WESLEYVILLE NUCLEAR PROJECT: DO WE HAVE A SAY?

The proposed Wesleyville nuclear project could change Port Hope for generations. It could bring significant benefits, but it could also place enormous pressure on our community, environment and our way of life.

We still cannot know whether the benefits outweigh the consequences. What we do know is that the project is not a done deal, Port Hope is not powerless, and this is not the time to sit back and wait.

BACKGROUND

In November 2024, the Province of Ontario directed Ontario Power Generation (OPG) to assess Wesleyville as a potential site for new nuclear generation. In January 2025, the Province asked OPG to work with the Municipality of Port Hope and the Michi Saagiig First Nations to explore the possibility more fully.

The Michi Saagiig First Nations have agreed to participate in exploring and assessing the proposal through their own separate process.

The proposal could involve up to 10,000 megawatts of nuclear generation on OPG’s 1,300-acre Wesleyville property. If developed to that capacity, it could become the world's largest nuclear generating station. The property is about 10 kms west of the Schnitzel Shack.

In December 2025, OPG submitted its initial project description to the federal government.

On February 12, 2026, the Municipality of Port Hope and OPG signed a Memorandum of Understanding. This is not a Host Municipal Agreement and does not commit Port Hope to accepting the project.

Under that agreement, OPG has already provided $4.5 million in early growth readiness funding. This includes $4 million for assessment and planning work and $500,000 for related municipal staffing.

OPG has also identified up to $30 million in possible milestone-based funding for Port Hope as part of a future Host Municipal Agreement. The amount provided would depend on the technology, size and scope of the proposed development. OPG has not published the individual milestones, payment amounts or payment schedule.

OPG has separately projected that an operating facility could eventually produce $10.5 million a year in municipal revenue. That annual revenue would depend upon the project being approved, built and operating.

OPG says construction could begin in the early 2030s and continue into the mid 2040s. The first generating units would not be expected to enter service until the early to mid 2040s.

WHERE ARE WE NOW?

The project is now in the federal impact assessment process.

In July 2026, the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada issued its final guidelines. These guidelines identify the studies, information, public engagement and assessment work OPG must complete.

We are still near the beginning of a long process. The studies are not complete. The technology has not been selected. The final design has not been determined. Regulatory approvals have not been granted, and Port Hope has not signed a Host Municipal Agreement.

IS IT WORTH IT?

That is the question Port Hope must answer.

The potential benefits include jobs, opportunities for local businesses, infrastructure investment, municipal tax revenue, and long-term economic growth.

The potential consequences include pressure on housing, roads, water, wastewater, policing, fire protection, emergency services and municipal finances. We must also understand the possible effects on Lake Ontario, groundwater, farmland, wildlife, our rural community and the character of our heritage town.

A construction project lasting many years could bring a large temporary workforce into the community, major traffic volumes and disruption. We need to know where people will live, what municipal services will be required, who will pay for them and what happens when construction employment declines.

At this stage, we do not have enough reliable information to decide whether the benefits outweigh the consequences. But this is not the time to sit back and wait.

WHAT DOES PORT HOPE NEED TO KNOW?

Port Hope needs independent and credible information about:

• The effects on Lake Ontario, groundwater, farmland, wildlife and the Ganaraska River watershed.
• The effects on our heritage town, rural community and quality of life.
• Housing requirements for the temporary and permanent workforce.
• The capacity and cost of roads, water, wastewater, policing, fire protection, emergency planning and other municipal services.
• The number and types of jobs that would actually go to Port Hope residents.
• Opportunities for local businesses, agriculture, training and long-term economic development.
• The full financial arrangement, including who will pay for infrastructure, municipal operating costs and any lasting consequences.
• Safety, emergency response and evacuation planning.
• What will happen when the construction phase ends?

IS IT A DONE DEAL?

You may hear from members of Council, friends, neighbours or other people you trust that Wesleyville is already a done deal, or that the decision is entirely out of our hands.

IT IS NOT.

Port Hope has agreed to explore the possibility of new nuclear generation at Wesleyville. It has not agreed to host a nuclear generating station.

The Province says Ontario needs this project. Port Hope does not need the potentially largest nuclear generating station in the world in our backyard to have a successful future.

The Province needs Port Hope more than Port Hope needs this project. That gives our community influence, and we must use it wisely.

HOW PORT HOPE HAS A SAY

Port Hope does not have sole control over the final decision. No single participant does.

The Province directs energy policy. OPG proposes the project. Federal agencies conduct the impact assessment. The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission makes licensing decisions. The Michi Saagiig First Nations participate through their own process and exercise their constitutionally protected rights.

But Port Hope does have significant influence.

• Residents can submit comments, concerns and evidence during the federal impact assessment and future regulatory proceedings.
• The Municipality can commission independent studies and place Port Hope’s concerns and required protections before federal and provincial decision-makers.
• Council will decide whether Port Hope signs a future Host Municipal Agreement with OPG.
• Port Hope can establish the conditions that would have to be met before the Municipality considers becoming a willing host.
• Port Hope can negotiate funding for infrastructure, roads, water, wastewater, emergency services, housing measures and other community needs.
• Residents elect the Mayor and Council who will establish Port Hope’s position and negotiate on the community’s behalf.
• OPG and the Municipality have both stated that the project requires a willing host community.

We do not have sole control, but we are not spectators. Port Hope will decide whether it is willing to host this project and what conditions must be met. No matter what anyone tells you, we have a say, and we must use it.

WHAT I WILL DO AS MAYOR

I will ask Council to establish and fund an independent, resident-led Community Advisory Committee. Its role will be to listen to residents, gather concerns and ideas, examine the potential benefits and consequences, and report its findings publicly.

I will insist that the concerns of residents in both Ward 1 and Ward 2 are heard, acknowledged and addressed by federal and provincial decision-makers.

The Mayor and Council will report publicly on those communications. A dedicated municipal webpage will provide information about meetings, discussions, reports, studies, upcoming events and significant decisions.

I will ensure that residents can see how the $4.5 million is spent, what work is completed and what results are produced. If additional studies, expertise or planning are required, I will seek additional funding from OPG rather than placing those costs on Port Hope taxpayers.

I will not be taking a position on the project until the facts are known and the community has been fully heard. My responsibility as Mayor will be to listen to all sides, insist on credible information and represent Port Hope’s interests clearly and persistently.

Port Hope has a future with Wesleyville, and Port Hope has a future without it.

Whatever happens at Wesleyville, our future will be shaped by us, the people who live here.