May 21 - Ontario Power Generation

I n s i d e f e a t u r e s
The big
deal about
vitamin D
Atikokan GS
helps Walleye
program
2 3 3 4
OPG’s Wayne
Weller at
DeCew’s tree
planting event
Sharing history
and tradition
MAY 21 2010
v o l u m e t w e l v e • i s s u e n i n e
Project
success
is all
about
the
planning
W
ith the help of hundreds of
people, countless materials and
around-the-clock dedication, the Pickering
Safe Storage Project is almost complete.
Although other types of nuclear reactors
have been safely stored before, this has
never been completed on CANDU units
anywhere in the world.
The two units have been placed into safe storage configuration
until the eventual dismantling and decommissioning activities
occur.
The project began in 2005 and will wrap up this summer, on
schedule and on budget. Pickering A Units 2 and 3 will be
officially disconnected from the rest of the plant. A few systems
will remain operational but the majority will be isolated. To
separate from the rest of the plant, each system on Units 2 and 3
must go through a process involving reports and procedures, as
well as manual work. As of March 31, 81 systems went through
this process, with the remaining 21 scheduled for the Vacuum
Building Outage. Final paperwork will be completed this fall.
The project represents an investment of $360 million and
involved staff with specialized skills performing very complex
work.
Our success on major projects like this helps build trust and
confidence in our company and demonstrates OPG’s ability
to manage large projects. The lessons learned on Safe Storage
will pave the way for future projects, including the Darlington
Refurbishment.
Employees participated
Darlene Baker is the sister of Joseph
in the Day of Mourning
Baker, who died in November 1972 during
at OPG sites across the
the construction of the Lennox plant at
province on April 28. In
this photo from the commemorative ceremony
at Lennox GS, employees pause
for a moment of silence. Pictured here
(from left to right) are: Darlene Baker;
the young age of 19. Darlene spoke at the
Lennox ceremony and shared how the
accident impacted her family. She also
attended a ceremony in 1999, to dedicate
the Lennox Day of Mourning memorial.
Publication Mail Agreement #40062445
Return Undeliverable Canadian
Address to:
Pensioner Services
700 University Ave H5
Toronto ON M5G1X6
Day of
Mourning
Darlene’s son, Joseph Lyons; Tony
Kokus, OPG employee and representative
for the Society of Energy Professionals;
Al Brandon, OPG employee and
representative for the Power Workers’
Union; and Frank Chiarotto, Senior Vice
President, Thermal.
The Day of Mourning is an opportunity
for employees to honour those who have
died, suffered an injury or experienced
illness at work. Ceremonies encourage
employees to reflect on our losses and
think about how we can build a safer
future.

page 2
IT’S ALL ABOUT PEOPLE
volume twelve • issue nine
HEALTH & WELLNESS
Vitamin D
Dr. Sotto says...
“What’s the BIG deal
about vitamin D?”
The big deal is that vitamin D can protect you against
significant diseases and illness such as cancer (colorectal,
breast, ovarian, prostate), heart disease, stroke, diabetes,
depression, osteoporosis, arthritis, multiple sclerosis,
autoimmune diseases and more, according to extensive
research studies.
Statistics Canada says most Canadians are deficient in
vitamin D. According to a recent study, about 37,000
Canadians or 16% of the Canadian population can be
saved from premature death if they increase their daily
intake of vitamin D.
So how do you know if you’re getting enough vitamin D to
stay healthy? You can find out through a simple blood test
which can be ordered by your doctor.
Where can you get vitamin D? It is produced in your skin
when you’re exposed to Ultraviolet B (UVB) rays from the
sun during midday in the summer. It can also be found in
fatty fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel, and sardines), milk, egg
yolk, liver and orange juice fortified with vitamin D, and
through liquid or tablet supplements.
Vitamin D also helps your body absorb calcium, which is
especially important after age 30 when bone mass starts to
decrease. Adults should ingest at least 1,000 to 1,500 mg of
calcium per day, depending on your age or as recommended
by your doctor.
The Canadian Cancer Society recommends that adults
living in Canada increase their daily vitamin D intake to
1,000 IU. This can be obtained by 10 minutes of daily,
VITAMIN
direct skin exposure to sunlight in the spring and summer,
and by taking vitamin D supplements in the fall and
winter. Visit your doctor for more information and to take
a blood test to ensure you are getting enough vitamin D.
ZERO INJURIES. BELIEVE IT. ACHIEVE IT.
Improved WPC
OPG Work Protection Code Gets
a Facelift
Recent revisions to the OPG Work Protection Code (WPC) have resulted in not only a
higher level of protection for employees, but also in the achievement of a major regulatory
milestone.
