Nuclear power has been around for more than half a century, reliably producing affordable, clean energy to power our homes and businesses. But over that time, North American public sentiment towards nuclear has shifted from excitement towards suspicion—even as the threat posed by climate change demands a shift towards more cleaner energy sources, like nuclear. Are pop culture and Hollywood depictions of nuclear technology to blame for changing public attitudes?

On this episode, Osama Baig welcomes Kapil Aggarwal, an OPG expert in the handling of nuclear by-products, Daniel Simpson, a film and curatorial studies PhD candidate from Queen’s University, and Kathy Nosich, an OPG communications specialist. Together with his three guests, Osama investigates the ways in which nuclear power’s image has been shaped by our culture—and explores the urgent need to recast nuclear as the hero of the energy transition story.

Osama Baig's YouTube Channel

Show notes:

[2:09] Find out just how misleading the depictions of nuclear power are on TV’s The Simpsons
[4:10] The ways in which radioactive materials are safely handled by OPG employees
[9:05] Whether you can eat donuts at a nuclear reactor
[10:50] The depiction of nuclear technology in 1950s era science fiction and horror films
[11:40] the use of nuclear technology as a plot device in Hollywood
[12:50] The conflation of nuclear power and nuclear weaponry in film, TV and the public imagination
[21:00] OPG’s plan to correct the record and recast nuclear as the hero of the story in the climate change era

Ontario’s nuclear reactors don’t just generate clean, affordable and reliable electricity. The province’s reactors are also helping doctors save lives and discover medical breakthroughs. Over 40 million nuclear medicine procedures are performed each year around the world, and Ontario’s nuclear reactors play a big part in making these lifesaving treatments available.

On this episode, Osama Baig is joined by Jennifer Chapin, Director of Projects for Laurentis Energy Partners and Dr. David Laidley of London Health Sciences Centre for an in-depth look at the fascinating world of nuclear medicine.

Osama Baig's YouTube Channel

Show notes:

[3:00] Learn how medical isotopes are harvested from a nuclear power reactor

[7:00] How the supply chain for medical isotopes functions in Ontario

[8:25] Ontario’s role in the global supply of medical isotopes

[10:45] The processes through which medical isotopes are used to diagnose and treat diseases

[13:00] The way that medical isotopes interact with the human body and diseases

[18:23] The promising future of cancer treatment using radiopharmaceuticals

When people think about nuclear, they often think about nuclear waste, or by-products. But when it comes to nuclear by-products, myths are more common than facts.
On a mission to set the record straight, host Osama Baig is joined by two nuclear by-product experts: Nuala Zietsma from Ontario Power Generation and Erik Kremer from the Nuclear Waste Management Organization.

• Osama Baig YouTube Channel

Show Notes:

• Learn about the different types of radiation [3:10]
• The categories of nuclear by-products [6:20]
• What fuel bundles look like and how long they last [8:20]
• The amount of nuclear waste in Canada [10:20]
• How nuclear by-products and used nuclear fuel are stored safely [12:00]
• How OPG is prioritizing waste minimization [14:30]
• How nuclear by-products compare to those of other energy sources [16:00]
• Canada’s long-term storage plan for spent nuclear fuel [20:10]
• The international best practice known as Deep Geological Repository [21:43]

In the 21st century, on a warming planet, Indigenous knowledge will be essential to Canada’s journey toward a clean energy future. As our country begins its reconciliation journey, these partnerships could provide a foundation for current and future generations.

On this episode of The Climate Challengers, Andrea is joined by Chief Emily Whetung of Curve Lake First Nation and Sean Wily, President and CEO of the Des Nedhe Development Corporation, which seeks to create sustainable employment and business opportunities for English River First Nation community members.

Learn about the community of Curve Lake First Nation [2:27], Indigenous perspectives on nuclear power [5:14 and 20:20], what the energy industry needs to understand about Indigenous peoples [7:08], the importance of relationship building [10:35], Canada’s path to reconciliation [14:27], OPG’s Reconciliation Action Plan [16:33], the impact of economic development on Indigenous communities [21:56], the benefits of involving Indigenous partners early on [23:45], and the need to embrace nuclear as a big part of the solution to climate change [25:45].

The race to net-zero is on, but we won’t reach our targets without major, transformative changes to the ways we generate, store and use energy. Ron Dizy is a venture capitalist specializing in clean energy and the former leader of the Advanced Energy Centre at MaRs.
In this episode of The Climate Challengers, Ron talks with Andrea about new and emerging technologies with the potential to steer us safely to a net-zero 2050—and beyond. From hydrogen [5:45] to carbon capture and sequestration [7:40] to new forms of energy storage, including grid scale batteries [11:24] to the benefits of nuclear power [16:10] to repurposing existing infrastructure to build the energy grid of tomorrow [20:55] to small modular reactors [23:05] and the reasons Ontario, Canada is such a great place to be a climate challenger [26:05] — this episode covers everything you need to know about the next generation of technologies that will aid in the transition to net-zero.

The information, statements, comments, views and opinions expressed during this podcast are solely those of the program participants and do not necessarily represent those of Ontario Power Generation Inc. or its affiliates.

In 2016, Kristin Zaitz and Heather Hoff had a realization: nuclear power had a PR problem. Nuclear plants around the world were at risk of premature closure due to public misperceptions, but nuclear provides a large share of the emissions-free electricity we need to transition away from fossil fuels.

On episode 3 of The Climate Challengers, host Andrea Bain hears from Kristin and Heather about their journey from nuclear skeptics to becoming two of the industry’s biggest advocates (1:06 and 4:15), why they co-founded Mothers for Nuclear (7:48), what are the biggest obstacles to changing people’s minds about nuclear (9:46), being a woman in the male-dominated nuclear power industry (14:27), how we should think about accidents like Fukushima (19:21) and the exciting new nuclear technologies under development (25:56).

Learn more about Mothers for Nuclear at www.mothersfornuclear.org.

When you think of electrification, what do you think of? A lot of people think of EVs or electric vehicles. And that's our featured topic for Episode 2 of The Climate Challengers. Andrea is joined by Stephanie Chan, editor of Globe Drive, The Globe and Mail's automotive section, and Matt Bubbers, a car critic featured in Globe Drive. They’ll be talking about the potential of electric vehicles along with clean energy to help reach net-zero (13:11), and how to overcome the barriers of adopting EVs and making them a viable solution to climate change (11:05). Plus, other exciting emerging electrification technologies (15:36).

Visit ClimateChallengers.com for more information about electrification, OPG’s net-zero goals, and to learn more about Andrea Bain, and guests, Stephanie Chan and Matt Bubbers.

Welcome to The Climate Challengers! In our very first episode Andrea will be discussing why we’re doing this podcast (00:33), what you can expect, and will be joined by featured guest, Katie Mummah (01:52). Andrea and Katie will discuss the resistance by some to accept nuclear energy (05:27), why it’s important to connect with the younger generation (09:03), and the relationship between nuclear and net-zero (16:46). Plus, we hear from an OPG Climate Challenger, Matthew Mairinger, technical nuclear engineer (14:37).

Visit ClimateChallengers.com for more information about nuclear energy, OPG’s goals for a net-zero future, and to learn more about our host, Andrea Bain, and featured guest, Katie Mummah.