity in their backyards. Decisions about nuclear power will have direct effects for everyone living in the region. While accidents are unlikely, the aftermath can be catastrophic.
Three Nuclear Plants
The Darlington nuclear generator units are currently under refurbishment and the plant is also awaiting the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) to determine whether a 15-year-old environmental assessment applies to a proposal for new Small Modular Reactors (SMR) at the same site.
Similarly, the Pickering generator is currently licensed to operate until the end of this year. However, Ontario Power Generation (OPG) is seeking to extend its license (again) to operate some of those units beyond its original operating life span. The province has also asked OPG to pursue refurbishment (essentially reconstruction) of the units at Pickering to operate for several more decades.
Emergency Preparedness
A local nuclear awareness group, Durham Nuclear Awareness (DNA), is composed of Durham residents who advocate for public education of all nuclear decisions occurring in their communities. One of their main concerns is that, alarmingly, many residents in Durham’s community are under informed of what they should do in the case of a nuclear accident.
“Since the late 80s DNA has advocated for improved emergency planning, our goal has been to try and raise awareness in the Durham Region about nuclear power because most people don’t know about it.” said Gail Cockburn, long-time member of DNA. According to a poll conducted in 2018, 54 percent of respondents were unaware of any emergency response plans in case of a nuclear accident, a clear indication of the need for stronger awareness efforts.
Current Emergency Response Plan
What are the current emergency plans in place for residents? The Durham Nuclear Emergency Response Plan (DNERP) outlines:
- evacuation plans for up to 50 km radius from a station
- pre-distribution of potassium iodine (KI) pills for a 10km radius
- stay in place (sheltering) and evacuations are highlighted as potential key procedures for residents living within 50km of the stations.
Ambiguity of plan effectiveness
The effectiveness of these plans relies on public knowledge of what should be done and what their next steps would be. People living in Durham Region are reassured by the message from the officials that a nuclear accident is very unlikely. However, an ongoing concern is that if a severe emergency is not considered likely, then inadequate resources and planning may result. This was a main finding in Japan after the Fukushima-Daichii earthquake and resulting nuclear accident.
In the event of an accident
“A nuclear accident, if one happens, it’s a rare thing. But if it happens, it’s a very chaotic event. It’s not something that most people expect to happen on any given day. And there are always going to be uncertainties when you try to translate these paper exercises (emergency plans) into the real world,” said Dr. M.V. Ramana, global affairs professor at the University of British Columbia and advisor of DNA.
Despite the local support of nuclear energy from the government and commercial groups, local residents who would face the brunt of any potential threats must be aware of the risks to themselves and their communities. For Brennain Lloyd, long-time member of Northwatch, an environmental advocacy group and lead nongovernmental organization on nuclear waste, this begins with residents simply asking questions.
Questions that need to be asked
“I think that they should just ask questions. I think if they have a question about nuclear energy, they should send that question to OPG, and to CNSC,” said Lloyd.
People have a say in what happens in their communities, and according to Lloyd they shouldn’t stop asking questions until they are satisfied.
“And they should wait for their answer, and when they get that answer, if it’s not satisfactory then they should write to their MPP and their MP and say, ‘I asked this question, and I’m not satisfied with the answer. Can you please get me an answer’,” added Lloyd.
Impacts of Nuclear Waste
For host communities, nuclear activity can have adverse effects on the environment. While nuclear energy is often said by the industry to be a “clean” energy source, nuclear waste poses a serious threat to its surrounding environment. According to an article published by Earth.org “toxic materials remain highly radioactive for tens of thousands of years, posing a threat to agricultural land, fishing waters, freshwater sources and humans.”
Storage of unsafe nuclear waste
For Durham Region storage of nuclear waste is a major concern due to its proximity to Lake Ontario.
“People in Durham Region should be very concerned about the dry storage container system at Darlington and Pickering. They are immediately on the shoreline of Lake Ontario and they’re inserting more (containers) in between the current dry storage buildings and the lake, which means they’re more vulnerable to extreme weather events,” said Lloyd.
