Energy
The Real Threat to Banks Isn’t From Climate Change. It’s From Bankers.
Over the last two years, some of the world’s most powerful and influential bankers and investors have argued that climate change poses a grave threat to financial markets and that nations must switch urgently from using fossil fuels to using renewables.
In 2019, the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco warned that climate change could cause banks to stop lending, towns to lose tax revenue, and home values to decline. Last year, 36 pension fund managers representing $1 trillion in assets said climate change “poses a systemic threat to financial markets and the real economy.”
And upon taking office, President Joe Biden warned government agencies that climate change disasters threatened retirement funds, home prices, and the very stability of the financial system.
But a major new staff report from the New York Federal Reserve Bank throws cold water on the over-heated rhetoric coming from activist investors, bankers, and politicians. “How Bad Are Weather Disasters for Banks?” asks the title of the report by three economists. “Not very,” they answer in the first sentence of the abstract.
The reason is because “weather disasters over the last quarter century had insignificant or small effects on U.S. banks’ performance.” The study looked at FEMA-level disasters between 1995 and 2018, at county-level property damage estimates, and the impact on banking revenue.
The New York Fed’s authors only looked at how banks have dealt with disasters in the past, and what they wrote isn’t likely to be the final word on the matter. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and most other scientific bodies predict that many weather events, including hurricanes and floods, which cause the greatest financial damage, are likely to become more extreme in the future, due to climate change.
And in February, The New York Times quoted one of six United States Federal Reserve governors saying, “Financial institutions that do not put in place frameworks to measure, monitor and manage climate-related risks could face outsized losses on climate-sensitive assets caused by environmental shifts.”
 |
But the Fed economists looked separately at the most extreme 10 percent of all disasters and found that banks impacted not only didn’t suffer, “their income increases significantly with exposure,” and that the improved financial performance of banks hit by disasters wasn’t explained by increased federal disaster (FEMA) aid.
In other words, disasters are actually good for banks, since they increase demand for loans. The larger a bank’s exposure to natural disasters, the larger its profits.
Happily, the profits made by banks are trivial compared to rising societal resilience to disasters, which can be seen by the fact that the share of GDP spent on natural disasters has actually declined over the last 30 years.
While scientists expect hurricanes to become five percent more extreme they also expect them to become 25 percent less frequent, and now, new data showglobal carbon emissions actually declined over the last decade, and thus there is no longer any serious risk of a significant rise in global temperatures.
Banking Against Growth
 |
Biden nominee Saule Omarova said she wants to bankrupt energy companies
The real risk to banks and the global economy comes from climate policy, not climate change, particularly efforts to make energy more expensive and less reliable through the greater use of renewables, new taxes, and new regulations.
“For policymakers,” warned the three economists writing for the New York Fed, “our findings suggest that potential transition risks from climate change warrant more attention than physical disaster risks.”
While they may seem like outliers, they are far from alone in expressing their concern. The second half of the quote by the Fed governor about climate change, which was hyped by The New York Times, warned that banks “could face outsized losses” from the “transition to a low-carbon economy.” (My emphasis.)
And, now concern is growing among members of Congress about the dangers of over-relying on weather-dependent energy, with some members citing the New York Fed’s report after The Wall Street Journal editorialized about it last week .
Proof of the threat to the economy from climate policy is the worst global energy crisis in 50 years. Shareholder activists played a significant role in creating it, according to analysts at Goldman Sachs, Bloomberg, and The Financial Times, by reducing investment in oil and gas production, and causing nations to over-invest in unreliable solar and wind energies, which has driven up energy prices, and contributed significantly to inflation.
And yet a crucial Biden Administration nominee for bank regulation has openly said she would like to bankrupt firms that produce oil and gas, the two fuels whose scarcity is causing the global energy crisis. Progressive academic, Saule Omarova, nominated by Biden, said recently that “we want [oil and gas firms] to go bankrupt” and that “the way we basically get rid of these carbon financiers is we starve them of their source of capital.
Omarova is not an outlier. The Biden Administration’s Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) is advocating 30 new climate regulations that should be imposed on banking. Many analysts believe the US Securities and Exchange Commission will require new regulations. The goal is to radically alter how America’s banks lend money, the energy sector, and the economy as a whole.
