Frequently Asked Questions

The Port Hope Area Initiative (PHAI) is a community-based environmental remediation project initiated in 2001 by the Government of Canada. The Initiative will complete the cleanup and safe long-term management of historic low-level radioactive waste (LLRW) in the Port Hope area, finishing a process begun in the 1970s.

What is low-level radioactive waste (LLRW) and where did it come from?

The LLRW in Port Hope, which is no longer being produced, is mainly soil that was contaminated during radium and uranium refining activities by the former Crown Corporation, Eldorado Resources Limited and its predecessors, from the 1930s to 1970s.  The Government of Canada has assumed responsibility for the Crown Corporation's waste management liabilities.

Does living in the Port Hope area with low-level radioactive waste pose a health risk?

The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission in April 2009, released a comprehensive report entitled "Understanding Health Studies Conducted in the Port Hope Community from the 1950s to the Present" (102 pages) 

This report is a synthesis of over 40 health studies carried out over more than 50 years. Briefly, it concludes, based on environmental and epidemiological studies conducted in Port Hope and the findings of research studies conducted in other countries, that no adverse health effects have occurred, or are likely to occur, in Port Hope as a result of the operations of the nuclear industry in the community.

Everyone is exposed to natural radiation from the air, ground and food we eat. Port Hope has a lower background radiation level than places like Banff, Alberta, or Denver, Colorado, where higher altitude results in increased cosmic radiation. The radiation exposure of a person engaged in normal, daily living activities in Port Hope is not measurably different than the exposure of a person living in most Southern Ontario communities.

What is the Port Hope Area Initiative (PHAI)?

The PHAI entails two long-term waste management projects - one in Port Hope and one in Clarington. The Port Hope Project includes the construction of a new state-of-the-art long-term waste management facility at an existing closed waste site and adjacent property south of Highway 401 and west of Baulch Road. 

Existing waste at the site will be excavated and placed in the new engineered above-ground mound.
Other historic low-level radioactive waste (LLRW) and specified industrial waste from various sites in Port Hope will be removed and safely transported to the new facility.  Only historic LLRW and specified industrial waste from sites within Port Hope will be accepted at the new facility. The facility will have the capacity to safely manage the historic waste now located within the Municipality of Port Hope for hundreds of years. Remediation of the LLRW sites will include restoration with clean fill. Restored properties will be able to be safely used for any purpose.

Why should the clean-up process disrupt the whole area if the waste has not affected the health of the people in the community over the past 50 or more years?

The major benefit for the cleanup will be a better socio-economic and natural environment for future generations. The community asked the federal government to fulfill its commitment to clean up historic industrial wastes. For the individual resident, the benefit will be peace of mind, achieved through the removal of questions and potential concerns regarding low-level radioactive waste and contaminated soils on their property or elsewhere, and the knowledge that the material is being managed safely for many generations.

How will residents be protected from dust and other contaminants during the cleanup and transportation of the waste?

The Low-Level Radioactive Waste Management Office (LLRWMO) and the Port Hope Area Initiative (PHAI), both of which are divisions of Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, have over 25 years of experience in safely handling LLRW in Port Hope and across Canada. It has been demonstrated that procedures such as routine radiation monitoring, strict waste handling procedures, dust suppression, covered trucks and controlled site access protect both people and the environment.
Measures to reduce dust include watering excavation areas (water to be captured and treated), minimizing disturbed ground, installing fencing or other barriers, suspending operations during certain weather conditions and covering exposed construction areas at the end of each day. The supervised crews are trained in specialized waste management methods. Trucks will be inspected for loose contamination and cleaned as required prior to departure from the remediation sites and the long-term waste management site. The natural environment and air quality will be continuously monitored to ensure safety and minimize disruption.

If there are increases in particulates in our air during cleanup, how will these risks be monitored, publicly reported and minimized?

Once the Project begins, air quality monitoring will be conducted in the areas where remediation is taking place and in locations where baseline air quality data have been collected. Any incremental changes will be detected and assessed. Post-construction monitoring will continue after the Project is completed to ensure the safety of the long-term facility. The Port Hope Area Initiative will report monitoring results to the public through website postings, reports, community presentations, newsletters, etc. Air quality monitoring will ensure mitigation measures are working effectively and provide advance information if additional measures are required to ensure dust levels are minimized. Before construction begins, the environment will be monitored for at least six months to update baseline information collected at the start of the Environmental Assessment. This pre-construction monitoring data will add to information on air quality (noise, odour, dust and radiological data), water quality (creeks and rivers) and groundwater. The Municipal Peer Review Team will also provide technical review of the monitoring provisions and data to provide independent verification of all data

How will my property values be protected?