Over the last two years, work has been underway to improve OPG’s WPC to
align with new Ministry of Labour (MOL) requirements for “complex
group lockout and tagout”. These requirements which were finalized
in December 2008 after several years of consultation with the
MOL mark a significant achievement in the MOL’s recognition
of the safety afforded by OPG’s current processes.
With the work coordinated by an OPG-wide project team of WPC experts led by
Corporate Safety, WPC improvements required detailed action plans involving over 150
employees from across OPG. One part of the governance for this transition was developed
by the tripartite Corporate Code Advisory Group, who revised the WPC with over 50 new/
modified rules. The end result will be noticed by all employees who rely on work protection
to isolate the energies associated with their work.
Some of the major changes include:
• a new requirement to add additional protection (e.g., locks) to thousands of high-risk
energy isolating devices;
• a new process where workers verify through initials their understanding of the status of
isolation; and
• additional training for permit holders on the hazards
associated with their work environment.
Businesses are transitioning to these new requirements in
2010 with Thermal, Hydro and Corporate Real Estate
sites already complete. Due to longer lead times for work
protection planning and the critical Pickering Vacuum
Building Outage, Nuclear’s transition will be complete
by August 1, 2010.
Mary Lou Sinclair, Director of Corporate Safety, summed up this accomplishment best:
“It took a great team effort from employees across OPG to make the WPC an even safer
Code to live by. It is this kind of employee commitment and dedication to safety that will
help us achieve our overall goal of Zero Injuries.”
If you have any questions about this project, please contact Cathy Catton at
(416) 592-4015.
DIVERSITY
OPG’s Equity Survey
Are You In?
Throughout the month of May, we are asking all
employees to count themselves in by completing
OPG’s Employment Equity Survey. This short, voluntary
survey will help OPG to better understand
its workforce and meet the needs of all employees.
Under the Federal Employment Equity Act (FEEA),
OPG has an obligation to monitor and report detailed
data regarding designated groups – Aboriginal
Peoples, Visible Minorities, Persons with Disabilities
and Women – in its employee population. It
is critical that this information be kept current,
not only to meet the obligations of the FEEA, but
because it may also result in changes in training,
support and accommodation programs that affect
all employees and benefit our company through diversity.
The EE workforce survey is the only means
by which this information can be gathered.
Typically, this survey is completed by employees
when they join the organization, but it can be
completed or updated at any time throughout your
career with OPG.
If you did not complete the EE workforce survey
when you joined OPG or if you need to update the
information in the survey (e.g., if you have developed
a disability), please consider doing so today.
To complete the survey, login to ESS, mouse-over
Personal Information and click on Employment
Equity Survey, or obtain a paper copy from your
HR Consultant.
All information collected through the EE survey
is confidential. It will only be used for statistical
purposes with no names identified. If you have any
questions, please contact your Human Resources
Consultant.

OPG CELEBRATES EARTH DAY
page 3
volume twelve • issue nine
With the help of Atikokan GS
- the Walleye is Back!
The Walleye did indeed do its part and anglers are once again
happy as the Walleye fishery in Lower Marmion Lake has
re-opened. This comes after an 11 year closure of the fishery
and a program to improve the Walleye population that was
carried out by the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) and
OPG.
To help move the program forward, Atikokan GS partnered
with the Atikokan Sportsman’s Conservation Club and
the MNR in a stocking program, which introduced 12 million
regionally-sourced fry into Marmion Lake over a threeyear
period commencing in 1998. A succession of netting
surveys, funded by OPG, monitored the population and signs
The Atikokan Progress article of Jan. 18, 1999 read,
“Cooperation made the new Abie/Marmion Lake
Spawning Bed a reality for the Community – the
rest is up to the Walleye!” Flash forward 10 years to
Jan. 5, 2009, and the Progress article reads “OPG,
MNR Efforts Pay Off – Marmion walleye fishery
recovered – angling closure lifted after 11 years.”
In 1996, a fishery study indicated that the Walleye population
in Lower Marmion Lake near Atikokan was in a serious decline.
Lower Marmion Lake was created by impoundments
and flooding of surface lands during the active mining years
of the Steep Rock Lake iron ore mines. It is now one of several
lakes that form a chain of “circuit cooling water lakes”
for Atikokan GS. While the decline of Walleye in the lakes
was not attributed to a single cause, there was evidence that
the station’s fluctuating discharge flows and thermal effluents
were causing early spawning and “hatch advance” of
Walleye before their natural food supply had emerged. The
issue became such a serious concern for local anglers and
the MNR that the lakes were closed to Walleye fishing until
further notice.
