After being shuffled from Minister of Energy to Minister of Education, MPP Todd Smith received a lot of interesting offers from the energy sector and shortly thereafter resigned as an elected official to accept the job offer from Candu Energy Inc. to work as their Vice-President of Marketing and Business Development.
Candu Energy is a subsidiary of AtkinsRéalis (formerly SNC-Lavalin Inc.) which specializes in the design and supply of CANDU design nuclear reactors, a Canadian technology first developed in the late 1950s and 1960s with 18 of which are in Ontario, 1 in New Brunswick and 11 in operation outside of Canada.
The job offer came about 1 year after OPG signed a 6-year alliance agreement with GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, Candu Energy Inc. and Aecon to build 4 SMRs at Darlington Nuclear Generating Station at an estimated cost of $5B-$10B while Minister of Energy Todd Smith responsible for overseeing OPG and acting as their sole shareholder.
Both Smith and Candu Energy consulted with the Office of the Integrity Commissioner of Ontario to ensure compliance and Smith will reportedly be serving the company outside of Canada.
2017 – Natural Resources Canada consults with industry to establish a SMR Roadmap targeting the development of small modular reactors
December 2019 – SNC-Lavalin pleads guilty to fraud
the company admitted that between 2001 and 2011, $47,689,868 was directed to Saadi Gadhafi. In exchange for the payments, Saadi Gadhafi used his influence as the son of the Libyan Dictator Muammar Ghadafi to secure construction contracts for the benefit of SLCI, altering the competitive bidding process and causing a loss or a risk of loss to the Libyan people.
Public Prosecution Service of Canada
June 2020 – SNC-Lavalin develops a Small Modular Reactor (SMR)
SNC-Lavalin announced the CANDU SMR – a 300 MWe SMR version of the CANDU reactor.
October 2020 – SNC-Lavalin was not selected for the Canadian demonstration project
The optimistic argument is that, because the province didn’t move heaven and earth to shoehorn CANDU into the process, the people of Ontario will actually get one that’s reasonably competitive. That’s still no guarantee of value — indeed, this whole program is largely aimed at trying to keep the province’s nuclear industry active after the current refurbishments at Bruce and Darlington are complete.
But there are better and worse ways to do that, and simply handing the prize to SNC-Lavalin out of nostalgia for the CANDU design would have been a poor guarantee of value for electricity customers.
John Michael McGrath for TVO Opinion
June 20, 2021 – MPP Todd Smith named Minister of Energy
October 25, 2022 – Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB) loans Ontario Power Generation Inc. (OPG) $970M for an SMR
Ontario is leading the way when it comes to new nuclear technologies and the world is watching as we build the first ever grid-scale SMR at Darlington. Today’s investment is a demonstration of the incredible opportunities of SMRs and nuclear power as a way to produce clean electricity to attract new investment, create jobs, and grow our economy while supporting electrification.
Minister of Energy Todd Smith
January 27, 2023 – OPG signs 6-year alliance agreement with GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, Candu Energy Inc. (SNC-Lavalin) and Aecon to build the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station’s SMR, the first commercial, grid-scale SMR in Canada and the G7
OPG’s sole shareholder is the Ontario Minister of Energy, which at the time was Todd Smith.
As part of an alliance with Aecon and GE-Hitachi, SNC-Lavalin will provide OPG with a diverse range of expertise for the engineering and build of the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station’s SMR. This is expected to include deploying project management, licensing, engineering, design, procurement, construction support and commissioning, as well as digital delivery capabilities in both the nuclear island and balance of plant scopes for the project.
Press Release
The Questions & Answers section of OPG’s Darlington SMR page describes how the providers were selected:
July 7, 2023 – OPG announces 3 additional SMRs for a total of 4 at the Darlington New Nuclear Project site
OPG contracted with GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy to build the BWRX-300 small modular reactors (SMRs) at the Darlington New Nuclear Project site. When constructed, each unit will deliver enough electricity to power 300,000 Toronto homes and is 10% the size and complexity of even a traditional boiling water reactor (BWR).
