Even as Pickering mayor was “upset” over the peaceful Sunday morning calm being shattered by the shrill tones of a nuclear emergency alert, Ontario’s Solicitor General moved in with a full inquiry into the “error”.
Yesterday morning, People in Durham received the emergency alert over their smartphones from Ontario Government, regarding an incident at the Pickering Nuclear Station.
Before panic could set in, the alert was determined as an “error” and the public was notified.
Durham has two nuclear power plants – in Pickering and in Clarington.
“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,” said Sylvia Jones, Solicitor General.
Routine Exercise
“Earlier today [Sunday], 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),” she said in a written statement.
“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,” Jones stressed.
She said 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,” she added.
Mayor Upset
Pickering Mayor Dave Ryan was among the first to demand a full investigation into the “error”.
“Like many of you, I was very troubled to have received that emergency alert this morning. While I am relieved that there was no actual emergency, I am upset that an error such as this occurred. I have spoken to the Province, and am demanding that a full investigation take place,” he said in a tweet.
In another tweet, the City of Pickering said: “We have confirmed that there is no emergency or incident at the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station, and that there is no danger to the public. The emergency alert issued by the Province earlier this morning was sent out in error.”
The Region of Durham said it has been advised by the Provincial Emergency Operations Centre that the alert warning for the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station was sent in error…Please do not call 911 for updates.
Durham Regional Police Service (DRPS) said it also received the Emergency Alert. “We made direct contact with Durham Emergency Management to clarify the message…Important update: the alert regarding #Pickering Nuclear was sent in error. There is no danger to the public or environment.”
Ontario Power Generation (OPG) also said the emergency alert was issued in error.
“OPG has a sophisticated and robust notification process in place that we would immediately follow in the unlikely event of an incident at the station. I want to assure the public that there was no incident at the station, and the plant is operating as designed,” said Sean Granville, OPG Chief Nuclear Officer.
OPG is the largest electricity generator in the province, providing almost half the power Ontarians rely on every day.
Official provincial retraction: pic.twitter.com/0dYsJ8pO3Z
— Town of Ajax (@TownOfAjax) January 12, 2020