“The issue proved a unique engineering and biological challenge
in order to prevent migration of Walleye to their usual
spawning area, while allowing water to continue to circulate
through the lake system,” said Gerry McKenna, Senior Environmental
Scientist, Thermal. “A creative solution was to
design a weir that doesn’t hold water and prevents fish from
going upstream, the opposite of what most weirs and dams
are required to do.” The weir was installed at the outlet of
Abie Lake to Marmion Lake in 1998 and consists of porous angled
screens anchored between gabion blocks. In addition, a
new spawning bed was developed immediately downstream
of the weir.
of recovery started to show with increasing recruitment of
younger fish to the overall population. Over the years, Atikokan
GS staff worked with the MNR to review the results as
well as ensure the new weir was properly maintained and
inspected.
Brian Jackson, a biologist in MNR’s Atikokan area office, was
involved throughout the program. “It’s definitely a success
story,” he said, adding that public support for the closure was
strong, and OPG’s support for the overall effort was crucial.
OPG contributed over half a million dollars to build the weir
and support the stocking and netting surveys. “While it took
11 years, the re-opening of the Walleye fishery at Atikokan
demonstrates that, if we do our part, nature will do the rest,”
says Ed Enge, Production Manager, Atikokan GS. In 2010,
the “year of biodiversity,” this is a case of putting words into
action to protect biodiversity.
Over 150 employee volunteers and their
families, local Scouts, and community
members participated in a soggy but successful
tree-planting event at Nanticoke
GS on May 1. Over 2,000 white pine and
white spruce seedlings were planted
to enhance biodiversity on the site.
Since 1997, over 35,000 trees have been
planted at Nanticoke. Nicole Goulet,
Thermal Env. Chemical & Safety Technician/Technologist,
with sons Joshua
(left) and Gavin.
Wayne Weller, OPG
Senior Environmental
Scientist, displays a
cedar tree, one of the
species of trees planted
at Decew Headworks
site during an
Earth Day tree planting
event. Niagara
plant group volunteers
planted about
400 seedlings during
the event.
Lori Matorcevic and her daughter, Alexandra,
joined 250 volunteers to help plant about 650 indigenous
trees and shrubs at Alex Robertson Park in
Pickering. Thanks to a successful partnership between
OPG, Toronto Region Conservation Authority,
City of Pickering, Environmental Stewardship
Pickering, along with other community groups and
volunteers, more than 7,000 plantings have been
made in the park as part of a wildlife corridor.
Jill Ward, Environmental Advisor at Lambton GS, reads an OPG Earth Day message
during a recent recording at Blackburn Radio Inc. The message aired on all
three local Blackburn radio stations across Sarnia-Lambton on Apr. 22.

page 4
R O U N D U P
v o l u m e t w e l v e • i s s u e n i n e
Mr. Ross poses
with an eagle
feather. The
use of an
eagle feather
during group
discussions is
an Algonquin
tradition and
indicates who
has the floor
to speak.
Sharing History and Tradition
For a few years OPG’s Ottawa/St. Lawrence Plant Group has been
working with the Bonnechere Algonquin Community (BAC), based in
Petawawa along the Ottawa River, on many culture enriching projects.
Recently OPG supported a BAC Aboriginal Awareness Program.
Delivered by Harold “Skip” Ross, an Algonquin Elder, youths learn
about Algonquin history, customs and traditions. “I really enjoy talking
to the youths about my culture and passing on my knowledge to
them,” said Mr. Ross. “It is really encouraging to see them so interested
in Algonquin history.“ Mr. Ross has been presenting his material
throughout the Ottawa Valley, with OPG’s support, since the Fall of
2009. “I look forward to each and every presentation and hope that
my teachings remain with the youths for years to come,” he added.
Tackle Share Program
and Water Safety
Hey buddy!
Ontario Provincial Police and
Canada’s best known fisherman,
Red Green (aka Steve Smith),
join OPG once again this summer
to educate people about
the dangers around dams and hydro stations.
“Stay Clear Stay Safe” print ads will be accompanied
by television and radio spots featuring Steve Smith’s
voice as the talking fish warning fishermen that if caught
trespassing around hydro stations and dams, they face
charges and fines of up to $2,000.
Hydroelectric facilities are often remotely controlled to
generate electricity as needed. This causes frequent
and rapid changes in the water flow and levels often
creating strong undertows, turbulence
and sudden, powerful surges of water
moving downstream in what was once
calm-looking surface water.
Red Green and OPP
Reunite with OPG
on Water Safety
And this year, OPG has joined forces
with the Ontario Federation of
Anglers and Hunters to be the lead
sponsor of “Tackle Share,” a 12-
year old program aimed at lending
– for free – fishing rods, tackle and reels to children and
aspiring anglers who do not have their own equipment.
