1.1 Aim of plan

1.1.1 The aim of the Other Radiological Emergencies Response Plan is to describe the measures to be undertaken to protect public health and safety in the event of a radiological emergency caused by sources not covered under Ontario's other Implementing plans of the PNERP.

1.1.2 For the purposes of this plan, a radiological emergency would occur when there is an actual or potential hazard to public health, property and/or the environment from ionizing radiation resulting from sources other than a nuclear installation. Such a hazard will usually be caused by an accident, malfunction or loss of control involving radioactive material.

1.1.3 This plan covers events occurring either in or outside of Ontario (particularly in adjacent jurisdictions), which may be of concern to the health and safety of Ontario's residents.

1.2 Scope of plan

1.2.1 This plan provides generic guidance on dealing with many different kinds of radiological emergencies not covered by the other implementing plans. As such, the guidance contained herein may be general in nature and should therefore be applied taking into consideration the unique aspects of the situation being dealt with.

1.2.2 This plan deals with radiological emergencies arising from:

  1. Accidents or occurrences at a Nuclear Establishmentfootnote 1 not covered under other implementing plans of the Provincial Nuclear Emergency Response Plan (PNERP);
  2. Accidents or occurrences during the transportation of radioactive material;
  3. Satellite re-entry;
  4. Radiological Dispersal Devices (RDD);
  5. Radiological Devices (RD); and
  6. Nuclear Weapon detonation.

A description of each of these incidents is provided in Annex A to this Plan.

1.2.3 The above incidents may either be in the form of dispersed radiation or an intact source.

1.3 The potential hazard

The hazard to the affected public would be from:

  1. Contamination:
    • External (skin & clothing); or
    • Internal (as a result of ingestion or inhalation of contaminants).
  2. Radiation Exposure

1.4 Protective measures

The protective measures available for minimizing or avoiding the radiation hazard are listed in Table 1.1.

1.5 Applicability of plan

Organizations that may be involved in the response to a radiological incident covered by this plan include:

  1. Nuclear Establishments in Ontario;
  2. Transporters of radioactive materials;
  3. Federal government department and agencies;
  4. Provincial ministries, agencies, boards and commissions; and
  5. Communities (upper and lower tier municipalities and First Nations).

1.6 General responsibilities

1.6.1 Nuclear Establishments

  1. Under the terms of the licence issued by the CNSC, nuclear establishments (Annex B) are required to:
    • Take appropriate measures to prevent radioactive material from being released offsite.
    • Promptly inform the offsite authorities and the CNSC should such a release occur.
  2. An accident in which the effects are expected to be confined within the boundaries of the nuclear facility shall be dealt with by the establishment itself, under the regulatory control of the CNSC.

1.6.2 Nuclear Transporters

Transporters of radioactive materials, as well as persons/organizations that are forwarding them, are required, under the CNSC's Packaging and Transport of Nuclear Substance Regulations, to report any dangerous occurrences and, under the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act, are required to report any actual or anticipated releases.

In addition, any dangerous good that exceeds the specified value in column 7 of Schedule 1 of the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations, must be shipped with an approved Emergency Response Assistance Plan (ERAP), issued by Transport Canada.

1.6.3 Federal Government

In the event of a radiological emergency, federal government departments and agencies are responsible for overseeing/regulating the facility response, notification, the coordination of federal resources including those for aerial/ground monitoring and for providing guidance on dose limits for emergency workers (see Annex C).

1.6.4 Government of Ontario

  1. The Government of Ontario has jurisdiction over public health and safety, property and the environment within its borders and, as such will be primarily responsible for managing the off-site consequences of a radiological emergency affecting any part of the province.
  2. In the event of a radiological emergency, the Province's role may vary from providing assistance/support to coordinating the provincial response. For example, in the case of an emergency with localized effects, or whenever it considers this to be appropriate, the province will simply monitor the situation and provide the support and assistance needed to the community dealing with the emergency.
  3. The province will, however, coordinate the response operations in the following cases:
    • If the affected community(ies) so request(s); or
    • If the province considers this to be the appropriate course in the interests of public health and safety.
  4. The provincial response to a radiological emergency will be coordinated through the Provincial Emergency Operations Centre (PEOC).

1.6.5 Communities

  1. Local governments and agencies are responsible for taking appropriate measures to protect public health and safety within their jurisdictions. Municipalities in close proximity to, or with nuclear establishments within their boundaries, should include in their emergency response plans, the measures they may need to take to deal with the off-site consequences of a radiological accident.
  2. Other municipalities which have a radiological incident identified as one of their potential risks, within their Hazard Identification & Risk Assessment (pursuant to Section 2(3) of the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act), should include, within their municipal emergency response plans, the measures they may need to undertake to deal with such an emergency.
  3. An accident whose effects are so localized that the impact can be satisfactorily dealt with by local emergency responders, with some outside technical assistance, shall be handled by the community affected, with provincial support, if so requested.
  4. If the consequences of the accident are beyond the capabilities of the community's response organization as well as the capabilities available through mutual aid agreements, the province will assume responsibility for coordinating the response.

Table 1.1: Protective measures

Exposure control Measures

  • Entry Control
  • Sheltering
  • Evacuation
  • Thyroid Blocking
  • Use of Protective Equipment
  • Decontamination

Ingestion Control Measures

  • Milk Control
  • Water Control
  • Pasture Control
  • Produce and Crop Control
  • Livestock Control
  • Food Control
  • Land Control[*]
  • Environmental Decontamination[*]

Note: The measures are defined in the Glossary in Annex E of this plan.

Note: * Normally applicable only to Recovery Phase.

Footnotes