And former Bank of England chief, Mark Carney, co-chair of the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero, has organized $130 trillion in investment and said recently that his investors should expect to make higher, not lower, returns than the market. How? In the exact same way Omarova predicted: by bankrupting some companies, and financing other ones, through government regulations and subsidies.
Carney created the Glasgow Financial Alliance, or GFANZ, with Michael Bloomberg, and they did so under the official seal of the United Nations. “Carney said the alliance will put global finance on a trajectory that ultimately leaves high-carbon assets facing a much bleaker future,” wrote a reporter with Bloomberg. “He also said investors in such products will see the value of their holdings sink.”
What’s going on, exactly? How is it that some of the world’s most powerful bankers, and the politicians they finance, came to support policies that threaten the stability of electrical grids, energy supplies, and thus the global economy itself?
Donate to Environmental Progress
The Unseen Order
 |
Tom Steyer, Michael Bloomberg, and George Soros
Three of the largest donors to climate change causes are billionaire financial titans Michael Bloomberg, George Soros, and Tom Steyer, all of whom have significant investments in both renewables and fossil fuels.
Soros is worth $8 billion and recently made large investments in natural gas firms (EQT) and electric vehicles (Fisker), Bloomberg has a net worth of around $70 billion and has large investments in natural gas and renewables, and much of Steyer’s wealth derives from investments in all three main fossil fuels—coal, oil, and natural gas — as well as renewables.
All three men finance climate activists and politicians, including President Biden, who then seek policies — from $500 billion for renewables and electric vehicles over the next decade to federal control over state energy systems to banking regulations to bankrupt oil and gas companies — which would benefit each of them personally.
Bloomberg gave over $100 million to Sierra Club to lobby to shut down coal plants after he had taken a large stake in its replacement, natural gas, and operates one of the largest news media companies in the world, which publishes articles and sends emails nearly every day reporting that climate change threatens the economy, and that solar panels and wind turbines are the only cost-effective solution.
Soros donates heavily to Center for American Progress, whose founder, John Podesta, was chief of staff to Bill Clinton, campaign chairman for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, and who currently runs policy at the Biden White House. So too does Steyer, who funds the climate activist organization founded by New Yorker author Bill McKibben, 350.org, which reported revenues of nearly $20 million in 2018.
The most influential environmental organization among Democrats and the Biden Administration is the Natural Resources Defense Council, NRDC, which advocated for federal control of state energy markets, the $500 billion for electric cars and renewables, and international carbon markets that would be controlled by the bankers and financiers who also donate to it.
In the 1990s, NRDC helped energy trading company Enron to distribute hundreds of thousands of dollars to environmental groups. “On environmental stewardship, our experience is that you can trust Enron,” said NRDC’s Ralph Cavanagh in 1997, even though Enron executives at the time were defrauding investors of billions of dollars in an epic criminal conspiracy, which in 2001 bankrupted the company.
From 2009 to 2011, NRDC advocated for and helped write complex cap-and-trade climate legislation that would have created and allowed some of their donors to take advantage of a carbon-trading market worth upwards of $1 trillion.
NRDC created and invested $66 million of its own money in a BlackRock stock fund that invested heavily in natural gas companies, and in 2014 disclosed that it had millions invested in renewable funds.
Former NRDC head, Gina McCarthey, now heads up Biden’s climate policy team, and Biden’s top economic advisor, Brian Deese, last worked at BlackRock, and almost certainly will return at the end of the Biden Administration.
Money buys influence. In 2019, McKibben called Steyer a “climate champ” when Steyer announced he was running for president, adding that Steyer’s “just-released climate policy is damned good!” And in 2020, McKibben wrote an article called, “How Banks Could Bail Us Out of the Climate Crisis,” for The New Yorker, which repeated the claim that extreme weather created by climate change threatens financial interests, and that the way to prevent it is to divert public and private money away from reliable energy sources toward weather-dependent ones.
Forms filed to the Internal Revenue Service by Steyer’s philanthropic organization, the TomKat Charitable Trust, show that it gave McKibben’s climate activist group, 350.org, $250,000 in 2012, 2014, and 2015, and may have given money to 350.org in 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020, as well, because 350.org thanked either Steyer’s philanthropy, TomKat Foundation, or his organization, NextGen America, in each of its annual reports since 2013.
