By MPP Bobbi Ann Brady
Last week I began this column noting that history is a record of what happened. It is more than a collection of dates and events but rather a guide that can help us avoid repeating mistakes. I then reflected on the rapid growth and challenges that accompanied the Fort McMurray oil sands boom, where infrastructure, housing, healthcare, and social services struggled to keep pace with unprecedented development. As discussions continue around the proposed city of 40,000 at the Nanticoke Industrial Park, the lessons of Fort McMurray deserve careful consideration.
But the lessons of history are not limited to boomtowns, and we would be wise to remember the experience of North America’s ‘Rust Belt.’ This is an area defined by economic history rather than borders or boundaries and included Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, upstate New York, West Virginia, Windsor, and London. These communities became heavily dependent on a single industry but faced extreme economic hardship when market conditions changed.
Nanticoke, anchored by Stelco’s Lake Erie Works and Imperial Oil, is a localized micro version of what the Rust Belt was prior to its decline. Both Haldimand and Norfolk rely on industry within the industrial park for high-paying, skilled industrial careers. Putting this anchor at risk means putting at risk the primary economic engine for the entire riding of Haldimand-Norfolk.
In last year’s provincial election, USW Local 8782 endorsed me because I was the candidate willing to push back against a city of 40,000. At a time when tariffs dominated the headlines and my main opponent stood outside plant gates promising to save the mill from American trade actions, the steelworkers understood the most immediate threat to the long-term viability of their operation was much closer to home.
Local 8782 knows once residential development begins encroaching on industrial lands, conflicts over noise, traffic, emissions, and future expansion opportunities inevitably follow. I also see a comparison to farmland, that once productive industrial land is converted to housing, it is never returned to its original purpose. I maintain we must preserve our most productive land to feed people, here and abroad, but we must also safeguard employment lands to preserve the existing good paying careers and maintain opportunities for future industrial expansion and investment.
The steel mill itself supports over 10,000 direct and indirect jobs. These are jobs held by our friends, family, and neighbours in both Haldimand and Norfolk.
Given Ontario’s electricity demand is expected to soar by between 50 and 75 per cent by 2050, I believe the Nanticoke Industrial Park is the ideal location for a major energy project. Few places in Ontario are as well positioned to support future energy generation. The Nanticoke site already benefits from significant infrastructure left behind from the former Ontario Power Generation facility, providing an excellent foundation many other locations would have to build from scratch.
To me, this is a common-sense opportunity for our local tax base and for the Government of Ontario. An energy project at Nanticoke would create construction and skilled trades jobs in the near term while helping secure Ontario’s future energy needs. More importantly, it would reinforce the industrial purpose of the park and create the conditions necessary to attract additional investment and employment for decades to come.
History teaches us that communities thrive when they plan carefully for the future and protect the assets that make them economically resilient. The Nanticoke Industrial Park is one of the most strategic employment and energy assets in Ontario, and decisions about its future should not be taken lightly.
I encourage residents in both Haldimand and Norfolk to become informed, review the proposal, and make their voices heard through Ontario’s Environmental Registry. This is not simply a discussion about housing or development—it is a discussion about the kind of region we want to leave to future generations.
How tragic it would be if, decades from now, we looked back and realized we had squandered a world-class industrial asset and set ourselves on the path to becoming a modern-day Rust Belt. History records what happened. The question before us today is how we want future generations to view our decisions.
Make your voice heard by submitting comments through Ontario’s Environmental Registry by July 3rd Request for a Minister’s Zoning Order for a mixed- use development in Haldimand County | Environmental Registry of Ontario
Bobbi Ann Brady is the MPP for Haldimand-Norfolk