Does Carney care ‘more about prolonging the life of the declining oil and gas industry than protecting the planet’?
Mark Carney’s announcement last month, detailing the first five “nation-building” projects his government will prioritize, raised eyebrows among municipal leaders, environmental advocates and supporters who voted for a Liberal leader, expecting climate change mitigation would become a central value of Canada’s core policy mandate.
Instead of sustainability woven into the fabric of our national identity, much like universal healthcare, it seems to be faltering under the new Prime Minister.
“Environmentalists want to build, too – but we want to build the future, not preserve the past. We want to build the right things, the right way, and this top-down Major Projects approach doesn’t help us get there. We see some good ideas in the tentative project list – wind energy generation and high-speed transit, for example,” Climate Action Network Canada executive director, Caroline Brouillette, said.
“We also see within this list some dangerous initiatives that further entrench us in Trump’s dream of an uncompetitive, volatile and fossil-fueled North American economy, while the world sails to green tech.”
Environmental Defence’s oil and gas program manager, Aly Hyder Ali, called both the liquid natural gas pipeline expansion and the Pathways Plus carbon capture and storage pipeline in Alberta “a dangerous myth” being used to provide “oil companies a license to keep increasing fossil fuel production under the facade that they’re cleaning up their mess.”
David Suzuki Foundation’s Indigenous Strategy senior advisor Janelle Lapointe also told The Pointer that the projects were “more about prolonging the life of the declining oil and gas industry than actually protecting the planet.”
In April, 128 municipal leaders from across Canada issued an open letter calling on federal party leaders to prioritize bold, climate-focused investments that will protect Canadians from the growing impacts of natural disasters.
Mississauga councillor Alvin Tedjo and St. Catharines councillor Haley Bateman were among the earliest signatories of the joint letter and the only representatives from Peel and Niagara regions.
By early October, seven months after Carney was sworn in as Canada’s 24th Prime Minister, the number of local leaders endorsing the letter had more than doubled, reaching 295.
They asked the next federal government to “fight back, by investing in national projects that will connect and protect our country from the dual threats of tariffs and climate change.”
“We can’t keep watching our homes, towns and forests burn to a crisp, and pretend the status quo is working or safe. We can’t adapt our way out of this problem…we are facing a growing climate threat, and an attack on our economic sovereignty. We can and must take them both on at once,” the letter exhorted, outlining five ambitious but achievable projects that will create jobs, strengthen communities and tariff-proof the Canadian economy.
- Build a national East-West-North clean electric grid to deliver affordable power to urban, rural, and Indigenous communities.
- Develop a national high-speed rail network, supported by locally-made electric buses to reach every Canadian community.
- Construct two million non-market, energy-efficient homes, creating more affordable, transit-connected neighbourhoods.
- Retrofit homes and buildings across the country with heat pumps and insulation to lower emissions and energy bills.
- Fund a national climate resilience, response, and recovery strategy to prepare for, respond to, and rebuild after climate disasters.
On September 11, Carney unveiled the first five projects submitted to the newly created Major Projects Office (MPO) for consideration, which appeared to lean more toward industrial and energy-sector development to make Canada “the strongest economy in the G7” and shield the country from escalating trade wars and tariffs:
- LNG Canada Phase 2 in Kitimat, British Columbia
- Darlington New Nuclear Project in Bowmanville, Ontario
- McIlvenna Bay Foran Copper Mine Project in East-Central Saskatchewan
- Red Chris Mine expansion in Northwest British Columbia
- The expansion of the Port of Montréal through the Contrecœur Terminal Container Project in Contrecœur, Québec
“Together, these projects represent investments of more than $60 billion in our economy and will create thousands of well-paying jobs for Canadians,” the Prime Minister’s Office trumpeted in a statement.
The Government of Canada is advancing five major national projects: LNG Canada Phase 2 in Kitimat, British Columbia, set to double LNG production; Darlington New Nuclear Project in Bowmanville, Ontario, bringing Canada's first small modular reactor; the Contrecoeur Terminal Expansion in Contrecoeur, Quebec, to boost port capacity; the McIlvenna Bay Copper Mine in East-Central, Saskatchewan, vital for clean energy supply chains; and the Red Chris Mine Expansion in Northwest British Columbia, increasing copper production.
