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OTTAWA — As both Queen’s Park and Ottawa tangle with the U.S. over tariffs , the Doug Ford Progressive Conservatives are continuing to put their money on the province’s growing nuclear industry.

On Tuesday, the Ontario government unveiled plans to invest $1.9 million into the province’s nuclear supply chain — a measure to prepare domestic manufacturers, engineers and skilled trades workers for the province’s ongoing nuclear expansion.

“Ontario is entering a period of significant nuclear growth,” said Ivette Vera-Perez, president and CEO of the Organization of Canadian Nuclear Industries (OCNI) during a Tuesday afternoon news conference.

“New projects and refurbishments are creating major opportunities for our nuclear supply chain, workers and communities across the province.”

Mass retirement looming in industry

Administered through OCNI, the initiative promises to plot provincial workforce capacity, signalling and identifying critical bottlenecks ahead of major labour shortages.

With over a quarter of Canada’s current nuclear workforce set to retire over the next four to nine years, Labour Minister David Piccini said the province is entering one of the most significant periods of nuclear investment in its history.

“Nuclear energy already provides half of our electricity and our nuclear industry includes hundreds of companies supporting well over 80,000 jobs,” he said during the news conference.

“We have workers’ expertise and a world-class industry and supply chain right here in Ontario.”

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Province betting big on nuclear

Ontario is in the midst of advancing several large nuclear projects, including reactor rebuilds at Bruce Power near Kincardine and at the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station, which is also slated to host four new small modular reactors, alongside planned projects to expand existing power plants and build new ones, including the proposed 10,000-megawatt Wesleyville project near Port Hope.

Officials estimate the full nuclear build-out will support up to 150,000 jobs and pump more than $800 billion into the provincial economy over its lifespan.

The announcement comes as Ontario becomes the de facto ground zero for U.S. President Donald Trump’s ongoing trade war with Canada.

“We’re not going to let decisions made in Washington, decisions made by President Trump or anyone else, determine whether Ontario’s workers can access good-paying jobs, whether our businesses can grow and how we can build the critical infrastructure our province needs,” Piccini said.

“Ontario is well on its way to being a global energy superpower and our government will seize that opportunity.”

bpassifiume@postmedia.com
X : @bryanpassifiume

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