$1.28-billion from the Government of Canada will help Port Hope clean up 1.2-million cubic metres of low level radioactive waste over the next 10 years.

Port Hope will benefit from a $1.28-billion injection of cash from the Government of Canada to help the Ontario town cleanup 1.2-million cubic metres of low level radioactive waste over the next decade.

Canada has dramatically increased the amount of money it will invest in a long-awaited cleanup program on the north shore of Lake Ontario. The previous cleanup cost estimate was about $250-million.

“We are so thrilled – so relieved – that the government is recognizing how important it is to clean up Port Hope,” says Waterkeeper Mark Mattson.

Meanwhile, hundreds of people are intervening in a Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission hearing happening in Port Hope this week. At issue is whether the nuclear regulator should renew operating licences for Cameco’s fuel-making projects in Port Hope.

Cameco, formerly known as Eldorado, was the original source of much of the historical low-level radioactive waste pollution in the town and is one of the most controversial industrial sites in Canada.

The public hearing started Tuesday night and continues Wednesday. You can watch the proceedings live on the CNSC website.
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