Canada’s Major Projects Office (MPO) has announced the first projects to be reviewed under its new mandate, including the Darlington New Nuclear Project in Bowmanville.
The project will make Canada the first G7 country to operate a small modular reactor, providing clean, reliable power to 300,000 homes and supporting 3,700 ongoing jobs, with 18,000 construction jobs during its development. The initiative is expected to inject $500 million annually into Ontario’s nuclear supply chain.
The MPO, established under the Building Canada Act, aims to accelerate nation-building projects by streamlining regulatory assessments, coordinating financing, and facilitating collaboration between federal, provincial, and Indigenous stakeholders. Its “one project, one review” approach seeks to reduce approval timelines for projects of national interest to a maximum of two years.
The Darlington project is designed to advance Canada’s clean energy capacity, commercialize small modular reactor technology, and strengthen the country’s global position in nuclear power. Indigenous communities are engaged as partners, ensuring equity participation and broader economic benefits.
Other projects referred to the MPO include LNG Canada Phase 2, the Contrecœur Terminal Container Project in Québec, and mining expansions in Saskatchewan and British Columbia. Together, these initiatives represent more than $60 billion in investment and are expected to create thousands of high-paying jobs across the country.
The MPO will also support early-stage transformative projects, such as Canada’s first high-speed rail between Toronto and Québec City, carbon capture infrastructure in Alberta, and renewable energy development in Atlantic Canada.
By prioritizing regulatory certainty, financing strategies, and Indigenous partnership, the Major Projects Office aims to build Canada’s infrastructure, empower Canadian workers, and ensure sustainable, long-term economic growth.
(Written by: Joseph Goden)