When it comes to the long-term management of nuclear waste, there is no current satisfactory and safe plan – dry storage is the sole short-term plan for the storage of nuclear waste.
“They don’t have any plan for long-term management of the waste at the reactor station, they plan to put the waste in a deep geological repository, an idea they have been working on since 1977. We’re in the third round of them trying to design and build and site a deep geological repository that has not been successful yet,” said Lloyd.
Promoting Nuclear Awareness in Durham Region
Despite the potential risks to the environment and ultimately our own health, nuclear energy is a significant piece of the Ontario electrical system. Living in a nuclear community is simply the reality for people in Durham Region. However, residents can be proactive in keeping themselves informed and their community leaders accountable for all nuclear activity happening in their backyards.
Local residents in the community have taken it upon themselves to get involved in nuclear activity in their communities. Oscar Koren is the vice president of the Slovenian Home Association (SHA). After approaching CELA with nuclear concerns, Koren was connected to DNA in 2022, hoping to get some answers for concerned members of SHA who live in close proximity to the Pickering generating station.
“They (SHA members) have a concern about the (emergency) plans, because they don’t know what they should do in case of an emergency”, said Koren.
Koren believes there is confusion and a lack of knowledge of emergency preparedness plans for his members and their families. He hopes for “security and knowledge” for members of his association.
“If something happens, let’s say some sort of an accident, our members that live in the vicinity, we’d like to know what’s the plan? What should they do?”, added Koren.
Much like Koren, many residents have taken matters into their own hands, hoping to educate themselves and spread awareness of nuclear energy in their community.
An IT professional and long-time resident of Durham Region who prefers not to be named makes it a point to be fully aware of nuclear activity in Durham, and suggests that “simply getting people talking, and asking their politicians to start talking about these subjects,” is the best practice to increase critical awareness on nuclear energy.
Knowing that nuclear energy in Ontario will be around for many years, the local IT professional urges for honest communication from the government and nuclear decision-makers.
“If we’re going to have these colossal multi-reactor facilities, let’s be honest about them,” added the IT professional.
Other people living in Durham, have little to no prior knowledge of emergency preparedness, environmental impacts, or general nuclear topics. CELA spoke to residents of Durham Region – here’s how they responded when we asked what they’ve been told about emergency response plans:
- “I mean we’ve never talked about it, at school, at home, or anywhere really, I guess they’ll let us know what to do if something bad ever happens.” said 23-year-old Pickering, Ont., resident Onelia Osbourne.
- “I think we’ll get some sort of notice if we ever need leave or something, but I’m not too sure about what exactly we’re supposed to do,” said 48-year-old Pickering, Ont., resident, Chantale Theodore.
- “I don’t feel I am properly prepared to respond to a nuclear accident, the only step I know in case of an emergency is to take an iodine pill (which I learnt in elementary school). Since then, I have never been taught a plan or discussed it with anyone, which now that I think about it is so bad because I’m 15 minutes away from the nuclear plant,” said 20-year-old Rheanne Johnson, from Pickering, Ont.,
Many residents of Durham are reassured by the belief that an accident is very unlikely to occur. However, it is important to learn from historic nuclear catastrophes and ensure that individuals, families, and communities are well-educated and prepared for the unlikely event of an accident.
How can you get involved?
According to Durham Region’s Growth Management Study, the population of Durham is forecasted to grow to 1.3 million by 2041. As the region continues to expand, all residents at the very least must have a general understanding of what it means to live near these stations.
For residents wondering how they can begin educating themselves and their community about nuclear activity, Executive Director of the Canadian Environmental Law Association Theresa McClenaghan, suggests the following:
- Educate yourself on emergency preparedness plans in your community.
- Access the PNERP and DNERP for information on evacuation plans, sheltering and KI pills.
- Visit ca to order KI pills for yourself and your family.
- Get engaged in your community by attending license hearings, summits, webinars etc.
- Be sure to submit comments in writing to Ontario Power Generation, the Ontario Ministry of Energy, and the regulator, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, about major nuclear decisions taking place in Durham Region.
- Visit the CNSC’s calendar of commission proceedings page for details on relevant public hearings.
