August 16, 2006 (Port Hope, ON) --- The majority of Port Hope residents strongly support Cameco and public trust in the company is high, according to recent opinion research conducted for the company.
A survey done in June by Fast Consulting found that 80% of Port Hope residents support continuation of uranium conversion, up from 70% in June of 2005. A majority (53%) indicated that they are strongly supportive, up from 34% one year ago.
The majority (82%) agree that Cameco does everything possible to ensure public safety and 74% agree that the regulatory process adequately ensures the safety and security of Port Hope residents.
Doug Fast of Fast Consulting states , "Notable in the research was that residents significantly underestimate the proportion of people in the community they think are supportive of Cameco. Survey respondents estimate that only 63% of residents support Cameco, well below the actual support level at 80%."
The research shows that the majority of residents are supportive of Cameco's uranium conversion facility in Port Hope. However, when asked directly if they are concerned about the environmental impact in the community the majority ( 66%) indicate that they are at least somewhat concerned (37% very concerned; 29% somewhat concerned; 33% not very concerned). Concerns regarding health were at 60% (down from 75% in 2005). When asked specifically what types of issues are important when thinking about Cameco, respondents listed the top five issues as: environmental impact (32%), public/community safety (25%), waste management (15%), jobs (15%) and health concerns (14%).
"We are gratified by the support and trust placed in us, but we are also well aware of the concerns among some members in the community and we want to address those concerns," said Bob Steane, Cameco's vice-president, fuel services division. "The health and safety of people and protection of the environment are our top priorities. We intend to live up to those values as well as the trust and support that the community has placed in us."
Steane said Cameco has undertaken several initiatives aimed at identifying and addressing public concerns related to its operations at Port Hope. In addition to ongoing work on emissions, health, safety and security, the company conducted an extensive public consultation to engage the residents in shaping its Vision 2010 project and initiated a constructive dialogue with Port Hope residents through community liaison forums.
"We have made significant progress in recent months, but there is more to do and we are committed to continue working hard to earn the support of people in the community," Steane said. Vision 2010, Cameco's multi-million dollar plan to renew, cleanup and modernize the Port Hope conversion facility, also enjoys widespread support at 92%. Aldo D'Agostino, project manager for Vision 2010 says, "It's important that we do a better job of communicating to the community about the breadth and depth of change that is taking place with the Vision 2010 project. One of the community's concerns is the waterfront and Vision 2010 will bring tremendous improvements to our waterfront. It's very exciting."
Steane says, "While corporations like Cameco receive their operating licences from federal and provincial regulatory bodies, we also need support from our communities to operate over the long-term. To do that we must provide information and build trust ."
The majority of residents (75%) believe that Cameco makes information about its facility readily available and most believe that they are adequately consulted regarding changes Cameco is undertaking. Trust questions developed by Fast Consulting for the research, provide a public support measurement based on opinions regarding safety, environmental integrity, economic development and business management, and leadership. Taken together, these form a trust index, which is a key aspect of measuring support in the community.
"This is very important," states Steane, "for our ongoing understanding of the community and it applies both in our long-term planning as well as our day-to-day practices." In the trust index, Cameco scores highly (on a scale of 1 to 10) on all indicators: environmentally responsible (7.06); protects the air, land and water (6.60); provides safe and healthy workplace (7.84); honest and open with public (7.22); creator of quality employment (8.24); generator of economic opportunity (8.0); supporter of the community (8.37).
Doug Fast of Fast Consulting said ratings in the 5 to 6 range can be interpreted as ‘satisfactory' or ‘good' and ratings in the 7 to 10 range are ‘very good' to ‘excellent.'
The survey of 400 residents is considered accurate within plus or minus 4.9% with a 95% level of certainty. Cameco conducts opinion research regularly to measure levels of awareness, support and trust in the community to gauge the effectiveness of its communication and public engagement efforts.
Port Hope Public Opinion Survey, June 2006 (PDF 1.19 MB)
The Environment (PDF 51 KB)
Fire Safety and Security (PDF 67 KB)
Community Health Issues (PDF 58 KB)
