New Nuclear at Wesleyville Project
Impact Assessment Agency of Canada
February 10, 2026
RE: Consultation on New Nuclear at Wesleyville Project
To whom it may concern,
Nuclear energy has no place in any plan to mitigate climate change when cleaner and cheaper alternatives already exist. The federal government must stop pouring billions of dollars into the nuclear industry and instead redirect investments towards smarter, proven solutions.
Nuclear fails on many grounds, including economics. Nuclear technology is capital intensive. New nuclear is already far more expensive than proven renewable energy sources like wind and solar, and there is no guarantee these nuclear experiments will ever generate electricity safely and affordably. The Darlington OPG project has already
experienced huge cost overruns and it has not yet broken ground. The price tag has soared from the initial cost estimate of $7.7 to $21 billion.
I urge that all energy investments be measured on the same set of metrics. Every investment should be assessed by asking three key questions:
1) For every dollar invested, how many tonnes of greenhouse gases are avoided?
2) For every dollar invested, how many jobs are created?
3) What is the effective timeline from initial funding to achieving results?
Using these metrics, nuclear will always finish at the bottom of any hierarchy of energy investments. The winners, every time, will be investments in retrofitting buildings for energy efficiency and investments in renewable energy.
Apart from the economic argument, there remains the issue of nuclear waste. The federal government does not have an effective plan to deal with radioactive waste. The proposed Near Surface Disposal Facility in Chalk River and the Deep Geological Repository in Ignace are deeply problematic projects that have not properly consulted with affected First Nations. The true environmental and health impacts of these disposal sites have not been adequately studied, especially for the significant length of time nuclear waste remains radioactive. Canada has a legal obligation to ensure Free, Prior and Informed Consent of Indigenous people.
The 2022 World Nuclear Industry Status Report states that the development of nuclear energy is too slow to address the climate crisis. Nuclear power creates fewer jobs than renewable energy, such as solar, wind, district energy, and geothermal. These energy alternatives are cheaper, faster to deploy and more readily available. This is where
Canada should be making investments.
In the words of critic Fred Knelman, nuclear was a “future technology whose time has passed.” I urge you to stop investing in an industry whose time has passed. There are better energy alternatives for Canada to tackle the climate emergency. Canada is wasting time that must be spent urgently on genuine climate action. The federal government must redirect funding away from nuclear technology and towards renewable energy for the sake of all Canadians, and for future generations.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth May, O.C.
Member of Parliament
Saanich-Gulf Islands
Leader of the Green Party of Canada