The Port Hope Area Initiative includes a Property Value Protection Program (PVP). This program provides assurance to property owners that, if activities arising from the Port Hope Project affect the value of their land, home or business property, compensation is available. The PVP program covers financial loss on the sale of property, loss of rental income or mortgage renewal difficulties as a result of the Project. This program applies to owners of properties in the PVP Zone, which includes all of urban Port Hope (Ward 1) and designated areas of Port Hope's Ward 2 and Clarington.
The PVP Program is in effect and will continue for at least two years past the completion of the new Port Hope Long-Term Waste Management Facility. Losses in value that may result from transportation or construction activities are expected to be temporary.

Why should we trust the PHAI's assessment of the risks associated with this cleanup project?

Some of the most knowledgeable scientists and engineers in Canada have worked on the environmental assessment and design of the Project. The federal and provincial authorities have applied the highest international standards for the environmental assessment and project design and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) and Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), with other federal and provincial departments, will lead the oversight of the work of the PHAI during cleanup and construction activities. PHAI has operated in an open and transparent manner, with full public consultation and Municipal involvement. The Municipality's Peer Review Team reviewed all of the Environmental Assessment studies and suggested additional mitigation measures to further safeguard the community and the environment. Also the community will be involved in the implementation of the Project and PHAI staff members are committed to doing the Project right, "once and for all". This is a made-in-Port Hope Project that strives to exceed health and safety regulations, using environmental criteria for the cleanup that are specific to circumstances in this community.

How much waste will be cleaned up in Port Hope? Are there just over a million cubic metres of waste or, as I have heard, 3.5 million cubic metres of waste to be cleaned up in Port Hope?

By applying regulatory standards, expert scientific and public input, it was determined that a cleanup of approximately 1.2 million cubic metres would meet the objectives of protecting human and ecological health for all foreseeable, unrestricted future uses of properties in Port Hope. The Port Hope Area Initiative discussed the implications of cleanup criteria with the public in 2005.  High, realistic and low volume estimates of waste material were presented to explain the implications on the community of various scenarios for the cleanup and construction of the aboveground mound. The figure of 3.5 million cubic metres was the high figure, requiring excavation of soil deep enough to reach natural background levels. The estimated volume of historic waste to be cleaned up is driven by agreed-upon criteria which are more stringent than in the previous cleanup due to technical, municipal and public input.

How will we know that all of the LLRW has been identified and cleaned up?

The Low Level Radioactive Waste Management Office of Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. has extensive knowledge of waste volumes and locations from more than 25 years of managing and monitoring historic low-level radioactive waste in Port Hope. The PHAI conducted an aerial gamma radiation survey and a roadway survey which has added to this knowledge. Prior to cleanup a contamination resurvey program will be conducted to specify which properties will require remediation.
On each property that is cleaned up, verification analysis will be conducted on the soils to ensure that the contaminated soil has been removed. The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission will oversee the verification testing of the remediated sites to ensure the cleanup criteria have been met. After the cleanup of each property unrestricted future use of the property will be confirmed with the owner.

When will the cleanup begin?

It is expected construction of the Long-Term Waste Management Facility will be underway in 2011. On October 16, 2009, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) approved a five-year licence for the Port Hope Project. A licensing hearing took place in Port Hope at the Town Park Recreation Centre on McCaul Street on August 26-27, 2009.  Over 100 indiciduals, agencies and businesses made oral and/or written submissions to the Commission on the subject of this licence, the overwhelming majority in favour. The conditions of the licence call for regulatory hold points (key steps in the process where Commission approval is required before moving to the next phase).  The actual transfer of soils to the Long Term Waste Management Facility and remediation of existing sites will begin after the CNSC has approved the detailed design and the Government of Canada has released the funds for the Project.

How much will the cleanup cost?

Funding for the Port Hope Area Initiative was established in 2001, based on cost estimates developed for 1999 municipal concepts, as described in the Legal Agreement negotiated between the Government of Canada and the then municipalities of the Town of Port Hope and the Township of Hope, as well as Clarington. Federal funding of $260-million was budgeted.
Prior to Phase 2 of the Port Hope and Port Granby projects, costing studies will be carried out to determine whether the original budget estimate of $180-million for Phase 2 (removal and transportation of waste to the long-term management sites in both Port Hope and Clarington) and Phase 3 (long-term monitoring) remains adequate. The new costing studies will address, among other things, commitments in the Legal Agreement, the evolution of the proposed projects from the date of the Legal Agreement, the greater understanding of the costs that would be associated with implementation, the environmental assessment and licensing requirements and the past versus current value of money.