(Major Projects Office)
Beyond the first five projects, the federal government released a second wave of proposed major projects with a stronger emphasis on clean energy and strategic infrastructure, which may be fast-tracked this fall, before the Grey Cup in Winnipeg on November 16:
- A Critical Minerals Strategy for accelerating mining and upgrading of critical minerals, especially in Ontario’s Ring of Fire, to support clean tech and defence.
- Wind West Atlantic Energy for tapping 60 gigawatts (GW) of wind power in Nova Scotia and Atlantic Canada, with export potential to the U.S.
- Pathways Plus, a carbon capture and storage pipeline in Alberta aimed at reducing oil sands emissions.
- An Arctic Economic and Security Corridor for connecting Northern communities and minerals with southern markets while boosting military readiness.
- A four-season trade hub in northern Manitoba, developed with Indigenous partnerships, Port of Churchill Plus.
- And a $35 billion project expected to halve travel times between major cities, and reduce emissions by 25 million tonnes, Alto High-Speed Rail.
Canada has one of the highest per capita carbon footprints in the world, second only to Saudi Arabia, and emits twice as much per person as China. In 2023, it produced 5.76 million barrels of oil daily, about six percent of global output, with most reserves located in Alberta’s oil sands.
(David Suzuki Foundation)
“Fast-tracking new oil and gas projects threatens our climate goals, the rights of Indigenous peoples, clean water and clean air,” Jens Wieting, senior policy and science advisor for Sierra Club British Columbia, said.
“Burning fossil fuels has brought the world close to threatening tipping points for a livable climate. Now, solar panels, wind turbines and batteries have brought the world close to positive tipping points in our energy systems, and within reach of slowing down global warming.”
On July 22, the United Nations unveiled two new reports signalling that the global shift to renewable energy has crossed a “positive tipping point.” Solar and wind are now so affordable and scalable that they’re rapidly outpacing fossil fuels and reshaping the global energy economy.
“The fossil fuel age is flailing and failing,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said during his speech unveiling the reports.
“We are in the dawn of a new energy era. An era where cheap, clean, abundant energy powers a world rich in economic opportunity.”
Globally, the transition to clean energy is accelerating. In 2024, 74 percent of the growth in global electricity generation came from solar, wind, and other renewables, according to Seizing the Moment of Opportunity, a UN multi-agency report.
The International Renewable Energy Agency’s Renewable Capacity Statistics 2025 reported a record 585 gigawatt increase in renewable power capacity in 2024, bringing the global total to 4,448 gigawatt, accounting for 92.5 percent of all new capacity and marking a 15.1 percent annual growth rate.
Canada, however, continues to lag behind with renewable sources accounting for just 16.9 percent of Canada’s total primary energy supply as of 2022, a modest share compared to the pace of global change.
A recent report from the Canadian Climate Institute warns Canada is “not on track” to meet its legislated emissions reduction target of 40 to 45 percent by 2030, as greenhouse gas emissions stagnated in 2024 at 694 megatonnes, just 8.5 percent below 2005 levels.
Although Canada accounts for just two percent of current global emissions, it ranks among the top ten countries most responsible for historical carbon emissions since 1750.
(Global Carbon Budget)
At the current pace, the country is projected to achieve only a 20 to 25 percent reduction, falling well short of its climate commitments.
The report attributed the stall to a mix of policy rollbacks: the repeal of the consumer carbon tax, as well as the electric vehicle mandates, and weakened industrial carbon pricing in several provinces.
The UNEP’s 15th annual “Emissions Gap” report also warns Canada is currently not on track to meet its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) of a 1.5 degrees Celsius warming limit under existing policies.
The impacts of climate change are already hitting hard. 2024 was the costliest year on record for extreme weather in Canada, with insured damages exceeding $8.5 billion.
