YES TO NUCLEAR, NO TO FEAR

I am a 26-year-old Canadian citizen who represents a generation that has nearly given up. After reading this comment section, almost every problem we face as young people was explained to me today: we have a loud minority, ignorant of the cost their actions will have against future generations. They are driven by fear and use their voices and votes to shut down things they clearly have no understanding of.

Nuclear energy is not the 'scary unknown science' it was when your generation was introduced to it. We have come a long way since the days of nuclear test sites and pop-culture tropes of mushroom clouds. Nuclear energy is not free of risk—no technology is—but its risks are known and measured.

To put it in perspective, the mortality rate per terawatt-hour of electricity produced is roughly 24.6 for coal, while nuclear sits at a mere 0.03. Here in Ontario, facilities like Darlington and Bruce Power have operated for decades with such a high safety standard that the radiation dose to a nearby resident is less than what you’d get from eating a few bananas.

These plants aren't just safe; they are the backbone of our economy, providing stable, low-carbon power and thousands of high-quality jobs for my generation. The challenge is not to dismiss fear, but to meet it with a debate held in good faith.