With more than 200 sites across Ontario, OPG is sure to
get its water safety message out to early users of our
waterways.
OPG also offers a variety of education materials on water
safety, including a brochure, DVD for adults and an educational
interactive computer game for children. You can
go to opg.com to download materials.
The water safety print ads, TV commercials
and 30-second radio spots
began May 17 across the province and
run until September.
I n M e m o r i a m
FAVARO, PRIMO, 63, on Apr. 19, 2010, retired July 1, 2000; Technologist
- Instrumentation Department, Kipling Complex
GOOD, FRANKLIN, 89, on Apr. 18, 2010, retired May 1, 1980; District
Electrical Foreman, Martindale TS
KING, ALBERT E., 86, on Apr. 3, 2010, retired Feb. 1, 1982; Inspector -
Mechanical and Structural, Kipling Complex
KOSLOWSKI, JOHN, 68, on Apr. 11, 2010, retired Jan. 1, 2004; Shift
Control Technician, Pickering Nuclear
KRULL, PETER, 98, on Apr. 8, 2010, retired Dec. 1, 1971; Operating Superintendant,
Reg. Office
KUIPERS, TINA, 65, on Apr. 13, 2010, retired Nov. 1, 2002; Vault Officer,
Head Office
LOUCKS, WILLIAM, 88, on Mar. 20, 2010, retired Oct. 1, 1982; Manager
- Computer Processing, 60 Murray Street
MCRAE, TERRANCE, 56, on Apr. 13, 2010, retired Jan. 29, 2010; Rigger
Journeyperson, Niagara TS
MEWES, HINRICH W., 72, on Apr. 16, 2010, retired Nov. 1, 1993;
Trades Management Supervisor, Kipling Complex
PORTER, EVERETT C., 82, on Apr. 18, 2010, retired Feb. 1, 1988; Power
Maintenance Electrician A Journeyperson, Sir Adam Beck GS #1
RIDDELL, FAYE, 66, on Apr. 16. 2010, retired July 1, 2004; Disbursements
Clerk, Lambton GS
TOYAMA, JOSEPH S., 83, on Apr. 16, 2010, retired Apr. 1, 1992; Field
Tech V - Electrical and Co., Pickering Nuclear
TUCKER, REG A., 78, on Apr. 7, 2010, retired Oct. 1, 1993; Security
Guard, Bruce Nuclear
E N E R G Y C U R R E N T S A roundup of industry news and events
Industrialized nations’ CO2 falls 2.2
per cent in 2008 Industrialized nations’ greenhouse
gas emissions fell by 2.2 per cent in 2008, the steepest decline
since the break-up of the Soviet Union as economies slowed,
according to a Reuters compilation.
Emissions are likely to have fallen more sharply in 2009 due to
the recession.
• volume twelve
• issue nine
POWERNews is published by Public Affairs for
the employees and pensioners of Ontario Power
Generation.
Mailing Address: Ontario Power Generation
700 University Avenue, H19
Toronto, ON M5G 1X6
Fax: 416-592-2181
E-mail: powernews@opg.com
Got a story idea?
We want to hear from you.
Editorial Board
Kathryn Peck, Managing Editor (416) 592-3243
Ted DeWelles, Executive Editor (416) 592-6070
Matt MacTavish, HR (416) 592-4127
Gillian Salter, Energy Markets (416) 592-7012
Jill Benneyworth, Thermal (416) 592-3499
Rita Pasquarelli, Nuclear (416) 592-3690
Richard Schwass, Hydroelectric (416) 592-2679
Lisa Shields, Design Manager (416) 592-3151
Daisy Wu, Finance (416) 592-3531
Kathi Austerberry, Public Affairs (416) 592-2685
Kim McLennan, Public Affairs (416) 592-6936
Rob Lyng, Sustainable Development (416) 592-3193
Final government data sent to the United Nations – used to
judge compliance with climate treaties – shows that emissions
from 36 nations fell to 17.10 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide
equivalents in 2008 from 17.48 billion in 2007.
U.S. greenhouse emissions fell by 2.8 per cent to the lowest
level since 2001 and European Union emissions were down
2.0 per cent. A main exception was Russia, with a 1.9 per cent
rise in 2008.
The overall 2008 fall drove industrialized nations’ emissions to
6.7 per cent below levels in 1990, the U.N. benchmark year for
judging efforts to avert heatwaves, floods, droughts, species
extinctions and rising sea levels.
-Reuters, April 22
OPG Pensioner Services
Mailing Address: Pensioner Services
700 University Avenue, H5
Toronto, ON M5G 1X6
Telephone: 416-592-7300 or 1-877-550-3888
Fax: 416-592-1540
E-mail: pensionerservices@opg.com
Website: https://pensioners.opg.com
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