In 2025, wildfires have scorched more than 8.8 million hectares across the country, marking the second-worst wildfire season on record, just behind 2023. By mid-August, the area burned was roughly equivalent to the entire province of New Brunswick, with Saskatchewan alone accounting for over half of the total.
Experts attribute the unprecedented scale of the fires to prolonged drought and increasingly severe climate conditions, both intensified by climate change.
As of September 24, 8,815,180 hectares of land have been burned due to wildfires, more than double the ten-year average of 4,077,876 hectares. There are 25 uncontrolled fires still burning across the country.
Local leaders and environmental experts acknowledge that trade and tariffs pose a legitimate concern, particularly after U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order raising Canada’s tariff rate to 35 percent, effective August 1. Still, they stress that long-term prosperity lies in a clean economy, not fossil fuel dependence.
“It's obviously important that the federal government is focused on the economy and how to make the economy more resilient to what is happening in the United States,” Tedjo noted.
"But for those of us concerned about climate change, there's a real worry that by not including more projects focused on sustainability, Canada is missing an opportunity. The global economy is shifting toward green energy and sustainability, and we believe Canada should be leading in that space. Those kinds of projects should be part of this initiative, alongside the ones already announced."
In March, a poll commissioned by the David Suzuki Foundation showed that 67 percent of Canadians believe the next government should prioritize climate action and nature protection, with 65 percent supporting investments in renewable energy over fossil fuels.
This strong public support for environmental leadership was one of the key reasons many voters backed Carney as their next federal leader, viewing him as uniquely positioned to bridge the gap between economic stability and climate responsibility, given his experience as former Bank of Canada and Bank of England governor as well as UN Special Envoy on Climate Action and Finance.
Earlier this year, when things looked bleak for the Liberals, Carney rose to power by presenting himself as the steady hand needed to shield Canada from the trade storm.
“[Trump] wants to break us so America can own us,” Carney said during his campaign.
Then, to push Liberals to the finish line and neutralize a major Conservative critique, Carney moved quickly to eliminate the consumer carbon tax effective April 1, allowing April’s carbon rebates to proceed as planned.
This decision came despite a Canadian Climate Institute report identifying the industrial carbon tax, also known as the Large-Emitter Trading System (LETS), as Canada’s single most effective policy for reducing greenhouse gas emissions through 2030.
“Canada’s carbon pricing system will do more than any other policy to cut greenhouse gas emissions between now and 2030,” the report said.
Importantly, the policy achieves its environmental goals with minimal impact on Canadian households. By 2025, the average effect on household consumption is expected to be essentially zero, and by 2030, just one-tenth of a percent, with some households even seeing modest net benefits.
As The Pointer has previously reported, Canadians have been exposed to misleading information about the carbon tax, despite studies showing it actually benefits lower-income Canadians, most middle-income earners, and those who actively reduce their carbon footprint.
A growing number of Canadians are now questioning Carney’s leadership, criticizing what they see as conservative policies disguised under his administration.
“We're at a real turning point. We know what to do about climate change. Renewable energy is now at the point where it costs less than oil and gas. So what are we thinking? Why in the world do we have a government that's thinking of building a pipeline filled with oil? It doesn't make any sense at all,” Seniors for Climate Action organizer, Marjorie Nichol, told The Pointer. “I am extremely skeptical about carbon capture. Why do we bother with it when we know how to use the sun's energy to give us all the freedom to do whatever we want?...I don't know who's getting paid. I'm not accusing anybody. Someone's making money out of carbon capture. It's not us.” Nichol says she is “very disappointed” that Carney is “backing down on everything” he promised during his election campaign.
(Anushka Yadav/The Pointer)
For Tedjo, the Alto High-Speed Rail is the “best” project on the potential nation-building projects list and a long-overdue investment in clean transportation, especially since transportation is the second-largest source of emissions in Canada, responsible for approximately 23 percent of the country's total GHG emissions, amounting to about 156 million tonnes as of 2023.