At the same time, McKibben’s motivations are plainly spiritual. He claims that various natural disasters are caused by humans, that climate change literally threatens life on Earth, and is thus “greatest challenge humans have ever faced,” a statement so unhinged from reality, considering declining deaths from disasters, declining carbon emissions, and the total absence of any science for such a claim, that it must be considered religious.
McKibben first book about climate change, The End of Nature, explicitly expressed his spiritual views, arguing that, through capitalist industrialization, humankind had lost its connection to nature. “We can no longer imagine that we are part of something larger than ourselves,” he wrote in The End of Nature. “That is what this all boils down to.” Indeed, for William James, the belief in “an unseen order” that we must adjust ourselves to, in order to avoid future punishment, is a defining feature of religion.
Climate change is punishment for our sins against nature — that’s the basic narrative pushed by journalists, climate activists, and their banker sponsors, for 30 years. It has a supernatural element: the belief that natural disasters are getting worse, killing millions, and threatening the economy, when in reality they are getting better, killing fewer, and costing less. And it offers redemption: to avoid punishment we must align our behavior with the unseen order, namely, a new economy controlled by the U.N., bankers, and climate activists. Unfortunately, as is increasingly obvious, the unseen order is parasitical and destructive.
When Nuclear Leads, the Bankers Will Follow
 |
Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emanuel Macron, and U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm
The unseen order of bankers, climate activists, and the news media is so powerful that it is difficult to imagine how it could ever be challenged.
The financial might of the climate lobby covers the wealth not only of billionaires Soros, Steyer, and Bloomberg, but also $130 trillion in investment funds, including many of the world’s largest pension funds, such as the one belonging to California public employees. The climate lobby’s political power is equally awesome, covering the entirety of the Democratic Party and a significant portion of the Republican Party, and most center-Left parties in Europe.
And all of that is sustained by cultural power, which has led many elites to view climate change as the world’s number one issue, has convinced half of all humans that climate change will make our species extinct, and has served as the apocalyptic foundation for Woke religion.
But serious cracks in the foundation are growing. The global energy crisis has revealed for many around the world the limits of unreliable renewables, with European governments having to subsidize energy to avoid public backlash, President Biden and other heads of state opening up emergency petroleum reserves, and all nations begging OPEC to produce more energy.
The blackouts and rising unreliability of electricity in California, along with the work of the pro-nuclear movement over the last 6 years, has resulted in a growing number of Democrats supporting nuclear energy. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm last week publicly urged California Governor Gavin Newsom not to close California’s Diablo Canyon nuclear plant, the signature nuclear plant Environmental Progress has been trying to save since 2016. Democratic support in particular for nuclear is growing.
 |
And alternative media including Substack, podcasts, and social media platforms are increasingly providing a counterweight to the mainstream news media, exposing a huge number of issues that the media got wrong in recent years, and amplifying alternative voices.
Nowhere is the change occurring faster than in Europe, where energy shortages are affecting heating, cooking, and electricity supplies in ways that undermine the legitimacy of the banker-led climate efforts. In Britain, private energy companies have gone bankrupt, forcing the government to bail them out. For-profit energy companies, like banks, ultimately depend on taxpayers, who are also voters.
Outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who led her nation’s exit from nuclear energy, acknowledged that Germany had been defeated in its anti-nuclear energy advocacy at the European Union level, and that nuclear would finally be recognized as low-carbon.
Donate to Environmental Progress
And French president Emanuel Macron, under pressure from the political right as voters look to elections next year, gave a passionate speech in favor of nuclear energy last month, announcing $35 billion for new reactors.
As the world returns to nuclear, policymakers, media elites, and climate advocates will be increasingly confronted with the question of why consumers and taxpayers will benefit from a global carbon trading scheme and more weather-dependent renewables, particularly at a time of declining global emissions from the continuing transition from coal to natural gas, reduced deforestation, and increased reforestation.
Simply building more nuclear power plants means there is no climate change justification for weather-dependent renewables, which actually require greater use of natural gas, in order to deal with the high amount of unreliability.
Nuclear power goes with slow and patient capital. The obvious funders of a nuclear expansion in the West would be the pension funds, which need the secure return on investment that major construction and infrastructure projects provide, and which unreliable renewables, as the energy crisis shows, do not.
