On April 1, 2011, the <I>Toronto Star</I> ran <A HREF=”http://www.thestar.com/news/article/968112–port-hope-s-nuclear-past-pits-economic-interests-against-health” TARGET=”_blank”>an article about the history of radioactive waste</A> in Port Hope, Ontario. On April 8, 2011, the <I>Northumberland Today</i> ran this article about the town’s reaction to what was, in Waterkeeper’s view, a very well-balanced chronicle of the nuclear industry in Port Hope. The article and quotations below offer a fascinating insight into the relationship between local government and the media. The federal government owned and operated many aspects of Port Hope’s early nuclear facilities and is overseeing the ongoing cleanup:
Port Hope Councillor David Turck is mad as heck and he proposes to do something about it.
“One more time the Toronto Star and certain groups /individuals have decided to once again bring up old news,” he said at this week’s council meeting, referring to a lengthy recent article in the national newspaper detailing the municipality’s historic low-level radioactive waste situation. “Why I cannot understand.”
“This took up over 54% of the GTA section on the Toronto Star.
“There was nothing new reported here and this upsets me why this must be brought up.
“The Toronto Star must have really had a no-news week, which I find hard to believe, or a soft ear for the special interest groups which should have given us equal print space to present our facts of reality.”
As a result he proposed the following motion to council:
“I move that a letter be prepared (to send) to the federal government requesting their assistance in mitigating negative press related to the Municipality of Port Hope by providing funding initiatives and any direct economic development incentives that may facilitate the municipality’s ability to attract industry and business to our community,” he said.
The motion was seconded by Councillor Rick Austin.
Councillor Jeff Lees had a different reaction. He said a lot of citizens approached him on that day about the article.
“My problem is we pay a company, TAS communications in regard to this,” Lees said. “I was told representatives from the Port Hope Area Initiative early on had gone up to Toronto and spoken to the editor and the writer of the article for an hour and a half and not got any response.
“The municipality pays the communications company. We also have a staff person who works in communication, and this council, as far as I know, knew nothing about this article coming forward.
“We didn’t get any thing from TAS,” Lees We pay them a substantial amount of money to look after these kind of things. As a council, in this instance, we are not getting our money’s worth. And I think we should have had a heads-up. People in the community were being interviewed for this…. I hate to be blindsided on anything that impacts our community this largely.
“In my opinion I think its (TAS’s) job to do something about these things before they happen,” Lees said.
Mayor Linda Thompson said people were informed about the story at the latest town hall meeting.
“It would be nice to be proactive instead of reactive all the time,” Lees responded.
