Engaging Local Communities

An exchange of information and engagement with municipalities, Aboriginal communities, stakeholders and members of the general public will now be the cornerstone of energy planning discussions.

The release of the 2013 LTEP follows the most comprehensive set of consultations and engagements ever undertaken by the Ministry of Energy. Almost 8,000 people took an on-line survey and shared their views on conservation, energy supply, regional planning and imports. Over 1,000 submissions were received though the Environmental Registry and by the Ministry of Energy.

Staff also sat down with representatives of 50 LDCs to obtain their views and suggestions on how to improve and maximize the delivery of conservation in Ontario.

Ministry of Energy and agency staff travelled to 12 communities including Kenora, Windsor, Sault Ste. Marie and Ottawa to hear Ontarians’ views on the Long-Term Energy Plan. They also met with representatives of close to 100 First Nation and Métis communities and organizations in 10 engagement sessions across Ontario.

Increased public participation and community engagement in the development of energy plans and policy is vital and has a number of beneficial outcomes:

  • Policy makers hear first-hand what Ontarians think about energy policy, and the current issues of the day. They will learn how their policies affect people’s day-to-day lives.
  • Communities feel they were listened to, that their voices were heard.
  • While they may not always agree with the final decision, the public has an increased understanding of the trade-offs involved in what is often a very complex area of policy and system planning.

Ensuring there is a local voice in energy planning is critical. Since 2005, the IESO has had a Stakeholder Advisory Committee with broad representation that meets regularly to provide its Board of Directors and management with advice and recommendations on market initiatives and planning decisions. The OPA has recently created its own Stakeholder Advisory Committee.

In May 2013, the government asked the IESO and the OPA to recommend a new integrated regional energy planning process that would improve how large infrastructure facilities are sited and would propose how to involve municipalities, Aboriginal communities and other stakeholders in developing regional energy plans.

The IESO and the OPA heard that Ontarians wanted to be involved in the siting of large energy facilities, and in the plans for their region’s energy use:

"A common theme that emerged from the feed-back received from the engagement sessions and face-to-face meetings was the need for a major education effort about Ontario’s electricity needs, including a better understanding of the electricity planning and siting processes. This would help municipalities, First Nation and Métis communities, stakeholders, and the general public to become involved early and participate effectively in decision-making".

The IESO and the OPA published their report Engaging Local Communities in Ontario’s Electricity Planning Continuum in August 2013 and the government decided to adopt these recommendations. These recommendations will improve municipal engagement and public consultation and ensure that large infrastructure is located in the right place from the start. The report’s recommendations are grouped under the following themes:

Bringing Communities to the Table

  • The government and its energy agencies will reach out to local communities early and often. Regional Advisory Committees will be created across Ontario to ensure that representatives of municipalities, First Nation and Métis communities and local businesses can participate in the planning of their regions’ energy needs.

Linking Local and Provincial Planning

  • Regional electricity needs will be integrated into applicable municipal plans, and the government will enhance regional energy plans, which could include the consideration of social, environmental and economic development objectives. The government has recently launched programs to support the development of Municipal and Aboriginal Community Energy Plans.
Figure 26: A map of Ontario’s 21 Electricity Regions.

Reinforcing Planning

  • The OPA will give greater consideration to local priorities in the siting of generating facilities.
  • The government will work with the OEB to consider standardizing the procurement process for generation, including the requirement for appropriate consultation on siting.

Enhancing Awareness

  • The Ministry of Energy and its partner agencies will continue to introduce public education tools to improve energy literacy, including emPOWERme.
  • The ministry will develop a strategy to increase public understanding of our energy needs, the options for meeting them, and opportunities for people to get involved.
  • The IESO and the OPA will set up regional open data web sites, with accessible information on the energy needs and supply options for each of the 21 electricity regions in Ontario.

The ministry has begun working with other provincial ministries, the IESO and the OPA to develop a plan to implement the regional planning recommendations. Where items fall under the responsibility of the IESO and the OPA, the two agencies have already begun to take action.

Much effort has gone into the process that should be followed and the input that’s needed in planning infrastructure for regional needs. Much effort has also gone into conducting regional planning for various parts of the province. Below are some current examples that illustrate how regional planning efforts can meet growth needs, prudently manage investments and costs, and provide local input to ensure the planning reflects the region’s priorities.