And though the news media is currently ignoring the New York Fed’s report, reporters will not be able to continue spreading misinformation about climate change indefinitely. Increasingly, they, and thus policymakers and the public, will be forced to confront facts inconvenient to their narrative, including that humans are adapting remarkably well to climate change, that renewables make energy unreliable and expensive, and that only nuclear can achieve sustainability goals of reduced emissions, material throughput, and land use.
As people ask, “How Bad Are Weather Disasters?”, not just for banks, but for all of us, the answer will increasingly come back, “Not very.”
A concept image of a GE Hitachi BWRX-300 small modular reactor (SMR), the nuclear technology Ontario Power Generation is using for its new project adjacent to the existing Darlington nuclear plant. (GE-Hitachi)
From Energy Now
Construction will create 18,000 Canadian jobs, add up to $500 million annually to Ontario’s economy and help secure clean, reliable energy
With electricity demand in Ontario set to soar by at least 75 per cent by 2050, the Ontario government has approved Ontario Power Generation’s (OPG) plan to begin construction on the first of four small modular reactors (SMRs) at the Darlington nuclear site. Once complete, this SMR will be the first of its kind in the G7, producing enough reliable, affordable and clean electricity to power the equivalent of 300,000 homes, supporting thousands of good-paying jobs across the province and helping secure Ontario’s energy supply for decades to come.
The construction of the four units will support the government’s plan to protect Ontario’s workers and economy by creating up to 18,000 Canadian jobs and injecting $500 million on average annually into Ontario’s economy. The construction, operation and maintenance of the four units will add $38.5 billion to Canada’s GDP over the next 65 years. The government has worked with OPG to ensure that 80 per cent of project spending goes to Ontario companies and that construction and operations will protect Ontario workers and jobs by sustaining an estimated 3,700 highly-skilled, good-paying jobs for the next 65 years.
“This is a historic day for Canada as we start construction on the first small modular reactor in the G7, creating 18,000 jobs for Canadians,” said Stephen Lecce, Minister of Energy and Mines. “This nation-building project being built right here in Ontario will be led by Canadian workers using Canadian steel, concrete and materials to help deliver the extraordinary amount of reliable and clean power we will need to deliver on our ambitious plan to protect Ontario and unleash our economy.”
The BWRX-300 is a small-scale nuclear reactor that uses commercially available uranium to generate power. The four SMRs will be vital to powering new homes, historic investments to build Ontario and fuel a thriving economy. Once complete, they will produce 1,200 megawatts (MW) of electricity, enough to power the equivalent of 1.2 million homes, to help bridge a power gap that could emerge in the early 2030s in the absence of net-new baseload power sources added to the grid.
More than eighty Ontario companies have already signed agreements with OPG to deliver this first-of-a-kind project, establishing themselves as leaders in the growing domestic and global markets for new nuclear technologies. The government has also negotiated additional commitments from GE Hitachi that will create jobs in Ontario, that will soon be unveiled.
Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) concluded that the Darlington New Nuclear Project is the best option to meet growing demand in terms of costs and risks, when compared against non-emitting generation alternatives. This, combined with OPG’s outstanding track-record on the Darlington Refurbishment Project, factored into the government’s decision to support the Darlington New Nuclear Project.
Within Canada, the Ontario government and OPG are collaborating with power companies in Alberta, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick as they work towards the deployment of SMRs in their jurisdictions. Around the world, the government has helped secure job-creating agreements that deploy Made-In-Ontario components to build SMR’s for the world.
Advancing construction on the Darlington New Nuclear Project SMRs is just one part of Ontario’s Affordable Energy Future, the government’s vision as it plans for rising energy demand.
Quick Facts
- The government is supporting OPG’s $20.9 billion budget for the Darlington New Nuclear Project, which includes site preparation, engineering and design work to date, as well as the construction of all four small modular reactors.
- During project development OPG will continue to build respectful, collaborative relationships with the communities of the Williams Treaties First Nations, while pursuing potential opportunities for their equity partnership in the project. This would be a first-of-its-kind partnership in Canada for nuclear energy generation, reflecting the government and OPG’s commitment to ensure local First Nations benefit from new projects in their territories.
- Once complete, the Darlington New Nuclear Projects four SMRs will produce 1,200 megawatts (MW) of electricity, enough to power 1.2 million homes.
- According to the IESO, the province would need to build up to 8,900 MW of wind and solar paired with battery storage to replace the output of four SMRs. The IESO also concluded this alternative approach would carry significant risks including significant land requirements and the need for large scale transmission build out.
