SLOWPOKE reactors were designed by AECL as a low-energy and cost-efficient option to provide a source of neutrons for research. They are used today as a tool for teaching nuclear science and technology.
Owned and operated by Ontario Power Generation in Pickering, Ontario, the Pickering-A CANDU reactor was the first in Canada to begin commercial operation. The Pickering Nuclear Generating Station currently supplies 14 per cent of electricity in Ontario.
On October 27, 1951, the world’s first cancer treatment using Cobalt-60 radiation took place in London, Ontario. This was a groundbreaking milestone in the fight against cancer and placed Canada as a leader on the world stage in the field of radiotherapy. AECL subsequently manufactured cobalt therapy machines and supplied much of the world’s supply of Cobalt-60 for many decades.