Port Colborne Refinery, Ontario

The Port Colborne Refinery produces a platinum-group metals concentrate and cobalt metal. The operation also serves as a nickel packaging and distribution centre. Commissioned in 1918, the refinery remains a major employer in this city of 20,000 in the Niagara Peninsula on the shore of Lake Erie in Ontario.

Community Involvement

Vale Inco has been a proud community partner throughout our 87-year history in Port Colborne. Recent involvement includes:

• Support for education through scholarships, regional science fairs and junior achievement.
• Civic and community support of groups and events such as Canal Days, the Navy League, Air Cadets, Scouts, the Marine Rescue Unit and the Santa Claus Parade.
• Arts and cultural support of the Showboat Festival Theatre, the Operatic Society, and the Museum.
• Sponsorship of minor sports teams in the community.

Environmental Protection

Over the past several years, Vale Inco has worked with the community, the Ontario Ministry of the Environment (MOE), and the Niagara Regional Public Health Department to deal innovatively and constructively with elevated metal levels in Port Colborne soils, which are a result of our historic operations. We take full responsibility for elevated levels of metals in the surface soils in the community caused by airborne emissions from our refinery between 1918 and 1984.

Our goal is to ensure that all proper actions are taken so that the Port Colborne lands receive a clean bill of health from the MOE and face no impediment to further development, zoning or land use changes due to soil-related issues.

In the spring of 2000, in cooperation with our partners, we helped to establish and agreed to fully fund the Community Based Risk Assessment (CBRA) process, a Community Health Assessment Project (CHAP), and a voluntary remediation program.

The CBRA will result in a highly comprehensive risk assessment, which we believe will hold up to any scientific or medial scrutiny – allowing the community confidence that the recommended remedial actions will provide the level of assurance they need.

*Legal Information, including Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

© Vale Inco 2007
Last Updated: November 28, 2007