Former N.B. energy minister joins nuclear industry after resigning in June
A former New Brunswick cabinet minister who resigned in June is joining AtkinsRéalis, a Montreal-based company previously known as SNC-Lavalin Group.
Mike Holland, who was natural resources and energy development minister and MLA for the riding of Albert, announced at the end of June that he was quitting to pursue a job in the private sector.
Holland will be joining the AtkinsRéalis team as the director of business development for North America.
The company told Radio-Canada the reason it recruited the former minister was to help increase sales of its nuclear reactor models and invest in the development of small modular reactors.
In a statement, the company said it's "working to accelerate" sales of its Candu reactors in Canada and internationally.
Candu technology, according to the AtkinsRéalis website, is a Canadian pressurized heavy-water reactor design. The reactors have the ability to co-produce medical isotopes for diagnostic imaging, cancer treatment and to sterilize medical supplies, the website says.
One of these reactors is at the Point Lepreau nuclear generating station, while the other 18 in Canada are in Ontario.
Holland referred an interview request from Radio-Canada to the AtkinsRéalis communications department.
The company told Radio-Canada that Holland would not lobby the New Brunswick government in his new role. It said that he has been given direction in his new role by the New Brunswick integrity commissioner.
When Holland announced his resignation from the New Brunswick government, he said the company he accepted an offer from is not a company he dealt with in his role as a minister, nor as an MLA.
However, AtkinsRéalis, then known as SNC-Lavalin, announced a partnership with Moltex Energy Canada in 2022 and Holland was quoted in the news release at the time.
"This agreement contributes not only to the growth of long-term, high-quality jobs in New Brunswick's energy sector, it also recognizes the leadership role of both Moltex and the province in advancing the next generation of nuclear technology," he said in the 2022 release.
