With close to 3,500 signed public statements in hand, Citizens for Port Hope (CFPH) chair Blake Holton said that the silent majority of Port Hope has spoken.

According to StatsCan, more than one half of the electorate who turned up to vote in the last municipal election in Port Hope signed these statements, showing that they can speak for themselves, and don't need people such as Faye More of the Port Hope Community Health Concerns Committee (PHCHCC) to speak for them, says Mr. Holton.

"The people who signed the public statement are saying that (the PHCHCC doesn't) speak on behalf of the entire community," Mr. Holton said in a press conference held at the Port Hope Town Hall on Friday, December 7.

After a national press conference held on November 13 in Toronto hosted by Ms. More that revealed results of a private study conducted by the Uranium Medical Research Centre, Port Hope has been in the news as a community contaminated by uranium.

"It has had a devastating impact on Port Hope," Mr. Holton said Friday.

He said that the silent majority have sat back and let the PHCHCC and others to have their say, but now it's time to speak up for themselves.

On November 19, the CFPH organized a rally. The evening was cold and rainy, yet citizens of Port Hope showed up 1,500 strong within the first hour. Since that time, close to 2,000 more signatures were collected.

On Friday, Mr. Holton told Northumberland-Quinte West MP Rick Norlock, MPP Lou Rinaldi and Port Hope Mayor Linda Thompson that the people of Port Hope listened to Ms. More, and listened to Health Canada, and believe that Health Canada is a credible place to go for information, and they're going to listen to them.

The PHCHCC study was "selective" and misleading", he said, and people were offended that the PHCHCC chose to release the information in Toronto instead of in Port Hope. As well, he said the full study has yet to be released even though the PHCHCC says the full study is available on its Web site.

"Their Web site is just an anti-Cameco blog," Mr. Holton said.

When passing the petition along to the dignitaries, Mr. Holton claimed, "When the people of Port Hope have something to say, they say it."

Mr. Norlock said he's been working with the mayor to help alleviate some of the concerns regarding the health and health ramifications of the uranium industries located in Port Hope, namely Cameco and Zircatec.

"The levels of uranium in the urine that was taken (for the PHCHCC study) would be levels we'd expect in any Canadian," said Mr. Norlock. "Secondly, I believe Port Hope to be a safe and beautiful community to live in and do business in."

Many decades of testing have taken place, according to Health Canada, he added. He said he intends to review the statements to ensure they pass the criteria to be accepted in the House of Commons as a petition.

"It's an information piece to let us know how the people of Port Hope feel," said Mr. Norlock. "(The petition) appears to meet the criteria and I will bring it before the House of Commons."

Mr. Rinaldi said he was delighted that the silent majority has finally spoken up, hopefully negating the effect of the PHCHCC.

"It's fine for people to be outspoken, but they don't speak for everyone," Mr. Rinaldi said. "Health Canada is the best possible source of information we all live by and trust."

Mayor Thompson told the gathering that Port Hope is a community that asks questions.

"Are there sins of the past? Yes," she said.

It's the strong watchdogs who were responsible for arriving at a legal agreement for the cleanup of low-level radioactive waste.

She stated that when the people of Port Hope heard through the national media that theirs wasn't a safe community, they knew better.

"We love Port Hope," she said.