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Resident Services

Community Response

Port Hope Residents Have Their Say

In November 2010, a survey of Port Hope residents conducted for the Port Hope Area Initiative Management Office (PHAI MO) This is the 9th consecutive year that the survey was conducted among residents in Ward 1 and Ward 2 of Port Hope.

Interesting findings from the 2010 survey include:

  • 88 percent —the highest percentage recorded since surveying began- are aware of the Port Hope Area Initiative;
  • 81 percent of those questioned expressed confidence that Port Hope's waste can be successfully managed for the long-term at the new waste management facility. (This compares with 78 percent in 2009);
  • 93 percent are satisfied with their quality of life in Port Hope, virtually unchanged from the previous year; and
  • 76 percent of those questioned rarely or never think about the presence of low-level radioactive waste in their community. This is virtually the same result as was recorded in 2009.

An executive summary of this and previous years' survey results are posted on the PHAI's website at www.phai.ca. Copies of the results of previous surveys can be viewed on the Port Hope Area Initiative website at www.phai.ca under 'Information and Involvement.'"

 

The Community Voices Its Support

The following comments (used with permission) have been excerpted from presentations offered during the CNSC licensing hearing for the Port Hope Area Initiative, held August 26-27, 2009. Additional excerpts from supportive written and oral interventions are availble here 

Reality vs. perception
"Our members understand that there are no immediate health effects from the radioactive waste that is currently in the community. However, the public's perception has been different, particularly among people who are not from Port Hope…I speak for our members when I say that we look forward to the resolution of these issues and the completion of the cleanup process in order to remove the stigma that has been attached to the community, enabling us to promote Port Hope as an enjoyable and healthy destination for business and pleasure."
Kelly Morgan MacKenzie
 Chair, Heritage Business Improvement Area


LLRW an obstacle to progress
"We support the proposed [low-level radioactive] waste facility and would like to see it move forward as quickly as possible. The issue of nuclear waste and related issues has divided our community on many fronts, it has been an obstacle to progress within the town and a deterrent for any kind of development in Port Hope.
The proposed waste facility has been well studied and I believe it is a practical and safe solution. We need to 'get on with it,' so the town can move forward and thrive."
John and Donna Quantrill, residents, entrepreneurs.

 

Trust expertise at CNSC and AECL
"Since 1973, I've made Port Hope my home… The nuclear industry has, and always will have supporters and detractors, like many other industries. And, as in any community faced with complicated issues, Port Hope has a frustrated silent majority and a very active vocal minority on this broad subject…I trust personally the level of expertise at the CNSC and the AECL; …I trust professionals who are specialists in all aspects of my daily life…I don't understand residents who express mistrust of a proposed cleanup and the process. How can they not see this is a valued, honourable solution to deal with the management of historic low-level waste? … We have long anticipated a restoration of our environment, our reputation, of our self-respect and of our dignity as a community."
Anita Blackwood, resident


The world is watching
"Residing here for over 50 years, I also have raised my children here. … For too many years, Port Hope has had this "Contamination Cloud" hanging over its head. I have talked to both people and businesses that have chosen to locate in surrounding areas because of their uncertainty with our current situation (perceptions are very powerful)….We need to move forward in a positive and beneficial manner…and the world is watching."
Barb Pemberton, lifelong resident, community volunteer

 

The most beautiful and the cleanest
"Wouldn't it be nice in 10 years to be able to say that not only is Port Hope the most beautiful, but also the cleanest Municipality in Ontario? … Let's get started!"
Renee and Peter McLachlan, residents and business operators