REGINA - The NDP critic for Economy and Jobs Aleana Young is enthused about the possibilities for nuclear power after a tour of the sector in Ontario.
Meeting with reporters at the Regina International Airport on her return from Toronto, Young said she “toured basically the full fuel cycle for nuclear power in Ontario.” She said that included production of CANDU fuel and fuel for light nuclear reactors, all the way through to power plants and long-term geological storage for nuclear waste.
Young said she had toured actually the Nuclear Waste Management Organization of Canada, who “just completed a 15-year consent-based democratic process for a long-term deep geological repository for nuclear waste.” She also toured a radium processing facility in Port Hope.
The big takeaway from her trip, she said, was the jobs.
“The nuclear sector is a massive employer in Ontario, produces reliable power and incredibly well-paying jobs in everything from research to the trades. I was at the Bruce Power site in Ontario where they're refurbishing their CANDU reactors and they have at their peak over 10,000 people on site working. It was astonishing.”
There continues to be major interest in nuclear power in Saskatchewan, with SaskPower in the planning stages for development of small modular reactors in the province. Two potential sites for their first SMR have been identified for the Estevan area, although getting an SMR built and running is still years away.
The prospect of Saskatchewan turning to nuclear power has seen far less public opposition compared to 15 years ago, when Bruce Power had floated the idea of building a nuclear power plant in the province’s northwest.
That plan drew organized opposition at a number of public meetings at the time, with concerns raised about cost as well as environmental and nuclear-waste impacts. But Young acknowledged there has been a change in opinion, and the issue of climate change has much to do with it.
“There's been a generational shift when it comes to things like climate change, when it comes to power production in general," Young said.
"Sadly, I'm not the youngest person in most rooms anymore, but when I talk to young people in particular they're deeply concerned about pollution, they're concerned about affordability and many of them see nuclear power as a low emitting source of steady reliable power.”
Young acknowledged there are "going to be people who are concerned about nuclear power who will say ‘no, never’ and those are important voices in the conversation."
But she added that what she saw across the board in Ontario were “six-figure good paying jobs, immense amounts of economic activity and a clear plan from their government when it comes to building a power future for Ontario and it's something I wish we had here in Saskatchewan.”
As for processes that could be implemented in Saskatchewan, Young said what she heard from business and labour leaders in Ontario was “the need for a strong plan, reliability when it comes to regulations and government investment and the importance of public engagement and support for the power generation sector regardless of the source but certainly for the nuclear industry.”
Young’s comments at Regina airport came just one day after Energy and Resources Minister Colleen Young was at Mosaic’s Belle Plaine potash mine speaking about Saskatchewan becoming an energy superpower, and voicing support for major transportation corridors to be built.
The reaction from the Regina South Albert opposition MLA was bemusement at the Sask Party seemingly supporting their own positions.
“You know I love when the Sask Party starts singing from the Saskatchewan NDP playbook,” Young said.
“We need more power lines in this province. We need more rail lines, we need more pipelines and when it comes to power production in particular, Saskatchewan can and should be an energy superpower. We're at the heart of Canada and we could be generating economic activity here at home and creating energy security across the country.
But she adds that what she has heard was concerns about “a lack of certainty, a lack of engagement and a lack of investment in our power infrastructure that will be critical to not just attracting investment, but retaining the investment that we have today.”
