Hazard information

The chance of a serious accident at a nuclear reactor facility in Ontario is very low.

There are nine nuclear reactor facilities located in and around Ontario:

  • Pickering Nuclear Generating Station
  • Darlington Nuclear Generating Station
  • Bruce Nuclear Generating Station 
  • Chalk River Laboratories
  • Fermi 2 Nuclear Power Plant

The four facilities below are included in the Transborder Implementing Plan due to their proximity to Ontario.

  • Perry Nuclear Power Plant
  • R.E. Ginna Nuclear Power Plant
  • Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station
  • David-Besse Nuclear Power Plant

Provincial nuclear emergency response plans

If you need a copy of any publication, email askemo@ontario.ca.

Safety tips

People who live or work within 10 km of a nuclear reactor facility should do the following if there’s an accident:

  • Go inside and turn on your radio, TV or computer.
  • Listen to media for instructions from the provincial government.
  • Follow the directions provided by the provincial government.
  • Have your potassium iodide (KI) pills nearby:
    • One way to protect yourself from radioactive iodine is to take a KI pill.
    • KI is only to be taken when instructed to do so by provincial authorities.
    • Further information on KI is available from the Ministry of Health: Potassium Iodide Tablets (KI) Fact Sheet.

Emergency alerts

You will be made aware of an emergency situation at the nuclear reactor facility in your area in one or more of the following ways:

Ontario will also issue emergency bulletins through local radio and television stations and social media. These bulletins will:

  • identify that a concern exists and where it’s occurring
  • advise on precautionary and protective measures
  • announce when the emergency is over

Evacuation

Normally people are evacuated from an area well before radiation is released into the atmosphere – so radioactive contamination is very unlikely.

If there is a concern, you may be asked to:

  • stay indoors
  • close all windows and doors
  • turn off heating or air conditioning to avoid bringing potentially contaminated air indoors
  • be ready to leave your home if the situation changes

If you're told to leave your home:

  • close and lock windows and doors
  • follow instructions and routes given by officials
  • bring with you:
    • important documents and identification
    • sufficient clothing, medication, canned or dried food, water and cash
    • specialty items, including baby needs and medical equipment
    • pets, food, carriers, leashes and vaccination forms

Municipal nuclear preparedness information

Durham Region

Durham Region is home to both the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station and the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station, which are owned by Ontario Power Generation.

Provincial Nuclear Emergency Response Plan

Nuclear Generating Station Information

City of Toronto

Parts of eastern Toronto fall within the Provincial Nuclear Emergency Response Plan’s detailed planning zone for the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station.

Provincial Nuclear Emergency Response Plan

Municipality of Kincardine

The Municipality of Kincardine is home to the Bruce Nuclear Generating Station.

Provincial Nuclear Emergency Response Plan

Nuclear Generating Station Information

Town of Deep River and Laurentian Hills

The towns of Deep River and Laurentian Hills fall within the PNERP Implementing Plan for Chalk River Laboratories’ Detailed Planning Zone.

Chalk River Laboratories runs under a government-owned, contractor-operated model. The site is owned by Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL), a federal crown corporation. The site is operated on behalf of AECL by Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, a private-sector company.

Chalk River Laboratories is one of the most complex laboratories in Canada, with activities ranging from services and development related to the nuclear industry, to other science areas such as physics, metallurgy, chemistry, biology, and engineering. It also safely contains and manages radioactive waste.

Provincial Nuclear Emergency Response Plan

Town of Amherstburg

The Town of Amherstburg is designated under the Provincial Nuclear Emergency Response Plan due to its proximity to Michigan’s Fermi 2 Nuclear Generating Station.

Provincial Nuclear Emergency Response Plan

  • Implementing Plan for Fermi 2 Nuclear Generating Station

Technical Study Report of the Provincial Nuclear Emergency Response Plan (PNERP)

By ENERCON, 2019

A technical study informed by dose modelling was undertaken to examine the radiological consequences associated with a range of nuclear accidents that could potentially happen in Ontario, including a severe accident scenario. The results of the modelling were then considered within the context of the 2017 PNERP planning basis, to determine the appropriateness of the distances prescribed for protective actions and of the protective actions themselves.

Prepare now