- The first SMR will cost $6.1 billion, along with costs for systems and services common to all four SMRs of $1.6 billion. Costs are expected to decline with each subsequent unit as efficiencies are gained, similar to the Darlington Refurbishment Project.
- OPG began site preparation for the first SMR in December 2022. Ontario announced that OPG would begin planning and licensing for three additional SMRs, for a total of four SMRs at the Darlington nuclear site in July 2023. OPG obtained a Licence to Construct (LTC) for Unit 1 from the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) in April 2025.
- To reduce costs the Government of Ontario is exploring potential financial instruments that would benefit ratepayers, and in parallel, OPG continues to explore other optimal financing arrangements.
Quotes
“This is a proud achievement for Ontario – this small modular reactor project is not only powering our future, it is driving real results for our economy. With thousands of good-paying jobs, billions in economic impact, and made-in-Ontario expertise leading the way, we are showing the world what our workers and industries can achieve.”
– Peter Bethlenfalvy
MPP, Pickering-Uxbridge
“The launch of Canada’s first grid-scale small modular reactor at Darlington marks a major milestone for our Province—powering growth, creating jobs, and securing a clean energy future right here in Durham Region. This transformative project will strengthen our Region’s economy, provide long-term careers, and reinforce Durham’s role as a leader in clean nuclear innovation.”
– Lorne Coe
MPP, Whitby, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services, and Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence, and Security
“Today’s announcement is the next step to strengthening Ontario and Canada’s energy security while supporting thousands of good-paying jobs for workers in the region. Once complete, this SMR will be the first of its kind in the G7, delivering clean reliable and affordable electricity to homes and businesses.”
– Todd McCarthy
MPP, Durham
“As the first mover on SMRs, this made-in-Ontario project will create jobs for the province’s workers, contracts for Ontario’s booming supply chain, and showcase our capabilities and expertise to the world to further grow our domestic industry while strengthening Canada’s energy security. As we saw through the refurbishment project, building a fleet of SMRs with the support of Ontario’s strong nuclear supply chain will provide further opportunities to learn, identify efficiencies, and expand the supply chain. All of this invaluable, irreplaceable experience will prepare us to take on the next large nuclear project.”
– Nicolle Butcher
President and Chief Executive Officer, OPG
“This is a proud moment for GE Vernova Hitachi and Ontario as we move from vision to reality with construction of the G7’s first SMR, the BWRX-300. With dozens of Ontario-based suppliers contributing to this project, we’re not just building a reactor—we’re generating thousands of good-paying jobs, driving investment into communities across the province, and reinforcing Ontario’s global leadership in clean energy technology. That leadership is already opening doors to international export opportunities for Ontario companies, helping position our province as a global hub for next-generation nuclear innovation. GE has been part of Canada’s nuclear story from the very beginning, and we’re honoured to carry that legacy forward by delivering a made-in-Ontario solution that strengthens our economy and powers our future.”
– Lisa McBride
Country Leader, GE Vernova Hitachi SMR Canada
“Clarington is excited to team up with the Ontario Government and OPG to advance new nuclear technology. As we host the first SMR in the G7, we’re paving the way for clean energy that will benefit everyone. Our leadership in this global nuclear renaissance is thrilling. The Darlington SMR project promises thousands of jobs during construction and hundreds more during operations, boosting economic growth and job creation in Clarington now and in the future.”
– Adrian Foster
Mayor, Clarington
“The Ontario Government’s approval of OPG’s small modular reactor project at Darlington represents a major milestone in the province’s clean energy strategy. This project will deliver long-term economic and environmental benefits across Ontario, including thousands of skilled jobs and a reliable, low-carbon power supply. We commend the Province for its continued commitment to investing in innovative and future-focused energy solutions.”
– Olena Hankivsky
Mayor, Municipality of Port Hope
“I am excited to be part of this historic announcement. Haldimand County looks forward to working with Minister Lecce on bringing clean energy to Ontario, thousands of jobs and millions of dollars annually into Ontario’s Economy.”
– Shelley Ann Bentley
Mayor, Haldimand County
“The Township of St. Clair recognizes the very real impacts the projected shortage of power will have not only in our municipality, but also province-wide. That is why the Ontario Government’s announcement today authorizing the construction of the first of four small modular reactors at the Darlington nuclear site is very exciting.”
