PORT HOPE — Two visitors arrived tired from the red-eye flight from Alberta Tuesday, but that didn’t stop them from spending a full day touring various nuclear facilities, meeting different community groups and finishing up the day with a stop at Port Hope council.

Reeve Teresa Tupper and Deputy Reeve Darlene Frith of the County of Northern Lights in Alberta, came to Ontario on a fact-finding mission after a former Port Hope resident and nuclear activist got involved in the proposed Bruce Power site in their jurisdiction.

The proposed site is in the preliminary stages and has not entered the environmental assessment stage yet.
“We have been everywhere and seen so much,” said Tupper.

“It’s been very exciting to see the whole concept of nuclear communities from beginning to end.”

The duo arrived Tuesday morning and visited the Darlington nuclear station and met with members from Green Peace before arriving in Port Hope to tour both the Cameco fuel manufacturing and conversion facilities.

“We provide tours of our facilities to any group that is interested,” said senior communications specialist Doug Prendergast.

Tupper and Frith didn’t just go to the nuclear industries in Port Hope either. They met with Sanford and Helen-Anne Haskill who represented Families Against Radiation Exposure (FARE) -and the other side of the story.

“They asked us what we thought about what the nuclear industry has done to our town,” said Sanford. “And we told them.”

He added that they were asked their thoughts on whether the County of Northern Lights opposed the industry’s application if it would go through anyway.

“I told them I’ve never seen the CNSC (Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission) turn anything down,” said Sanford. “It was a good meeting and we enjoyed it.”

Tupper said they’ve had a very good experience so far, with everyone being very accommodating and forthright in providing information.

“It’s a priority for us to get an all-conclusive perspective from the community,” said Tupper. “For us it’s not a pro and con issue. We want to make sure everyone has a voice and is heard.”

She says they firmly believe that industry has a right to go through the process.

“But we need to understand where we fit into that process,” said Tupper.

Mayor Linda Thompson said that she would be attending the Canadian Association of Nuclear Host Communities annual general meeting this week and that Tupper and Frith were coming along to help expand their education regarding Ontario’s nuclear industry.

Tupper said there were two things about the nuclear industry that struck her -the cleanliness of the air in the facilities and the abundance of women in the workforce.

“We’re used to the pulp and paper industry and there’s a strong odour when you tour the plants,” said Tupper. “What we noticed right away was the lack of a smell.”

She added that workers in the pulp and paper industry tend to be big bulky and strong men.

“It was refreshing to see the number of women working in the industry,” said Tupper.

The pair will meet with other community groups, Health Canada representatives and the CNSC before they head for home, said Thompson.