Along with many others, Todd McGlynn, left, and Gary Lauzon have been involved in the Living Snow Fence Program since its inception in 2003. This year, volunteers planted trees on a property north of Kincardine.

The Living Snow Fence program wrapped up on May 11 after 10 years of volunteerism and 10,000 trees in the ground along roads to the Bruce Power site from Kincardine and Port Elgin.

“When the program was started as an off-the-job safety initiative, the original goal was 5,000 trees in five years,” said Barbara Goetz, Community Relations Manager. “A dedicated team of volunteers kept the program going another five years and it has really paid off.

The Living Snow Fence is a natural windbreak of spruce trees planted in a zigzag pattern on property along roadsides to block blowing snow. The idea is to reduce whiteouts during the winter months and potentially save lives.

This year about 80 volunteers gathered at the Bruce Power Visitors’ Centre for a pre-job briefing before heading out by bus to the planting location.

“With a few exceptions, most of the landowners were very receptive over the years when we approached them about hosting the fence,” said Barbara. “In all, about 45 properties were involved.”

Funds for the trees were provided by Bruce Power for the first five years of the program, while community sponsors contributed the money for the trees for the last five years. Food and refreshment for the volunteers was donated by Sobeys Kincardine and Wayne Burke Catering.

Duncan Hawthorne presented Phil Dodd, executive director of Keystone Child, Youth and Family Services, with a cheque for $100,000 for its residency program. Keystone offers support to youth battling severe depression.

TIVERTON, ON – May 10, 2013 – Bruce Power celebrated its past with an eye to the future as Duncan Hawthorne presented a $100,000 cheque to help fund a residential program for young people living with severe depression and at risk of suicide.

The donation, made in honour of Bruce Power’s 12^th anniversary on May 11, will assist Keystone Child, Youth and Family Services (KCYFS) in providing assistance to the young people of Grey and Bruce counties.

“If you look at the legacy Bruce Power and its employees have left in our first dozen years, one of the things I’m most proud of is the positive impact we’ve made on our community,” said Bruce Power’s President and CEO. “This is a crucial program for the youth of our region who need help, and we feel a deep sense of responsibility to offer a helping hand.”

A lack of stable funding has threatened the program since late last year, said Phil Dodd, KCYFS executive director.

“This investment will allow for the continued operation of our residence program, while we strive to find sustainable long-term funding,” Dodd said. “On behalf of the children, youth and families of Grey and Bruce counties, Keystone Child, Youth and Family Services express our deepest and most profound gratitude to Bruce Power for this donation.”

Hawthorne hosted a 12^th anniversary celebration at the Bruce Power Visitors’ Centre on Friday, where he was joined by municipal, provincial and federal leaders and local media from the region, as well as special guest, retired Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Curtis Joseph.

The past year was perhaps the most monumental in the history of Bruce Power as the company celebrated the successful completion of the Units 1 and 2 Restart Project.

“Bruce Power has invested $7 billion in private funds in our eight units since 2001, including the revitalization of the four dormant Bruce A units, which returned 3,000 megawatts of low-cost, clean and reliable electricity to the people of Ontario,” Hawthorne said. “The drastic transformation in our workforce, our site and our local communities over the past dozen years is reason to celebrate.”

Top 12 of the last 12

1. Bruce Power arrives on scene, confirms plans to restart Units 3 and 4 – 2001
2. TransCanada and OMERS join Bruce Power partnership – 2002
3. Unit 4 returns to service – 2003
4. Unit 3 returns to service – 2004
5. Multi-billion dollar agreement reached to refurbish Units 1 and 2 – 2005
6. Site achieves highest output in years with more than 50 per cent increase – 2006
7. Unit 5 hits a new record with 475-day operational run – 2007
8. 10 million hours worked without an acute lost-time injury – 2008
9. First new fuel channel installed in Unit 2 – 2009
10. Unit 5 named top performing CANDU unit in the world – 2010
11. Fuel loaded in Units 1 and 2 – 2011
12. Units 1 and 2 return to service – 2012

About Bruce Power

Bruce Power operates the world’s largest operating nuclear generating facility and is the source of roughly 25 per cent of Ontario’s electricity. The company’s site in Tiverton, Ontario is home to eight CANDU reactors, each one capable of generating enough low-cost, reliable, safe and clean electricity to meet the annual needs of a city the size of Hamilton. Formed in 2001, Bruce Power is an all-Canadian partnership among TransCanada, Cameco, Borealis Infrastructure Management (a division of the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System) as well as the Power Workers’ Union and Society of Energy Professionals. A majority of Bruce Power’s employees are also owners in the business.

