Premier Doug Ford Directs $320 Million to Build World-Leading Cancer Isotope Hub at Darlington Nuclear

CLARINGTON, Ont. — Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Minister of Energy and Electrification Stephen Lecce announced on Monday a $320 million provincial capital investment to construct specialized radiopharmaceutical extraction laboratories and automated target-handling bays at the Darlington and Bruce Nuclear Generating Stations.

The investment, managed in partnership with Ontario Power Generation (OPG) and Bruce Power, expands Ontario's production of life-saving medical isotopes—including Lutetium-177, Molybdenum-99, Actinium-225, and Cobalt-60—used in hospitals worldwide for targeted radioligand cancer therapies and medical device sterilization.

Solidifying Ontario's Position as the Nuclear Medicine Capital of the World Ontario's CANDU nuclear reactors currently supply more than 50 percent of the world's Cobalt-60 used to sterilize single-use surgical gloves, syringes, and medical implants. Specialized isotope target delivery systems allow reactors to irradiate medical targets without interrupting continuous electrical power generation.

"Ontario's nuclear reactors do not just generate clean, reliable electricity for our homes—they produce the lifesaving medical isotopes that diagnose and cure cancer for millions of patients around the world," Premier Doug Ford said at the Darlington Energy Complex in Clarington. "This $320 million investment builds cutting-edge isotope processing labs right here in Durham Region, ensuring Ontario remains the global superpower in nuclear medicine, creating hundreds of high-skilled biotech jobs, and saving lives every single day."

Medical Isotope Production and Clinical Applications The $320 million package funds:

• Darlington Radiopharmaceutical Cleanrooms: $180 million to construct automated shielded hot-cell extraction laboratories for commercial-scale Lutetium-177 and Actinium-225.
• Bruce Power Cobalt-60 Modernization: $90 million to upgrade automated target loaders across Units 5 through 8.
• Ontario Cancer Clinical Trials Consortium: $50 million partnering with Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and McMaster University to fund patient trials for targeted alpha-therapy.

Oncologists, radiopharmacists, and international nuclear health federations commended the provincial funding, noting that domestic isotope extraction secures cancer hospital treatment supplies against global supply chain disruptions.