A pioneering operation in the development of nuclear energy, the Eldorado refinery was established in 1933 by Gilbert LaBine, a veteran prospector, and his brother Charles. It extracted radium, used in the early treatment of cancer, from ore mined in the Northwest Territories. In 1942, soon after the uranium atom was split for the first time, the Canadian government acquired Eldorado to refine uranium oxide, a waste product in the radium extraction process. The only operation of its kind in North America, it supplied uranium for American nuclear research during the Second World War. In 1944, this important industry was made a crown corporation. Since 1965, it has concentrated on energy markets, processing uranium to fuel reactors throughout the world in the production of electricity.

Location

At Eldorado Resources Limited, 1 Eldorado Place, Port Hope

Themes

• Buildings and structures
• Scientific and technological innovations