– Jeff Agar
Mayor, Township of St. Clair
“The Government of Ontario’s approval for OPG to begin construction on its trailblazing Darlington New Nuclear Project is leading the way in delivering the next generation of nuclear plants across North America and internationally. Aecon is proud to bring its diverse nuclear expertise and multidisciplinary capabilities to play a prominent role in safely executing this exciting project to meet the energy demands of future generations in Ontario.”
– Jean-Louis Servranckx
President and Chief Executive Officer, Aecon Group Inc.
“This is an exciting day for Clarington, Durham Region, and Canada. Being home to the first site globally to start construction on SMRs demonstrates the leadership role that our region plays in the new nuclear sector. This is a monumental step forward by the Ontario Government for energy security and availability in Canada. Congratulations to OPG on this milestone.”
– John Henry
Regional Chair and Chief Executive Officer, Regional Municipality of Durham
“Ontario’s SMR project builds on Ontario’s clean energy advantage by putting Ontario at the forefront of clean energy knowledge and technology that can be exported around the world. The OEA supports the Ontario Government’s plan to make the Province a world leader in nuclear energy and maintain nuclear power as a core element of Ontario’s clean affordable energy sector.”
– Vince Brescia
President and Chief Executive Officer, Ontario Energy Association
“Today’s announcement by the Government of Ontario turns vision into reality for the Province’s clean energy future. The construction of the Darlington New Nuclear Project will deliver clean, reliable power that our economy needs to thrive, while driving innovation, investment, and good-paying jobs across the province. By deploying the first grid-scale SMR in the G7, Ontario is cementing its place as a global nuclear leader and an emerging energy superpower.”
– Giles Gherson
President and Chief Executive Officer, Toronto Region Board of Trade
“The start of construction on this SMR is a meaningful step forward for Ontario and for Canada. It reflects what can be accomplished through strong leadership, technical excellence, and a clear vision for the future. It also carries real opportunity—for Indigenous-owned businesses to be part of critical infrastructure projects in ways that create long-term impact. We’re proud to support OPG in this work and to stand alongside other supply chain partners helping to drive this project forward.”
– Clint Keeler
President, Voyageur Services Limited
“This historic milestone by the Government of Ontario is not only a bold step forward in clean energy innovation, but a powerful demonstration of how local businesses can directly contribute to—and benefit from—nation-leading projects. We are proud to see so many Clarington businesses directly support the construction of the first SMR. We commend OPG and the Provincial Government for their commitment to local economic development and for working with Ontario-based suppliers. Their leadership sets the tone for what’s possible when industry and community work together to power our future.”
– Bonnie Wrightman
Executive Director, Clarington Board of Trade
“Ontario’s historic investment in small modular reactors is a powerful statement of confidence in our province’s skilled workforce and energy future. The Darlington SMR project not only secures clean, reliable power for generations, it creates thousands of good-paying jobs and reinforces our position as a global leader in nuclear innovation. LiUNA members are proud to be at the forefront of this transformative project, building the infrastructure that powers our economy, strengthens our communities, and ensures prosperity for working families across Ontario.”
– Joseph Mancinelli
International Vice President, Canadian Director, Labourers’ International Union of North America (LiUNA)
“The Ontario Building Trades and Helmets to Hardhats Canada proudly support the Ontario Government’s development of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) as a key part of Canada’s clean energy future. The construction of SMRs offers prosperous careers for Building Trades workers including Canada’s veterans transitioning to civilian life. We stand ready to help build this next generation of nuclear technology safely, efficiently, and with the highest standards of craftsmanship.”
– James Hogarth
President, Provincial Building and Construction Trades Council of Ontario
“To begin construction on the SMR’s at Darlington amidst significant global uncertainty makes it crystal clear that Ontario is not about to hit the pause button or sit on the sidelines and wait. Rather at this pivotal time OPG and the Province are showing their commitment to ensuring that Ontario remains a front runner in clean, reliable baseload power production. At a time when we need to invest in our own energy security, and in the very men and women who power our great province… the government is doing just that in creating jobs, creating clean power, and creating the supply chain that will position us to showcase our world leading nuclear expertise. The International Brotherhood of Boilermakers congratulates OPG, the vendor partners, and the Ontario Government on their announcement to begin the construction phase of North America’s first grid-sized SMR.”
