Community Support
Sponsorship that supports the local infrastructure provides an opportunity for AECL to contribute to the health and wellbeing of the community, and our employees who live there.
Asthma Society of Canada
Air pollution negatively affects the respiratory health of tens of thousands of Canadians every year, resulting in pain, suffering, loss of productivity, and even death. CANDU nuclear energy is a key part of the solution because it produces virtually none of the pollutants that contribute to smog. By improving air quality, CANDU nuclear helps to reduce asthma and other debilitating respiratory related diseases. Given its close connection and association with the health benefits of clean air, it’s no wonder that AECL is a long-term sponsor and supporter of the Asthma Society of Canada. AECL is particularly pleased to be a Presenting Partner of the Asthma Society’s new Breathe Free Canada Program. Read more about AECL and the Asthma Society
Trillium Health Centre
The Trillium Health Centre, whose two sites are located in Mississauga, Ontario, is a world-class facility that has deep roots in the community. The focus is on providing a high level of patient care and offering a range of specialty services unheard of in other community hospitals. AECL is proud to sponsor the Trillium Health Centre, and support such an important part of the “cycle of life” for the local community. A plaque recognizing AECL’s sponsorship has been installed in the Nuclear Medicine area, Scan Room 1.
Educational Support
Encouraging Canada’s students to pursue careers in nuclear science, engineering and the skilled trades is an important challenge for AECL and other members of the nuclear industry. By partnering with schools and participating in career fairs to alert students to the many exciting career opportunities in the nuclear industry, AECL is helping to ensure it has the skilled people it will need to drive its success in the future.
Deep River Science Academy
AECL has supported the Deep River Science Academy, located in Deep River, Ontario, since its 1987 inception. The Academy encourages young people to go into research and development careers by providing them the opportunity to attend a six-week science enrichment program and earn two high school credits in the process. AECL’s Chalk River Laboratories act as the host ‘campus’ location for the program. AECL also provides employee support in the capacity of Research Supervisors, which is a critical requirement for the program. As a result, a total of 60-65 students are able to attend this unique and innovative program each year.
The Annual FIRST Robotics Competition
For the past two years, AECL has joined with Lorne Park Secondary School in Mississauga, Ontario in an innovative, international robotics design and development competition. The competition brings together high school teams, sponsors, mentors and technical professionals to develop a robotics solution to a tough engineering challenge in a competitive game environment.
Due to the growing role of robotics in nuclear inspection and maintenance work, AECL now boasts state-of-the-art expertise in robotic design and control. This has played a key role in growing the Lorne Park–AECL team, which by all accounts is proving to be quite effective. The students and teachers find the robotics challenge intriguing, and the AECL volunteers have found working with the students to be a very rewarding and energizing experience.
Youth Science Foundation of Canada
AECL is proud to be a gold sponsor of the Youth Science Foundation of Canada (YSFC). The regional and Canada-wide fairs send students home with a wealth of skills including organizing, analyzing, evaluating, presenting, public speaking, and research and development of scientific projects, all of which are developed during the process of turning a single idea into a hypothesis and seeing it through to its conclusion. The funds provided by AECL are directed via the YSFC to the 100 regional fair finalists, and also to towards 6 Awards of Excellence in Science to students. AECL has sponsored the YSFC for 20 years.