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The loudest echo chambers in Canada’s infrastructure debate have long been driven by ideology. They insist large-scale projects inevitably mean delay, dysfunction and runaway costs. They argue ambition should be restrained and progress slowed.

Ontario’s nuclear performance tells a different story.

Driven by cutting-edge, innovative tooling, disciplined project management and hundreds of thousands of hours of safe, highly skilled labour, Bruce Power has successfully completed the construction phase of its Unit 3 Major Component Replacement (MCR) project, on budget and ahead of schedule. That milestone is not incidental. It is the product of a workforce that understands precision, accountability and the responsibility of delivering critical infrastructure that powers millions of homes and businesses.

At Ontario Power Generation’s Darlington Nuclear Generating Station, the four-unit Darlington Refurbishment project has now completed construction, a defining achievement in Canada’s energy history. With the final unit set to return to service in the coming weeks, the overall project stands four months ahead of schedule and $150 million under budget. This disciplined execution secures more than 3,500 megawatts of clean, reliable and affordable baseload power, energy that will anchor Ontario’s electrified growth, advanced manufacturing expansion and economic competitiveness for decades to come.

Nuclear refurbishment is not routine construction. It is among the most technically demanding forms of infrastructure delivery in the world. Outage windows are fixed. Regulatory oversight is relentless. Sequencing is unforgiving. The margin for error is effectively zero. Delivering in that environment requires elite skilled trades, disciplined governance, stable supply chains and a safety culture that is embedded — not imposed.

Ontario’s success is not accidental. It is structural.

Thousands of dedicated, skilled workers, including LIUNA members and our building trades partners brought the training, productivity and accountability required to perform at the highest level inside the plants. But nuclear success extends well beyond reactor walls.

Our members build and maintain the civil infrastructure that allows nuclear generation to function and expand: heavy roadworks that move oversized components safely; watermain and sewer systems that support plant operations and surrounding communities; concrete foundations and site servicing required for refurbishment and new builds; utilities, grid connections and enabling works that make next-generation reactors possible. Nuclear excellence is supported by an ecosystem of infrastructure. That ecosystem is union-built.

When labour is treated as a strategic partner rather than a cost centre, risk declines and productivity rises. Years of investment in apprenticeship systems, joint labour-management planning and strong collective agreements have ensured Ontario has the workforce capacity to deliver both highly specialized nuclear work and the surrounding infrastructure that sustains it.

Employer discipline has been equally critical. Nuclear operators and contractors committed to long-term workforce planning and rigorous project controls, not short-term cost cutting. That alignment shows up in outcomes.

Government clarity has also mattered. Under the leadership of the Government of Ontario, and with energy direction from Minister of Energy and Mines Stephen Lecce, Ontario has treated energy security as an economic priority. Stable policy signals allow labour, employers and supply chains to plan years in advance, and infrastructure performs best when planning horizons are long.

Refurbishment is only part of the story.

Ontario is advancing the first grid-scale small modular reactor in the G7 at Darlington, positioning the province as a global leader in next-generation nuclear technology. Refurbishment of the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station will secure tens of thousands of jobs and extend clean, reliable baseload power for decades. These projects anchor Ontario’s energy sovereignty and industrial competitiveness.

The economic impact radiates outward. Nuclear refurbishment and expansion support thousands of direct construction jobs and tens of thousands more across engineering, manufacturing, transportation and small businesses. Reliable, emissions-free baseload power underpins Ontario’s electrifying economy, from EV production and advanced manufacturing to data centres, transit systems and housing growth. None of it scales without dependable electricity and the infrastructure networks that deliver it.

Equally important is meaningful Indigenous participation embedded directly into project frameworks. Equity partnerships, procurement access and workforce pathways ensure reconciliation is tied to enduring economic opportunity.

Ontario’s nuclear performance offers a broader lesson. Infrastructure does not fail because it is ambitious. It fails when planning is weak, partnerships are fractured and policy direction is inconsistent. When skilled labour is respected, employers invest in workforce development, Indigenous communities share in prosperity and government provides clarity, major projects perform.

LIUNA remains a strong proponent of an all-of-the-above energy approach. This model of success should not stop at nuclear. ÌýIt should define how we deliver transmission expansion, housing supply, pipelines, grid modernization, water systems and critical mineral development. Energy projects do not exist in isolation. They are supported by the roads, utilities and civil networks our members build every day.

Ontario’s nuclear achievements are not ideological. They are empirical. They are measurable. They are repeatable.

And when Ontario builds together, it leads.

Victoria Mancinelli is the director of public relations, marketing and strategic partnershipsÌýfor the Labourers International Union of North America. Send Industry Perspectives Op-Ed comments and column ideas toÌýeditor@dailycommercialnews.com.