– Jonathan White
Director, International Brotherhood of Boilermakers
“The power sector labour market partners have negotiated a 5-year agreement that will provide the labour relations stability to make this historic project by the Ontario Government and OPG a success.”
– Alex Lolua
General Manager, Electrical Power Systems Construction Association
“As the union representing the professionals who operate Ontario’s nuclear facilities, the Society of United Professionals is glad to see the Government of Ontario’s approval for the construction of the Darlington Small Modular Reactor. Projects like this will mean more good quality, union jobs that you can raise a family on and support our communities. To electrify our economy, meet our long-term clean energy needs, and achieve Canada’s energy independence we will need SMRs to complement our large-scale CANDU nuclear facilities to power our future.”
– Rebecca Caron
President, Society of United Professionals
“Today marks a major step forward for Canada’s clean energy future. The start of construction on the first grid-scale small modular reactor in the G7 is a clear signal that Ontario is serious about decarbonization, energy security, economic growth and international opportunities. With a strong domestic supply chain and world-class expertise, our industry is ready to deliver, bringing clean, reliable power to more Canadians while supporting good jobs and local communities.”
– George Christidis
Interim President and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Nuclear Association
“Salit Steel is proud to play a role in this landmark clean energy project. As a Canadian, family-owned company with over 120 years of experience in the steel industry, we are deeply committed to supporting nation-building infrastructure. We’re honoured to contribute our reinforcing steel expertise to a made-in-Ontario solution that will power homes, create good-paying local jobs, and position Canada as a global leader in nuclear innovation. This project by the Ontario Government and OPG is a pivotal step toward a cleaner, more sustainable energy future, and we’re proud to help build its foundation.”
– Steven Cohen
Owner, Salit Steel
“Small modular reactors are pivotal to Ontario’s clean energy and economic future. Ontario Tech University is pleased to see the commencement of construction on the first of four SMRs begin at Darlington. As the home of Canada’s only accredited undergraduate nuclear engineering program, we are dedicated to training the next generation of nuclear industry talent from entry to expert. Our students are uniquely positioned to support these investments and will drive innovation and lead the future of clean energy right here in Durham Region.”
– Dr. Steven Murphy
President and Vice-Chancellor, Ontario Tech University
“The Ontario Chamber has long advocated for investments in diverse forms of clean energy — including SMRs — to help meet electricity demand for a growing economy. Today’s announcement – and its exciting opportunities for Ontario companies – supports our businesses and workers, positions Ontario as a global nuclear innovation leader, and helps ensure clean, reliable and affordable energy to power our future.”
– Daniel Tisch
President and Chief Executive Officer, Ontario Chamber of Commerce
“The IBEW Local Union 353 appreciates all the continued hard work and support by the Ontario Government – we maintain the growth in developing education programs that support our members in preserving the quality of work that our customers expect. The experience with our members and contractors that we have gained over the last 10 years together has helped us to build valued partnerships and expand community outreach programs that are building our province.”
– Salvatore Maltese
Business Rep, IBEW Local Union 353
“BWXT applauds the leadership shown by the Ontario government and OPG to secure the economic and environmental future of Ontario through this historic nuclear energy project. Our team is now manufacturing the first reactor pressure vessel for Darlington and we proudly embrace our role as a key partner to the Canadian nuclear industry.”
– John MacQuarrie
President, Commercial Operations, BWXT
From the Frontier Centre for Public Policy
Without infrastructure, Canada is losing billions while the U.S. cashes in on our oil and gas
Canada’s energy wealth is stuck in traffic, and our American neighbours are cashing in. It’s worse than that. Canada is bleeding millions of dollars daily because it lacks the infrastructure to export its natural resources efficiently.
While our oil and gas continue to flow—mainly to the United States—provinces like Alberta and British Columbia are forced to sell at steep discounts. This isn’t just an economic inefficiency; it’s a structural failure of national policy. The beneficiaries? American businesses and their governments which pocket the profits and tax revenues that should be circulating through the Canadian economy. This is no way to achieve economic sovereignty for Canada.
With U.S. interests reaping the rewards, this should have been a central talking point when Prime Minister Carney met with President Trump earlier this month.