Nipigon-Greenstone

The Nipigon-Greenstone area hosts several energy-related activities. Exploratory mining activity is on-going in the area. There is hydroelectric potential in the region including OPG’s Little Jackfish hydroelectric project which would require a transmission line to connect the project to the grid if it is developed. As the proponents for these and potentially other projects advance their plans, the government is prepared to address the needs of the area as conditions warrant to ensure options are evaluated from an integrated perspective.

Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge-Guelph Area

Refurbishment and Upgrade
Est. Cost: ~$110M
Exp. In-Service: 2016

Transmission reinforcements in the growing Kitchener-Guelph-Waterloo-Cambridge area are part of an integrated plan that includes conservation and distributed generation.

Two projects are expected to be in-service in 2016: an upgrade to five-km of transmission line and the expansion of two Guelph area stations, and an expanded transformer station in Cambridge.

These projects will reinforce electricity supply to South-Central Guelph and to the Kitchener/Cambridge areas. The projects will also accommodate the expected demand growth from new business development in the Hanlon Creek Business Park which, according to the City of Guelph, is expected to attract about 8,500 new jobs over the next eight years.

Ottawa Area

The Ottawa area has undergone substantial urbanization in the outlying districts, which are supplied by a relatively sparse electricity system. There are plans for a new transit line, the connection of new government or educational facilities, and the redevelopment of industrial lands.

Hydro One is making substantial improvements to the Hawthorne Transformer Station, and efforts are being focused on meeting requirements in downtown Ottawa, Kanata/Nepean and East Ottawa/Orleans.

York Region

York Region is one of the fastest-growing areas in Ontario. Extensive urbanization means that growth in electricity demand has been greater than the provincial average.

Early planning work has identified two near-term projects: the installation of new equipment at the Holland Transformer Station, and new facilities along the existing Highway 407 transmission corridor.

Leamington

The Windsor-Essex area has the largest concentration of greenhouse vegetable production in North America. As a result, the region’s electricity needs are increasing.

Hydro One is in the early stages of planning for a new line and station to address load growth and anticipated expansion in the agricultural sector. Cost recovery for transmission expansion will be established during the approvals process.

Central-Downtown Toronto

Toronto is the fourth largest metropolis in North America. Between 2006 and 2011, the population in parts of the city’s downtown increased by more than 50%.

A regional planning exercise on long term needs and options to accommodate future growth in electricity demand is underway and consultations are expected in the coming months.

Near-term investments by Hydro One and Toronto Hydro include line refurbishment projects in Midtown and along the lakeshore and a new station downtown.

Regional Planning

There are 21 electricity regions in Ontario (refer to Figure 26). These regions were developed by Hydro One and the OPA for regional planning purposes. The boundaries were set by considering common supply systems, electrical interrelationships, shared supply and system performance impacts in the OEB’s Renewed Regulatory Framework for Electricity.

Over the next five years, the needs in all 21 electricity regions in Ontario will be assessed, and new regional plans will be developed if required.

If a regional plan is required, the OPA would conduct a scoping assessment. If a transmission and distribution solution is required, a Regional Infrastructure Plan, led by the transmitter, will be developed. If a solution involves conservation, demand management and local generation alternatives, a more comprehensive Integrated Regional Resource Plan, led by the OPA, will be required.

Working with transmitters, LDCs and the IESO, the OPA is already developing comprehensive plans for eight regions of the province: Greater Ottawa, Burlington to Nanticoke, GTA North and GTA West, Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge-Guelph, Toronto, Northwestern Ontario and Windsor-Essex.

emPOWERme

Given the complexity of the province’s electricity system, it is difficult to understand how it all operates, what it means for ratepayers, and how it impacts a household energy bill.

In response to calls for better tools and resources to improve energy literacy, Ontario has launched emPOWERme, a web feature that uses videos, graphics, interactive tools and fact sheets to explain the fundamentals of electricity in plain language and compelling imagery.

Learn more at Ontario.ca/empowerme

In Summary

  • The government will implement the IESO and the OPA recommendations for regional planning and the siting of large energy infrastructure.
  • The ministry, the IESO and the OPA will work with municipal partners to ensure early and meaningful involvement in energy planning.
  • Municipalities and Aboriginal communities will be encouraged to develop their own community-level energy plans to identify conservation opportunities and infrastructure priorities. The Municipal Energy Plan Program and the Aboriginal Community Energy Plan Program will support these efforts.
  • Regional plans will promote the principle of Conservation First while also considering other cost-effective solutions such as new supply, transmission and distribution investments.