Port Hope Area Initiative cleanup. /PHAI Facebook photo
A proposed change to arsenic levels under the Port Hope Area Initiative (PHAI) cleanup will be the focus of a special council meeting in Port Hope on Wednesday, Oct. 2.
The meeting is set for 5:30 p.m. at Port Hope Town Hall. However, no council action is anticipated at the meeting.
“Representatives from Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) will give a presentation offering a high-level overview of the human health and ecological risk assessment, along with a detailed look at the proposed changes and their potential impact,” explained municipal staff, in a recent notice about the meeting.
The purpose of the meeting is to delve further into the latest information — it’s a chance for council and the public to hear more about the proposed change to cleanup criterion for arsenic, said staff.
Work to amend cleanup criteria — which CNL describes as a “rigorous review process” with the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) and other regulators — got started several years ago now.
Among the reasons cited to look at the change over the years and reiterated in the report include property owner feedback — i.e. the length of time it takes for cleanup, the extent of impacts and disruptions to properties; in addition to community, heritage and environment-related concerns, including tree loss, to name a few.
In other words, it’s been detailed that the proposal could help reduce the number of properties needing cleanup and time spent on residential properties, as well as translate to avoiding further delays and overall costs with the project, et cetera.
The original criteria decision was back in 2006. In short, this proposal is centred around revising arsenic criterion from 18 parts per million (ppm) to 50 ppm.
CNSC approval is still needed for the change — and the amended application still has to go before the commission, with this process also involving a public hearing.
According to the report on the agenda, to proceed to a hearing, any criterion change also requires support from all parties, and CNL has to demonstrate information sharing and feedback obtained from Indigenous communities and organizations, local residents and the broader public.
The application also has to include input from such parties and additional agencies, such as Health Canada, the health unit, Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks, et cetera.
“The presentation is intended to help both council and the public understand the broader impact of the arsenic level change to be considered by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission,” said staff.
On the agenda, it states the presentation will be delivered by Historic Waste Program (HWP) environment management manager Jennifer Turner and Ron Brecher, a toxicologist and independent expert.
Robert Fishlock is also anticipated to speak on behalf of the Save Our Trees organization about the proposal and is listed as a deputation on the agenda Wednesday.
The recommended council action for the presentations listed on the agenda ahead of the meeting was to receive both presentations for information purposes.
After the meeting, staff are slated to bring a report back to council at the committee-of-the-whole level on Oct. 22.
“At this meeting, members of the public will have the opportunity to ask questions of council,” added staff.
A final decision on whether council supports the arsenic level change is anticipated at the council meeting on Nov. 5, according to the municipality.
The full presentation, which does also touch on items such as the arsenic risk model — lifetime receptor/cancer risk in Port Hope compared to the Canadian population and with proposed changes, is accessible online via the council agenda.
Port Hope also livestreams its meetings via its YouTube page.
(Written by: Sarah Hyatt)
