September 10, 2015 – Bruce Power and the Ontario Building and Construction Trades say they are joining forces through a new collaboration agreement, signaling a “shared commitment to the ongoing role of Bruce Power nuclear in the province and recognizing the strategic importance of the company to thousands of tradespeople”.

Bruce Power and Ontario’s Building and Construction Trades formally signed the Collaboration Agreement in Hamilton earlier this week.

The Bruce site is home to a number of building and construction trades including boilermakers, carpenters, electricians, insulators, ironworkers and rodmen, labourers, millwrights, operating engineers, painters, pipefitters/plumbers, sheet metal and roofers and teamsters.

“The Bruce Power site is a source of thousands of jobs for our members but our relationship goes beyond that as we both share a number of similar strategic goals”, said Patrick Dillon, business manager and secretary treasurer of the Provincial Building and Construction Trades Council of Ontario.

“In order to maintain eight units of operation that currently provide over 30% of Ontario’s electricity at 30% below the average cost of electricity, we will need to continue to work closely together to carry out millions of hours of trades work,” said Duncan Hawthorne, president and CEO of Bruce Power. “This agreement will help lay the groundwork for a successful future for all of us but more importantly builds on the very progressive relationship we have had over the last 14 years”.

The Collaboration Agreement focuses on the following areas:

• Continuing to deliver strong safety performance through the shared value of ‘Safety First.’
• Ensure the necessary availability of skilled trades in the short-, medium- and long-term by promoting recruitment, training and apprenticeships.
• Work together to ensure the successful execution of projects on the site.
• Increase the diversity within the trades with a particular focus on Aboriginal people, women and visible minorities.
• Create opportunities for former military service members to find careers within the skilled trades.
• Ensure nuclear power continues to play an important role as part of the supply mix in the province.