The energy file was the topic of the night as the provincial election candidates in Huron-Bruce squared off in Port Elgin Thursday.
Four of the six registered candidates fielded questions on a wide array of issues, but nuclear power and wind turbines rose above.
NDP candidate Jan Johnstone set the tone early, using her entire opening statement to declare her unconditional support for the Bruce Power refurbishment project.
Johnstone says she felt she had to come out with a strong message right from the beginning of the debate, given the NDP's reputation as being anti-nuclear.
She says the refurbishment of the Bruce and Darlington nuclear sites are supported by Leader Andrea Horwath.
"Andrea has actually been at the [Bruce Power] plant, I also know she had a conversation with a nuclear association that does mock-ups," says Johnstone. "Back in 2016, there's actually a picture where [Horwath] actually states she supported the refurbishment of Darlington and the Bruce."
Incumbent Progressive Conservative Lisa Thompson says the other major parties can claim to support nuclear power, but says the Liberals and NDP have both been conditional at best in their support of the nuclear industry.
She says a PC government is the only party that will make sure the Bruce Power refurbishment is completed.
"We have to do everything that we can for the region to make sure the Bruce [Power] refurb continues on schedule," says Thompson. "And then of course, it goes without saying, nuclear in our energy mix, is low-cost, reliable, clean and base-load, we can't do without it."
Liberal candidate Don Matheson says it was the Liberal government that oversaw the return to service of the Bruce-A reactors and signed off on the refurbishment project currently planned to keep the site operational for the next 50 years.
Matheson received some jeers when the topic of wind energy was raised, as candidates were asked if they felt wind turbines cause health impacts to people living near them.
Matheson says while he believes some people have been impacted by living near turbines, science has yet to link wind turbines to health effects, and until that happens, all the government can do is enforce regulations as they exist.
"I believe in the science until we have the scientific proof that wind turbines do affect people, we have to go with the science," says Matheson. "We could say that some people are affected by this, some people are affected by that, but it has to be proven."
Libertarian candidate Ron Stephens took aim at Ontario's energy system as a whole, and while supporting the Bruce Power refurbishment, says the system needs to be fixed.
"We have to fix our electrical system, it is badly broken, you don't have to think too hard about it, when the price has doubled in a few years, you know you've got a problem," says Stephens.