Interview With Premier Of Ontario, Canada Doug Ford

In This Interview, The Premier Of Ontario Discusses The Province’s Significant Commitment To Advancing And Sharing The Extraordinary Benefits Of Nuclear Energy With Citizens Around The World, Both In Industrial And Medical Fields.

A TRUE VISIONARY AND A LEADER WHO TURNS IDEAS INTO REALITY.

Ontario announced an investment of $40 million dollars to help companies and bio manufacturers to innovate and develop the life saving medicines and technologies of tomorrow. How does an investment like this showcase Ontario’s place in the life sciences sector?

“Ontario’s life sciences sector is a key economic driver, employing over 72,000 people in good-paying jobs with annual exports exceeding $12 billion dollars. We are an economic powerhouse, and we need to continue to create the conditions to attract new investments across the province.

Our $40 million dollar investment through the Venture Ontario Fund supports our life sciences companies and bio manufacturers to innovate, grow, and compete in global markets. We want to continue leading the way in creating life-saving medicines and build our competitive economic advantage through our Venture Ontario Fund that allows businesses to succeed in the global marketplace.” – Premier of Ontario, Doug Ford

The province of Ontario has become a major supplier worldwide for one of the major radioisotopes used for patients. What’s Ontario’s plan for the production of medical isotopes? What do you hope to see from the expansion of isotope production?

“I’m proud to support the expansion of nuclear power, which will bring safe, reliable, and affordable energy, along with cutting-edge cancer treatments, to families across Ontario. We want Ontario to be a place where medical breakthroughs and innovative life-saving products are developed to benefit the future of healthcare.

The reactors at Darlington, Bruce, and Pickering can be a long-term source of medical isotopes that can help save lives in Ontario and around the world. Bruce Power was the first commercial power reactor in the world to produce lutetium-177, putting Ontario on the map as a global leader in the production of cancer-fighting medical isotopes. We are filling the gap in the global shortage of isotopes and we hope Ontario will become more self- sufficient so we can connect people to the care they need, when they need it.” – Premier of Ontario, Doug Ford

The province of Ontario has become a major supplier worldwide for one of the major radioisotopes used for patients. What’s Ontario’s plan for the production of medical isotopes? What do you hope to see from the expansion of isotope production?

“We can see how nuclear energy plays a role in life- saving technology for people across Ontario and the entire world at the intersection of medicine. As someone whose family has been affected by cancer, it is unbelievable to learn that more than 40 million medical procedures each year use nuclear isotopes. Also, Ontario produces roughly 50% of the world’s supply of Cobalt-60. And we will soon be making several other isotopes that can directly treat these types of diseases. We have an ambition as a province to scale up that percentage as we want to continue helping patients worldwide in this space.” – Minister of Energy and Electrification, Stephen Lecce.

What is your government doing to bring the future of nuclear energy to Ontario?

Energy demand is growing exponentially over the next 20 to 30 years. Under Premier Ford’s leadership, our government is stepping up to ensure Ontarians have access to clean, reliable and affordable energy sources for the years to come.

We are leading the way on the nuclear front around the world. The world is watching Ontario as we build the first Small Modular Reactors (SMR) in the G7 at Darlington, with three more on the way. We are delivering nuclear refurbishment projects at Pickering and Bruce Power, all on time and on budget. These proposed refurbishments and expansions represent 18,000 megawatts (MW) of power, enough to power 18 million homes.

Part of it is our 65,000 nuclear energy workers, who have the ingenuity and bold ideas that make us the envy of the world.

Weeks into my appointment, I flew to Washington, D.C., for a Canada-U.S. nuclear summit to share our value proposition to the world: that we are your dependable source of affordable and reliable energy, displacing energy resources from authoritarian regimes who do not share our democratic values.

We look forward to expanding our nuclear energy footprint across Ontario and the world to deliver reliable energy to families and businesses.” – Minister of Energy and Electrification, Stephen Lecce