LOOK BACK: Bay of Quinte MPP Todd Smith

Quinte News continues its look back at the year 2023 with Bay of Quinte MPP Todd Smith.

Locally, Smith is reflecting on the year with pride knowing that several promised facilities are being built or are well into the planning stages.

“We’ve seen a lot of progress on long-term care facilities that we had promised to build including a couple in Belleville where steel is actually in the ground now and a number of new schools are being completed. And Prince Edward County, the hospital, the long-awaited hospital, is now out for tender.”

Smith adds progress is being made on improving frontline healthcare and primary healthcare, and funding for the homelessness prevention program has been significantly increased in Prince Edward County and Hastings-Lennox & Addington.

Smith also calls it a historic year for the province’s Ministry of Energy.

Smith, who has served as Energy Minister since 2021, says electricity demand has grown in the province for the first time in almost 20 years.

“And that’s because of the investments that we’ve seen in EV battery plants and electric vehicle manufacturing platforms and electric arc furnaces and just electrification in general.”

Smith says they’re also planning new big nuclear builds for the first time in 30 years including 4,800 megawatts at Bruce Power on Lake Huron and four Small Modular Reactors that will be built at the Darlington site.

He says Ontario is leading the western world when it comes to SMR development.

“Though it’s given me an opportunity to work with countries around the world and other provinces and states that are looking at becoming nuclear jurisdictions and looking to Ontario for our expertise and helping them do what we’ve already done and that’s phase out coal.”

Construction has begun on the SMR development that will be ready in 2028 or 2029.