For further information, please contact:

John Peevers – 519-361-6583 – john.peevers@brucepower.com

24-hour Duty Media Officer – 519-361-6161

Bruce Power donated $5,000 to the 8th annual First Time Full Time Safety Conference, held May 1 and 2. About 200 high school students from Grey and Bruce counties attended the event, which focused on workplace safety.

More than 200 students from the Bruce-Grey Catholic and Bluewater District School Boards attended the 8th annual First Time Full Time Safety Conference, held May 1 and 2.

Held at Georgian College in Owen Sound, the two-day hands on conference provided students with important safety messages around workplace safety, while also giving them the opportunity to become qualified in different certification courses.

“We recognize that a number of students head directly into the workplace upon graduation,” said Jerry Casey, the Catholic board’s superintendent of education. “First and foremost we want our students to be safe when entering any work environment.”

Fall arrest, fork truck safety, elevated work platform, CPR and first aid were just a few certifications students had the opportunity to receive in the two-day workshop.

With the support of Bruce Power’s $5,000 donation, workshop costs were kept minimal to students.

Lona Fenwick, event organizer, stands among the blooming pansies ready to be sold for pancreatic cancer. April is Pansies for Pancreatic Cancer month. Bruce Power supported the Pancreatic Cancer Society for $500.

In 2009, Lona Fenwick and her family’s life was changed forever. Her husband Wayne received the news he had pancreatic cancer.

“At the time, I didn’t know a lot about this disease, but I knew it wasn’t good,” Lona said.

Known as the ‘silent killer,’ pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer deaths in Canada. According to Pancreatic Cancer Canada, approximately 4,100 Canadians will be diagnosed this year and 74 per cent will die within the first year, with only six per cent surviving more than five years.

Sadly, Wayne lost his battle March 2012.

“I knew there was something I had to do to help spread the word about this awful disease, but I didn’t know what,” Lona said.

Through the support of friends and the Pancreatic Cancer Society Canada, Lona set her sights on selling pansies throughout the month of April, in memory of Wayne.

Lona started small this year, selling the flowers in Owen Sound, with hopes of turning this into an annual event through word of mouth. Similar events are taking place across Canada this month.

“Thanks to Bruce Power for assisting us with this fundraiser,” said Lona. “The response for pansies has been great and we have already had to go back to the nursery to request more flowers.”

Flowers can be purchased by contacting Lona through email at lona.j@hotmail.com and will be delivered early-May.

Zone 3 Fire Chiefs pose for a photo in Bruce Power’s new Emergency Management Centre

Zone 3 representatives from the Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs visited Bruce Power this week and received an update on recent emergency preparedness enhancements.

Hosted by Brian Cumming, Emergency & Protective Services (EPS) Division Manager, the chiefs held a meeting at the Bruce Power Visitors’ Centre and toured the new Emergency Management Centre, as well as an offsite facility that houses pumper trucks, portable generators and emergency response patrol vehicles.

The enhancements were undertaken in response to events at the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan, which was severely damaged in 2011 by a tsunami, which followed a massive, 9.0 earthquake. Although we don’t have the same risk of floods and tsunamis like those that hit Japan, we are taking great care to ensure we are prepared for any situation.

Divided into 10 zones, the Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs represents chiefs from the 458 municipal fire departments in the province. Zone 3 includes the fire departments in the counties of Bruce, Grey, Huron, Perth, Wellington, Dufferin and Simcoe, the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, and Bruce Power’s EPS division.

They gather twice annually to talk about shared struggles and areas for improvement.

Members of the Saugeen Shores Fire Department stand around the new Remote-rescue unit

Thanks to a $3,500 donation from Bruce Power, the Saugeen Shores Fire Department has purchased a remote-rescue unit to assist with emergency calls received in hard-to-access locations along local trails.

“We have been called out to assist in a rescue on the trails that has been quite challenging to get to either by walking or driving an ATV or snowmobile,” said Paul MacKinnon, a Saugeen Shores volunteer firefighter.

The RailTrail – a popular local trail system – is open to the public year-round to cross-country ski, bike and walk from multiple access points across Port Elgin and Southampton. The trails stretch more than 40 kilometres and is a popular destination for many nature lovers.

“With Safety First being Bruce Power’s number one value, this is an important donation for the company as we want to ensure our employees and members of our communities are safe at work and at home,” said James Scongack, Vice President, Corporate Affairs.

The remote-rescue unit’s primary use will be to provide a means to get first aid supplies to patients. The rescue unit is large enough to fit a stretcher and the skis can be converted to wheels for year-round use.

“Our biggest challenge is getting first aid supplies back to our patients, have them treated for their injuries and assist to get them to the closest roadway so we can transport them to the hospital,” MacKinnon said.