Between 1990 and 2023, transportation became the second-largest contributor to Canada’s rising greenhouse gas emissions, with a 33 percent increase, second only to the oil and gas sector, which saw a 77 percent surge over the same period.
(Government of Canada)
“A lot of our pollution comes from transportation, and the Windsor–Québec corridor is obviously the biggest, busiest in the country. The 401 is one of the busiest highways in the world…expanding rail service to Windsor would significantly help Canada reach its climate targets,” he told The Pointer.
The all-electric, high-speed rail line, first announced by former prime minister Justin Trudeau on February 19, just before leaving office, was launched as a six-year, $3.9-billion design and development plan.
The route would span 1,000 kilometres, connecting Toronto, Peterborough, Ottawa, Montreal, Laval, Trois-Rivières, and Québec City, with trains reaching speeds of up to 300 kilometres per hour.
The government estimates the line would cut travel time between Montreal and Toronto to just three hours, half the time it takes to drive, and operate at twice the speed of existing VIA Rail service.
Led by the Cadence consortium, including CDPQ Infra, AtkinsRéalis, Keolis, SYSTRA, SNCF Voyageurs and Air Canada, the project is overseen by Alto, a Crown corporation.
The MPO said it will work to accelerate engineering, regulatory, and permitting work to enable and target the start of construction in five years.
“Being recognized as a transformative project marks a significant milestone—it empowers our team to accelerate progress while maintaining our unwavering commitment to quality, transparency, and environmental stewardship,” Alto president and CEO Martin Imbleau said in a statement.
“In practical terms, this recognition could allow construction to begin sooner, enabling Canadians to benefit from the Alto high-speed rail network earlier than expected. Once operational, Alto will contribute the equivalent of 1.1 percent to Canada's annual GDP.”
The Carney government is estimating the transit project will support 63,000 new housing units along the corridor, eliminate 25 million tonnes of carbon emissions, and generate 51,000 well-paying jobs over the next decade.
The announcement aligns with one of the priorities outlined in the Elbows Up joint letter from local leaders: affordable housing.
But it falls short of addressing transit-connected communities and energy efficiency, lacking clear commitments to retrofitting homes or installing heat pumps, both of which are essential to making homes warmer in winter, cooler in summer, and cutting energy costs and pollution nationwide.
Just weeks before the agency’s launch, on August 29, 111 organizations including businesses, tradespeople, and climate advocates, wrote a letter to Carney and housing minister Gregor Robertson urging them to ensure Build Canada Homes uses modern, low-carbon heating technologies like high-efficiency electric heat pumps, geothermal, or direct electric systems instead of oil or gas furnaces.
According to 2024 data, the Canada Green Building Council reported that 18 percent of emissions in the country are directly caused by residential, commercial and institutional buildings and when construction work and building materials are factored, the overall pollution footprint of the building sector represents more than 25 percent of all GHGs in Canada, nearly on par with the oil-gas sector and the transportation sector.
The Canada Energy Regulator admits that replacing traditional space heating systems with heat pumps could significantly reduce energy use and emissions in the sector.
The number of residential heat pumps installed in Canada doubled over the last two decades to over 800,000 units. Over 60 percent of that increase came from single detached homes in Ontario and Quebec.
(Canada Energy Regulator)
Last year in October, the Trudeau government funded over $2 million through Natural Resources Canada’s Greener Neighbourhoods Pilot Program (GNPP) and the Toward Net-Zero Homes and Communities (TNZ) program to support deep energy retrofits at the Carver Place townhome community in east Ottawa, focusing on upgrading more than 80 low-income social housing units managed by the Multifaith Housing Initiative, with EnviroCentre leading the project.
The retrofits at Carver Place included replacing traditional furnaces with electric heat pumps, upgrading attic insulation and air sealing, and installing heat recovery ventilation systems.
Researchers from Carleton University’s Centre for Advanced Building Envelope Research (CABER) have been monitoring these upgrades since 2024, collecting data on energy use, indoor air quality, and temperature to assess the real-world impact of the renovations.
