Public Information Program (PIP)

We are a leader in protecting the health and safety of our employees and neighbours, and our operations continually exceed the standards set by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC). Meeting or exceeding the CNSC requirements, we do our part to protect the health, safety, environment and security of Canadians. And, through our Public Information Program (PIP), we are committed to open public communications.

Should you have any questions about our Public Information Program, please contact Richard Wassenaar at [email protected] or at 613-592-3400 x2579.

Nordion’s Public Disclosure Protocol

Nordion is committed to open and transparent relationships with its stakeholders, including employees, suppliers, customers, regulators and the public. The purpose of the Program, as it relates to the CNSC licensed activities of our Ottawa facility, is to ensure that information related to the health, safety and security of persons and the environment, and other issues associated with the lifecycle of the facility, are effectively communicated to the public. The Company has established a Public Disclosure Protocol (the “Protocol”) to ensure that public communications are informative, timely, and accurate, and that material information is disclosed to the general public in accordance with applicable legal and regulatory requirements. This Protocol is an integral part of Nordion’s program.

In order to determine what types of information would be of public interest, Nordion shall consult with public stakeholders and interest groups with a primary focus on the local community.

The objectives of the Protocol are to:

  • Provide information on health, safety, and security of persons and the environment, and ensure issues associated with facilities’ licensed operations and activities are communicated.
  • Communicate, on an ongoing and timely basis. Communications will address the public’s perception of risk, as well as the level of public interest of our facility operations, activities, and anticipated effects on environment, health and safety of persons.
  • Ensure consistent standards and procedures for public disclosure of material and non-material information under this Protocol.
  • Ensure communications under this Protocol are balanced and broadly communicated in a non-selective manner to individuals, organizations, stakeholders and the public based on real or perceived risks and public interest or concern.

Public Disclosure 2023

Ottawa Fire Services at Nordion

At approximately 1.30 pm on September 6, 2023 Nordion evacuated our facility as a result of a fire alarm. The alarm proved to be false. As per Ottawa Fire Services practices, fire trucks were dispatched and were briefly on site to validate the false alarm.

The ability to safely evacuate the occupants of any building is very important to mitigate the impact of an emergency. Nordion holds practice evacuation exercises on a regular basis as part of its Emergency Management Program to ensure appropriate preparedness for the unlikely event of an emergency at the Nordion site.

Ottawa Fire Services at Nordion

On the evening of July 18, 2023, the Ottawa Fire Services (OFS) arrived at Nordion after receiving a call from Nordion’s third-party monitoring company. There was a trouble alarm on the main fire alarm panel due to an issue with the power supply. The issue was quickly resolved by Nordion.

This event did not trigger an actual fire alarm, there was no evacuation, and the emergency response plan was not initiated.

On-site Familiarization Visit for Local Emergency Response Personnel

Members of Ottawa Fire Department will be visiting Nordion for a planned meeting on January 31st and there will likely be emergency vehicles on site during this visit. This is part of their normal and routine community service and not in response to any incident or threat to Nordion. These visits allow the Ottawa emergency response teams to better understand Nordion’s operations and respond if ever needed.

On-site Familiarization Visit for Local Emergency Response Personnel

Members of Ottawa Fire Department will be visiting Nordion for a planned meeting on January 24th and there will likely be emergency vehicles on site during this visit. This is part of their normal and routine community service and not in response to any incident or threat to Nordion. These visits allow the Ottawa emergency response teams to better understand Nordion’s operations and respond if ever needed.

On-site Familiarization Visit for Local Emergency Response Personnel

Members of Ottawa Fire Department will be visiting Nordion for a planned meeting on January 17th and there will likely be emergency vehicles on site during this visit. This is part of their normal and routine community service and not in response to any incident or threat to Nordion. These visits allow the Ottawa emergency response teams to better understand Nordion’s operations and respond if ever needed.

On-site Familiarization Visit for Local Emergency Response Personnel

Members of Ottawa Fire Department will be visiting Nordion for a planned meeting on January 10th and there will likely be emergency vehicles on site during this visit. This is part of their normal and routine community service and not in response to any incident or threat to Nordion. These visits allow the Ottawa emergency response teams to better understand Nordion’s operations and respond if ever needed.

2023 — Reports

Annual Compliance and Operational Performance Report*
CNSC Review of Nordion’s Performance
Quarterly Event Reports*

Public Disclosure

If you’d like to see disclosures for previous years, you’ll find links to this information below.