Ottawa often offers the recent completion of the Trans Mountain Expansion (TMX) pipeline as an example of federal support for the energy sector. But such claims are misleading. Kinder Morgan, a private enterprise, had initially planned to build the extension without a penny from taxpayers. It withdrew only after being crippled by federal regulatory delays and political uncertainty.
Ottawa stepped in not as a benevolent saviour to help Albertans, but to prevent lawsuits and save face—ultimately overpaying for the pipeline and watching construction costs balloon to nearly six times the original estimate.
To now declare this bungled project a “gift” to Alberta, as a recent op-ed in the Toronto Star did, is not only tone-deaf: it’s an insult. It ignores the fact that Alberta’s taxpayers helped finance the very project Ottawa botched. It also reveals an astonishing lack of understanding of the historical, economic and political dynamics at play between Ottawa and Western Canada.
The tragedy is that TMX, despite its importance, is insufficient. Our infrastructure bottlenecks remain. With each passing day, Canada forfeits wealth that could fund essential improvements in health care, education and national defence.
According to the Frontier Centre for Public Policy, which has developed a real-time tracker to monitor these losses, the price differential between what we could earn on global markets versus what we settle for domestically adds up to $26.5 billion annually.
Ottawa’s reluctance to greenlight new infrastructure is a primary cause of this problem. Ironically, the losses from this reluctance in a single year would be enough to pay for another TMX, mismanaged or not. The solution lies in a national commitment to building utility corridors: designated routes that facilitate the movement of energy, goods and services unhindered across provincial boundaries.
Carney’s recent promise to remove all interprovincial trade barriers by July 1 is a nice soundbite. But unless it includes meaningful infrastructure commitments, it is bound to fail like every other rhetorical flourish before it.
Canadians should be rightly skeptical. After all, what Ottawa has failed to achieve in the 157 years since Confederation is unlikely to be accomplished in the next 60 days.
The political math doesn’t help either. The Bloc Québécois holds the balance of power in the 45th Parliament, and its obstructionist stance on national pipeline development ensures the advent of more gridlock, not less. The federal government continues to uphold Bill C-69—dubbed the “no-pipelines bill”—further entrenching the status quo.
Meanwhile, Canada remains in the absurd position of relying on U.S. infrastructure to transport oil from the West to Ontario and Quebec. This undermines our economic independence, energy security and national sovereignty. No amount of “elbows up” will correct this enormous gap.
If the prime minister is serious about transforming Canada’s economic landscape and making the country strong, he must bypass the Bloc by cooperating with the Official Opposition. A grand bargain focused on utility corridors, interprovincial infrastructure and national trade efficiency would serve Alberta, Saskatchewan, and every Canadian who depends on a strong and self-reliant economy.
The stakes are high. We need a more productive country to face challenges within Canada and from abroad. Billions in lost revenue could fund new hospitals, more schools and better military readiness.
Instead, along with the limited exports of oil and gas, we’re exporting great opportunities to middlemen—and greater economic strength—south of the border.
The path forward is clear. A strong, self-reliant Canada needs infrastructure. It needs corridors. It needs leadership.
Marco Navarro-Genie is the vice president of research at the Frontier Centre for Public Policy. He is coauthor, with Barry Cooper, of Canada’s COVID: The Story of a Pandemic Moral Panic (2023).
Inside B.C.’s Cultus Lake Narco Corridor — How Chinese State-Linked Syndicates are Building a Narco Empire in Canada
Saudi oil pivot could shake global markets and hit Alberta hard
The Responsible Lie: How AI Sells Conviction Without Truth
US Government ADMITS It Approved Pfizer’s COVID “Vaccine” Despite Knowing About a Long List of Trial Violations
-
Energy2 days agoOil tankers in Vancouver are loading plenty, but they can load even more
-
Alberta2 days agoEnergy projects occupy less than three per cent of Alberta’s oil sands region, report says
-
Alberta2 days agoCharges laid in record cocaine seizure
-
Energy2 days agoCarney’s energy superpower rhetoric falls flat without policy certainty
-
conflict2 days agoWATCH: U.S. ending bombing campaign on Yemeni militant group
-
Crime2 days agoPam Bondi Reveals What The Holdup Is With Epstein File Release
-
Business1 day agoInnovative Solutions Like This Plan To Provide Power For Data Centres Will Drive Natural Gas Demand For Decades
-
Business13 hours agoTrump announces UK will fast-track American products under new deal