Carleton University’s Centre for Advanced Building Envelope Research (CABER) postdoctoral researcher Shawn Somers-Neal installed sensors in multiple units to track interior temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide levels, and electricity consumption for heat pumps, water heaters, and other systems.
(Gabriel Rivett-Carnac/EnviroCentre)
Early results show a 42 percent reduction in energy consumption and an 82 percent decrease in GHG emissions, demonstrating how targeted retrofits in social housing can deliver significant environmental and economic benefits.
The results are particularly significant given that electricity and heat production accounted for 56 megatonnes (Mt) of GHG emissions in Canada in 2022, nearly eight percent of the country’s total emissions.
Despite Canada not being on track to meet its climate targets, it has a real opportunity to achieve a 100 percent zero-emissions electricity grid by 2035, according to modelling by the David Suzuki Foundation, through substantial boosts in the installation of renewable energy, energy efficiency improvements, interprovincial transmission, and expanded battery storage capacity.
To reach net zero, the Trudeau government introduced the Clean Electricity Regulations (CER) in December 2024, setting annual pollution limits for fossil-fuel-based electricity producers. While renewable energy sources like wind, solar, and nuclear are exempt, gas plants must either cut emissions or limit their operations.
The CER is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 180 Mt by 2050, equivalent to removing 55 million cars from the road for one year.
Fossil fuel companies and some provincial governments, including Ontario and Alberta, weakened the regulations, allowing gas plants to operate unregulated until 2035, with some newer plants like the large Napanee plant in Ontario, which is under construction, exempt until 2049. The lenient pollution cap and allowance for carbon offsets mean Canada’s grid may not reach net zero by 2035, and local pollution from gas plants could continue to harm public health for years.
With this uneven policy landscape, the conversation around how Canada should move forward on clean energy has become increasingly urgent.
Canada’s electricity needs are projected to double, even triple, before 2050, reflecting the rapid increase in demand due to both electrification and decarbonization, according to Natural Resources Canada.
From 1950 to 2000, electrification drove a tenfold increase in electricity supply, from 2000 to 2020 decarbonization reduced emissions intensity by 60 percent with little generation growth, and from 2020 to 2050 electricity generation is projected to double, ranging from 1,000 Terawatt per hour (TWh) to 1,800 TWh.
(Natural Resources Canada)
In his nation-building projects list, Carney put forward two high-profile electricity projects: one centred on Atlantic wind, the other on Ontario nuclear. Together, they illustrate the starkly different visions at play for Canada’s future grid.
The first, part of the MPO’s second wave of proposals is Wind West Atlantic Energy: a massive build-out of over 60 gigawatts of offshore and onshore wind potential in Nova Scotia and across Atlantic Canada. The project promises to connect renewable, emissions-free energy to Eastern and Atlantic provinces and create the capacity for exports to the Northeastern United States.
To unlock this, the MPO has pledged regulatory certainty to attract private investment and long-term development. The vision includes interties between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, transmission cables between Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick, and expanded hydro resources at Churchill Falls and Gull Island.
Ontario Clean Air Alliance chair Jack Gibbons describes it as an “excellent proposal,” but said Carney has a long way to go to make Canada a “renewable energy superpower.”
“We need to build an east–west renewable electricity grid. That would be a true nation-building project,” Gibbons said.
“Carney should be financing expansion of our east-west grid so Ontario can import clean wind power from Nova Scotia. And he should also be working to reduce the red tape so we can develop offshore wind power in our Great Lakes.”
Recent polling by the David Suzuki Foundation shows most Canadians also support an east-west grid, with 77 percent in favour of upgrading the national electricity grid by connecting provinces and territories through new transmission lines, 72 percent supporting federal funding for these upgrades, and a clear preference for a connected east-west renewable energy grid over building a new oil pipeline for export.
On September 24 and 25, 17 allied organizations, including labour unions, Indigenous clean-energy leaders, health professionals, faith groups, climate activists, electrical workers, and municipal councillors, met with over two dozen members of Parliament to show united support for building a renewable east-west electricity grid that upholds Indigenous and workers' rights.