Our government’s open for business approach has led to unprecedented investments across the province — from electric vehicles and battery manufacturing to critical minerals to green steel
Expanding Ontario’s world-leading SMR program will ensure we have the reliable, affordable and clean electricity we need to power the next major international investment, the new homes we are building and industries as they grow and electrify.
Minister of Energy MPP Todd Smith
How much does an SMR cost?
The Ontario government is going on a nuclear buying spree but won’t say how much it’s going to spend.
At both announcements, Energy Minister Todd Smith declined to say how much these new nuclear reactors would cost.
Marco Chown Oved for the Toronto Star
SMRs are estimated to cost $1.2-2.7B each according to RBC, or $5B each according to Don Morgan, minister responsible for SaskPower in Saskatchewan.
September 12, 2023 – SNC-Lavalin rebrands to AtkinsRéalis
June 6, 2024 – Smith moved from Minister of Energy to Minister of Education
June 7 – August 15, 2024 – Smith receives a lot of interesting offers from the energy sector
He did say he received a lot of interesting offers from the energy sector and beyond since that cabinet shuffle.
Lorne Brooker Show
August 16, 2024 – Smith resigns as MPP and Minister of Education
Smith suddenly resigned as MPP and Minister on after accepting a job in the private sector, triggering a byelection for Bay of Quinte.
I mean I was loving being the Energy Minister, but I was already starting to think about an exit plan at that time. I mean I’m 53 years old. As we’ve talked about on numerous occasions, MPPs don’t have a pension. If a great offer came along, I was going to consider it.
Todd Smith on the Lorne Brooker Show
August 30, 2024 – Named Vice-President of Marketing and Business Development for Candu Energy Inc., a subsidiary of AtkinsRéalis (formerly SNC-Lavalin Inc.), consulted Office of the Integrity Commissioner of Ontario to ensure compliance
August 30, 2024 – Candu Energy Inc., an AtkinsRéalis company, is pleased to announce the appointment of Todd Smith as Vice-President, Marketing & Business Development, effective August 30, 2024. He will be responsible for leading the marketing and business development activities for Candu Energy outside of Canada, including identifying and pursuing new opportunities, developing and executing market strategies, and managing customer and partner relations.
“We are delighted to welcome Todd Smith to our team. He has a proven track record of promoting nuclear energy and building strategic partnerships with industry, governments and other stakeholders around the world. He also has a deep understanding of the unique value proposition of CANDU® technology – a Canadian-made and Canadian-owned technology – which can help address the global energy trilemma of providing clean, secure and affordable electricity,” said Joe St. Julian, President, Nuclear, AtkinsRéalis. “At COP28, more than 22 countries pledged to triple nuclear energy capacity by 2050 to meet net-zero emissions targets. Countries were also encouraged to collaborate to advance nuclear technology and infrastructure. We look forward to working with Todd to promote our technology globally.”
Mr. Smith brings over 20 years of experience in public service, most notably as Ontario’s Minister of Energy, and has been a strong advocate for nuclear energy both in Canada and abroad. He has enhanced partnerships through numerous public events and summits, engaging with nations and global institutions. His recent involvement has helped establish fresh accords with countries such as Romania, France, and Brazil after fruitful trade delegations, which will bolster Ontario’s economic landscape and labour force.
Prior to joining Candu Energy, Mr. Smith consulted with the Office of the Integrity Commissioner of Ontario to ensure compliance with the recommendations and restrictions issued by the Commissioner following his resignation as a provincial government minister. Candu Energy has also ensured that Mr. Smith’s new role will comply with the guidelines issued by the Office of the Integrity Commissioner as well as the AtkinsRéalis Code of Conduct.
Candu Energy is a leading full-service nuclear technology company providing nuclear power reactors and nuclear products and services to customers worldwide. Candu Energy is the original equipment manufacturer and steward of CANDU technology, under exclusive license from Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, a federal Crown corporation, which owns the intellectual property for CANDU reactor technology.
Todd Smith joins Candu Energy as Vice-President, Marketing & Business Development
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