Saugeen Shores has dedicated a street in a new Port Elgin subdivision to past Bruce Power President and CEO Duncan Hawthorne.
Hawthorne, who was president and CEO from 2001 to 2016, was joined by his family and municipal representatives to cut the ribbon on Hawthorne Drive Wednesday. It’s located in the north end of Port Elgin, west of Vanderwerf’s Your Independent Grocer.
Mayor Luke Charbonneau says, “Under the leadership of Duncan Hawthorne, Bruce Power began its journey to becoming the world-leading nuclear facility we know today, all while profoundly supporting the growth and development of our region,” adding, “Saugeen Shores is proud to name one of the municipality’s streets in honour of this man who has given, and continues to give, so much to our community.”
A release from the Town says the Hawthorne family remain consistent supporters of health care in Saugeen Shores with a personal donation of $20,000 in 2022 for the CT Scanner at Saugeen Memorial Hospital.
Duncan Hawthorne was also a regular at the Jeff Preston Celebrity Golf Tournament in Saugeen Shores helping to raise funds for Muscular Dystrophy Research.
Under Hawthorne’s leadership, an agreement was reached with the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) to advance a long-term investment program for Bruce Power, seeing to the start of the refurbishment of its nuclear fleet and securing the site’s operation until 2064.
The Town says, “This agreement has led to the addition of tens of thousands of jobs and injecting billions into Ontario’s economy.”
By the end of his tenure in 2016, Bruce Power achieved record output for the site, providing over 30 per cent of Ontario’s electricity.
Hawthorne, who is from Scotland, retired from Bruce Power in 2016. He is currently President and CEO of UK based Horizon Nuclear Power. He’s also the Chairman of the Board of the Advanced Nuclear Research Centre at the University of Strathclyde and is a Senior Adviser and Board Member at Hitachi Energy.
Charbonneau says, “He’s an individual who has contributed mightily to not only our community, but to our entire region. His leadership of Bruce Power I think, set us on the path that we are on today of being the fastest growing community in our region and one of the fastest growing communities in Ontario.”