The coalition agreed that the federal government’s recent announcements on major projects reflect “missed opportunities”, and called for a $20 billion investment over five years in interprovincial transmission lines, Indigenous-led projects, and workforce training to help build a more affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy future.
“The effects of an east-west grid will be felt widely across the country, creating thousands of jobs, improving energy security and saving people money on energy bills. Building pipelines is a waste of time and money that only benefits fossil fuel billionaires in the long run,” Stephen Thomas, clean energy manager with the David Suzuki Foundation, said.
“This moment in Canada calls for real solutions to the overlapping crises we face. We need jobs that are here to stay, affordable energy, and to make sure our kids have healthy air to breathe. This will only be possible through building Canada’s east-west grid with renewables.”
Gibbons warns the Darlington New Nuclear Project, part of Carney’s first five projects, might represent a dangerous misstep.
In June, the Ontario government announced a $70 million investment from GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GVH) to establish the world’s first BWRX-300 Small Modular Reactor (SMR) engineering and service centre in the Durham Region, near the Darlington New Nuclear Project (DNNP) site.
One of four planned SMR units, the reactor is expected to power 300,000 homes, employ 1,600 workers during construction and 200 permanently, and establish Canada as an SMR exporter by 2030.
“It is not a nation-building project for Canada. It’s a nation-weakening project,” Gibbons told The Pointer, warning nuclear energy is not renewable energy.
“It will lead to higher electricity rates, which will make life less affordable for Ontario’s families. It will make industries less competitive, and it will jeopardize national security.”
Canada’s existing fleet of 17 reactors is all Canada Deuterium Uranium (CANDU) design, powered by natural uranium, a resource Canada possesses in abundance and has always produced domestically.
But the new reactors being pushed by Ontario Power Generation, including the GE-Hitachi BWRX-300 planned at Darlington, are American-designed light water reactors which require low-enriched uranium fuel (about five percent Uranium-235) that Canada cannot produce. Enrichment services are concentrated in the U.S., France, and, most dominantly, Russia.
In 2023, OPG announced that it intends to source fuel enriched at a U.S. plant in Eunice, New Mexico, supplemented by France’s Orano.
“With construction on the first unit scheduled to be completed in 2028, I'm pleased to see OPG reach this important agreement with Cameco, Urenco, Orano and Global Nuclear Fuel to use Saskatchewan uranium, enriched by our allies in the U.S. and France, to power the unit when it turns on,” former Ontario Minister of Energy Todd Smith said previously.
This means Canada would, for the first time, depend on the United States for the operation of its nuclear fleet.
“These enriched uranium import from the United States will make us dependent on our neighbours, and these are imports which could be cut off at a moment's notice by the White House,” Gibbons noted.
The Ontario Clean Air Alliance warns the new U.S. GE-Hitachi nuclear reactors are the highest-cost option to meet Ontario’s electricity needs – costing two to eight times more than new solar and wind power.
(Ontario Clean Air Alliance)
A recent Ontario Clean Air Alliance report warns the new U.S. GE-Hitachi nuclear reactors are the highest-cost option to meet Ontario’s electricity needs, costing two to eight times more than new solar and wind power.
In Ontario’s last attempt to procure reactors, bids came in at 60 cents per kilowatt-hour, compared to just four cents for wind and solar. The provincial government abandoned the plan when costs were projected at $26 billion.
Clean storage projects cost $672.32 per megawatt, while gas-fired generation costs a staggering $1,681.14 per megawatt, according to Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator’s (IESO)’s procurement data.
Ontario Tech University energy and nuclear engineering associate professor Daniel Hoornweg noted that U.S. tariffs would have little impact on clean energy projects in Canada, since most solar panels are manufactured in China and most wind turbines come from European suppliers, particularly Germany.
“Energy efficiency, demand flexibility, utility-scale wind and solar, rooftop generation, batteries — these have all dropped substantially in price. These are proven technologies that can help Ontario reduce its reliance on gas without resorting to nuclear,” Aakash Harpalani, former clean energy director at The Atmospheric Fund, said.
