Ontarians were alarmed earlier this morning by an Emergency Alert regarding “an incident” at the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station. Although the alert specifically said that residents within 10 km of the power station need not take any action, social media was inundated with expressions of concern by residents from all parts of the province. As it turned out the alarm was unwarranted and has prompted the following media release from the Honourable Sylvia Jones, Solicitor General:
“Earlier today, an emergency alert was issued by the Province of Ontario stating there was a situation at the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station. The alert was issued in error to the public during a routine training exercise being conducted by the Provincial Emergency Operations Centre (PEOC).
There was no incident at the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station that should have triggered public notification. Nor was there ever any danger to the public or environment.
Emergency exercises are a critical component of ensuring preparedness for emergency management and response agencies. The PEOC conducts training exercises regularly and there was no intention to notify the public in this instance.
The Government of Ontario sincerely apologizes for raising public concern and has begun a full investigation to determine how this error happened and will take the appropriate steps to ensure this doesn’t happen again.”
Warner,S. (2020,Jan.12) Statement from the Solicitor General [media release]
Photo Joe Mabel
