Ontario municipalities’ veto powers granted by Ford are complicating efforts to avert electricity shortages

Source: Matthew McClearn | · THE GLOBE AND MAIL · | January 8, 2024

Source: Ontario Premier Doug Ford speaks to the Association of Municipalities Ontario conference on Aug. 15, 2022 in Ottawa. ADRIAN WYLD/THE CANADIAN PRESS

Veto powers granted to Ontario municipalities by the province, introduced in 2018 as part of a campaign against renewable power generation, are complicating Ontario’s efforts to avert electricity shortages expected in a few years’ time.

Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator forecast last year that electricity demand in the province would rise about 2 per cent each year for the next 20 years, leading to shortfalls as early as 2025. Without new capacity, it warned, emergency measures such as rotating blackouts would be needed.

To meet the demand, the IESO said it would need to procure as much as 4,000 megawatts (MW) of new generation capacity, primarily in the form of new natural gas-fired power plants and battery storage facilities. In December, the IESO unveiled further plans to acquire as much as 5,000 MW of non-emitting generating sources, such as wind and solar.

A megawatt, or one million watts, is a yardstick for measuring power. In 2022, Ontario’s demand ranged between about 10,000 and 22,000 MW.

But there’s a wrinkle: Because of measures introduced by the government of Premier Doug Ford over the last several years, producers looking to supply that power must first persuade local governments to provide approvals – in writing. This requirement, unique in Canada, has turned municipal council meetings into battlegrounds between utilities, concerned citizens and activist groups.