Support for nuclear refurbishment in Ontario hits 81 per cent

Support for refurbishment of nuclear plants in Ontario has reached 81 per cent, the highest level Bruce Power has recorded since it started public opinion tracking in 2001.

 

“It’s clear the nuclear sector is gaining public support,” says Greg Lyle, managing director, Innovative Research Group, who conducted the most recent polling from Sept.15 to 22. “Support for nuclear refurbishment is at majority levels across every region and demographic group throughout the province."

 

The September poll concludes that 81 per cent of decided Ontarians support refurbishment with over 40 per cent strongly in support, compared to only nine per cent who strongly oppose – a nearly four-to-one ratio.

In terms of geographic support, 79 per cent of individuals in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and 82 per cent outside of the GTA, are supportive, meaning support is consistent across the province.

 

“We never take support for granted and we’ve been working hard to pro-actively present the facts about clean, reliable and low-cost nuclear power on an ongoing basis given the role we play as part of a balanced supply mix,” says James Scongack, Bruce Power’s vice-president of corporate affairs. “When it comes to electricity, people tend to care about three things – high reliability, low cost and keeping the air clean – and nuclear power checks all those boxes.”

 

Since 2001, Bruce Power has conducted public opinion polling to better understand people’s interests and concerns so the company is able to continue to deliver the right information about its business and its industry.

 

The survey was conducted by telephone and included approximately 600 randomly-selected Ontario residents, 18 years of age or older. After weighting a sample of this size, the aggregated results are considered accurate to within ±4.0 per cent, 19 times out of 20.