The Quality of Yes: Why Shortcuts Will Never Equal Wisdom

In my last post, I reflected on the bluffs of Lake Ontario along Port Granby—a place that has finally found peace after a century-long industrial legacy. That peace is a testament to what happens when we commit to getting things right, even if it takes time. However, that hard-won wisdom is facing a new kind of pressure.

With the Ontario government’s push for ten new reactors and a broader continental trend toward fast-tracking infrastructure, we are at a crossroads. The conversation is no longer just about what we build but how we decide.

The Shift in the Ground Rules

On May 11, 2026, a significant policy shift emerged from the U.S. EPA that mirrors a growing trend across the US but also Ontario and Canada. It centers on a technical but profound change to the phrase "Begin Actual Construction." Under these proposed rules, companies could break ground on non-emitting components—foundations, support structures, and wiring—before full environmental permits are secured or public assessments are complete. The goal is clear: speed. By scaling infrastructure faster, proponents argue we maintain global competitiveness.

But infrastructure is more than just logistics; it is an expression of public will. When concrete is poured before the public has a truly meaningful seat at the table, the eventual yes can feel like a foregone conclusion. This isn't just streamlining; it is path dependency.

A Continental Challenge

As I said, this isn't unique to the United States. In Canada, through the One Project, One Review model, we see a similar urgency to unlock energy and mineral wealth. In both nations, the prevailing narrative is that speed equals success. And in Ontario $100s of billions of public dollars are being committed to projects that have failed prior public tests and are now being resurrected as so urgent and necessary as requiring political exemptions from financial or environmental review.

But we must ask: What are we competing for? If we win by eroding the social license and public oversight that ensure a project is safe and sustainable, the victory is hollow. We risk subsidizing the short-term goals of some powerful energy, mining, transportation giant with the permanent loss of our shared public lands, wealth, and watersheds.

The Value of a Durable Decision

In a mature democracy, getting to yes is a craft. Truly smart business recognizes that a durable decision—one that survives legal scrutiny, earns community trust, and avoids expensive clean-ups and do-overs—is far more valuable than a fast one.

When we allow construction to precede final approval, we risk turning regulators into cheerleaders and the public into mere spectators. This creates an imbalance where public resources provide the foundation, but the public also inherits the long-term liability if things go wrong.

Beyond Irreversibility

As we saw at Port Granby, the cost of reversing a mistake can span generations. When we treat public participation as a hurdle to be cleared rather than a fundamental right, we lose the very essence of the public interest.

(Port Granby Nuclear Waste Site - Lake Ontario)

We don’t have to choose between progress and protection. We have the ingenuity to find better, less polluting, and more cost-effective alternatives. The work lies in the study, participation, and accountability that ensure those alternatives are heard.

The Path Forward

We are told we must move faster to compete with the world. But moving recklessly is a high-stakes gamble we’ve lost before, from the long-term costs of nuclear waste to the multi-billion-dollar budget overruns of the past.

Building on a foundation of sand helps no one. The real challenge for the U.S. and Canada is to prove we are still capable of making decisions that are authentically in the public interest. Let’s not just focus on how quickly we can build; let’s focus on how well we can decide.

A fair, transparent process isn't an obstacle to progress; it is the only way to build a future that actually lasts.

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