A major environmental concern with nuclear power, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, is the creation of radioactive waste, including uranium mill tailings, spent reactor fuel, and other radioactive materials.
“The thing we haven't solved yet is what to do with the (nuclear) waste,” Greenpeace Canada senior energy strategist Keith Stewart told The Pointer.
Stewart explained nuclear waste remains highly radioactive for thousands to millions of years, posing serious health and environmental risks if not properly managed, and secure long-term storage solutions remain underdeveloped.
The Darlington New Nuclear Project (DNNP) is a proposed initiative by Ontario Power Generation (OPG) to construct up to four BWRX-300 Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) at the existing Darlington Nuclear Generating Station site in Ontario, Canada, with the goal of providing reliable, low-carbon electricity to support the province’s growing energy needs. The first unit is expected to be completed and operational by the end of 2030. In May, OPG received approval from the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) to proceed with construction of the first SMR, following confirmation that the previously completed environmental assessment remained valid for the selected reactor technology from General Electric Hitachi.
(Ontario Power Generation)
The threat of accidents and the mass evacuations they could trigger remains a serious concern with nuclear energy.
“Imagine trying to evacuate a 30-kilometre zone around Darlington — that’s like moving half the GTA. The probability might be low, but eventually, it’s going to happen,” Stewart said, pointing to Chernobyl and Fukushima as reminders of what is at stake.
Nuclear power is a low-carbon energy source, producing little to no carbon dioxide during operation and generating about one-third of the world’s carbon-free electricity, but there’s another key challenge: its reliance on natural gas.
Stewart says, “there’s a reason the oil and gas industry is cheering nuclear announcements — they know a nuclear plant is essentially just a gas plant.”
SMRs and reactors often require gas as a backup fuel to balance the grid, locking in fossil dependency.
When transitioning to nuclear, gas is often used as a ‘bridge fuel’ to balance the intermittent nature of renewables like wind and solar.
“Since Doug Ford was elected, gas plant output has quadrupled. In the middle of a climate emergency, we’re ramping up gas and doing it to make room for what could become the largest nuclear build in the world, costing up to $400 billion,” Ontario Clean Air Alliance director Angela Bischoff said during a bus tour of renewables in Toronto.
On September 12, the Ontario Clean Air Alliance urged the Carney government to reverse its support for nuclear projects by rescinding the request for the MPO to fast-track U.S. reactor construction and withdrawing the Canada Infrastructure Bank’s $970 million loan for GE-Hitachi’s first reactor.
Instead, the organization is asking the MPO to prioritize rooftop and parking lot solar, remove red tape blocking Great Lakes offshore wind development, and accelerate the expansion of interprovincial transmission links with Manitoba, Quebec, and the Maritimes to import low-cost renewable power.
In an interview with The Pointer, St. Catharines councillor Haley Bateman said the federal government’s role in shaping nation-building projects will be critical for municipalities.
Niagara is already testing innovative approaches, such as integrating district energy into new wastewater infrastructure, but Bateman noted these are often costly undertakings that municipalities cannot shoulder alone.
“We are partners with the province and the federal government. Their leadership and their willingness to champion projects that environmental groups support is vital to our success,” she said, noting nation-building projects should not be defined by sheer size or cost, but by whether they deliver long-term health, environmental, and equity benefits.
“These things cost money, yes, but our health and wellness matter above all else. And the way you start that is with a healthy environment.”
Canadian Climate Institute president Rick Smith echoed Bateman’s sentiment: “accelerating the development of clean electricity, low-carbon energy, and critical minerals projects will strengthen Canada’s economic autonomy and competitiveness, fight climate change, and support Indigenous leadership and economic opportunities.”
He continued.
“Ultimately, the most effective way to enhance Canada’s low-carbon competitiveness is swiftly implementing strong, coherent policy to accelerate clean growth across the country, help Canadian companies reduce emissions, and make our communities and infrastructure more resilient to climate-induced disasters.”
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