Residents in parts of Durham Region will hear sirens and get phone calls next week as the region tests its nuclear public alerting system on June 2 and 3, 2026. The routine check, conducted during daytime hours, is meant to ensure the system works in case of an emergency at the Darlington or Pickering nuclear stations.
On June 2, an auto-dialer will call listed landline numbers within 10 kilometres of the stations. The call will show up as 905-666-6291. On June 3, outdoor sirens will sound for up to three minutes, reaching people within three kilometres of the stations.
The Region of Durham says no action is needed if you get a call or hear the sirens. These are only tests. In a real emergency, the alert would tell you to go indoors and tune in to local media for updates.
The tests are required under the Provincial Nuclear Emergency Response Plan, and the system is designed to warn people in the unlikely event of an emergency at the Ontario Power Generation plants in Clarington and Pickering.
Residents can check if they are in the alert zone at durham.ca/AlertMap and find more information at durham.ca/NuclearPreparedness, or call 311 within the region.
