Employees at Canadian Nuclear Laboratories have raised a record-breaking $160,000 for local United Way campaigns in 2026. This fundraising effort, which marks the highest amount in the organization’s history of charitable giving, will support non-profit programs across the Ottawa Valley and other communities where the laboratories operate.
The total was reached through personal contributions from workers, which were then matched dollar-for-dollar by the Nuclear Laboratory Partners of Canada. Employees contributed $80,000 during their annual fundraising drive, and the matching program provided by their parent company consortium doubled the final donation amount.
According to Philip Kompass, the director of corporate communications at the laboratories, this year’s effort set a new milestone for the organization. The funds were distributed across three regional chapters, including approximately $50,000 for the United Way Eastern Ontario, which serves the Pembroke area and Renfrew County. Other portions of the funds went to the United Way Winnipeg and the Northumberland United Way.
Staff at the Chalk River Laboratories, near Pembroke, have been participating in United Way campaigns since the early 1960s. The site remains the largest employer in the Ottawa Valley, with more than 3,500 workers. To reach this year’s goal, employees participated in a variety of local activities, including a pancake breakfast, a bake sale, a pet photo contest, online games, and parking spot raffles.
This is the first major fundraising campaign completed since the consortium led by BWX Technologies assumed management of the laboratory facilities in December 2025. Dennis Carr, the current president and chief executive officer, leads the organization under this new management structure.
