The Provincial Building and Construction Trades Council of Ontario reinforced its support for the upcoming Bruce Power refurbishment project at its recent annual conference in Hamilton.
“Bruce Power is committed to working with manufacturers, contractors, building trades unions and community partners to continue providing safe, reliable and affordable electricity to Ontario’s homes and businesses,” trades council business manager Patrick Dillon said in a news release. “The long-term annual economic impact of anticipated refurbishments at the Bruce Power nuclear facility will result in 22,000 jobs and $4 billion in economic benefits through direct and indirect spending on operational equipment, supplies, materials and labour income. These benefits will have a major impact on training our province’s skilled trades workforce.”
The Building Trades Council also declared it will support maintaining Bruce Power as an eight-unit site for decades to come during the Ministry of Energy’s Long-Term Energy Plan review this fall. The council will also continue working with Bruce Power to supply the skilled labour that is needed for upcoming refurbishments at the facility, slated to begin in Unit 6 in 2020. It will also work with its affiliates to develop apprenticeship opportunities for people who live in the vicinity of the Bruce site, with a special focus on indigenous communities, Dillon said.
Mike Rencheck, Bruce Power’s president and CEO, who spoke at the organization’s conference, said these important relationships will be crucial to maintaining Bruce Power’s role as a safe provider of clean, reliable, low-cost electricity from its eight-unit site for generations.
“Once our refurbishment program begins we will be counting on members of the Provincial Building and Construction Trades Council of Ontario to treat this project as their own, to show pride in the innovative work they do, and help us complete this project safely, and on time and budget,” Rencheck said. “To see the organization reinforce its support for the long-term health of Bruce Power is very encouraging. We look forward to many more years of collaboration.”