I’d like to thank the member from Ontario’s clean energy capital, Durham region, for the question this morning.

Mr. Speaker, Ontario’s electricity grid is one of the cleanest in the entire world, at over 90% clean. How we accomplish that is largely because of the nuclear fleet that we have in Ontario, providing anywhere from 50% to 60% of our electricity every day in a clean, emissions-free, reliable and affordable way. It employs 76,000 people across Canada, almost all of them here in Ontario. And it’s those same people, those skilled trades, those nuclear operators, who are doing incredible work.

I was with my good friend from Huron–Bruce, the Minister of Agriculture, a couple of weeks ago at Bruce Power, where they brought back unit 6, one of the nuclear refurbishment projects, on time and on budget.

Our government is standing firmly with those skilled tradespeople in support of our energy sector, which is world-class.

It is sad, actually, that the opposition is not working with us. They’re working against us, and they’re saying no to clean, reliable and affordable electricity in our province. They’re saying no to new, good-paying jobs across our province. They’re saying no to the economic growth that we’re experiencing largely because we have a world-class nuclear fleet.

Perhaps most disappointing, though, is those same members from the NDP and the opposition are saying no to the skilled tradespeople, those boilermakers, those electricians, and those nuclear engineers who are working so hard every day to power our province to ensure that we are an economic powerhouse here in Ontario, one that has created 700,000 jobs—not lost 300,000 manufacturing jobs, when we had an NDP-Liberal coalition in this province.

The Ontario PC Party and this government are going to stand up every day for those power workers across Ontario.

What a thrill it was for me to be in the member’s riding—the clean-energy capital of Canada—in the Durham region along with the Premier on Friday morning to announce that construction is beginning on Canada’s first grid-scale small modular reactor.

You know, the member’s hair was blowing in the wind, and we were all jealous about that—or at least I was. But this was an historic moment for our province—construction under way on a 300-megawatt small modular reactor. Well, what does that mean, Mr. Speaker? A 300-megawatt small modular reactor is enough to power a city the size of London.

Our plan is not to build just one on the site at Darlington, but potentially four. That’s 1,200-plus megawatts that will add to our clean—and I emphasize clean—reliable, affordable electricity grid in the province of Ontario.

We have an incredible team at OPG that’s going to be building that BWRX-300, and, Mr. Speaker, the world is watching what’s happening in Canada’s clean-energy capital.

Already, 76,000 people work in our nuclear supply chain across the country. Almost all of them—about 65,000—right here in Ontario. This is a tremendous export opportunity for Ontario and for Canada.

The small modular reactor, as I say: The world is watching, and the world really is watching this project. Countries over in Europe and around the world are looking for energy autonomy, energy security, and this is the flexible form of electricity generation that’s clean that the world is looking for.

It confounds me, Mr. Speaker, that members opposite aren’t standing and applauding the work that is happening in Canada’s clean-energy capital with OPG in the Durham region. Stand with us and push for this project to be the success that it’s going to be.

Thanks again to the member for the question.

There’s a lot happening. I talked about what’s happening in North America. There’s a lot happening in Europe. The world really is watching what’s happening as this first grid-scale modular reactor is being built at Darlington. A company out of Poland has already signed an MOU with an Ontario company, BWXT out of Cambridge, to purchase a billion dollars’ worth of key components—that’s good jobs that will be in our supply chain here in Ontario, but there’s the opportunity for so much more.

Just last month, I was in Europe, visiting with officials in Poland and the Czech Republic, along with members from OPG and Laurentis energy, their international arm, where they signed two SMR collaboration agreements with Czech and Polish companies. Estonia is also very interested, and many others in Baltic countries and in eastern and central Europe are interested.

Our technology that we’re building right here in Ontario—technology that’s going to result in more economic activity, cleaner air for the people of Ontario, great-paying jobs—

Thanks to the member opposite for the question. He does come from Durham region, which is Ontario’s clean energy capital—Canada’s clean energy capital, as a matter of fact—home to Darlington and Pickering nuclear generating stations, with 76,000 people working in this sector in Ontario and across the country.

The Premier had the vision three years ago to sign an MOU and to lead the MOU with three other provinces—Alberta, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick—on the deployment of small modular reactors, and boy, have we seen progress on this file since he had the vision to do that.

This time last year, OPG decided on the technology that they were going to be building on the site at Darlington, the GEH BWRX-300, a 300-megawatt small modular reactor that is going to be producing clean, reliable electricity on our grid by 2028. Saskatchewan has signed on to purchase potentially four and site them in their province to help them eliminate coal generation in Saskatchewan. We have seen TVA, one of the largest utilities in the United States, sign on and collaborate. And just a couple of weeks ago, the federal government signed on with almost a billion dollars from the Canada Infrastructure Bank—

Thanks to the member opposite for the question. That’s exactly why our government is committed to a reliable, affordable, sustainable and clean energy sector. That’s why we’re leveraging small modular reactors and our first-mover status that we have so that we can untap the benefits to our economy in Ontario, in Canada and, indeed, around the world.

This past spring we announced our vision to partner with other provinces—New Brunswick, Alberta, Saskatchewan—for the deployment of small modular reactors across the country. We’re also creating new opportunities to export Ontario’s goods, technology and expertise to North America and around the world, especially in Eastern Europe.

Last week I joined OPG and one of the largest electrical utilities in the United States, the Tennessee Valley Authority, or TVA, to announce a collaboration that’s going to allow TVA to replicate what we’re doing with small modular reactors here in Ontario: a first grid-scale SMR. That’s why we’re going to continue to unlock the potential of SMR for our environment and our economy.

We also need to be ready for an increased demand for clean, reliable and affordable electricity here in Ontario. Whether it’s the electrification of our transportation sector, powering new electric vehicles, or EVs, or making green steel with electric arc furnaces, our economy is growing and it’s electrifying. Nuclear power is going to continue to be a key part of Ontario’s clean electricity grid.

As we move towards a clean energy future, it’s clear that there is no path forward without nuclear energy to get us to net zero.