Zapped: Ontario kills electricity pact with Quebec
Also: Jet-setting ministers, missing mammograms, going generic, staff moves and more
ABOVE THE FOLD
ZAPPED — Electricity news keeps on coming. The latest: Ontario won’t renew its electricity trade agreement with Quebec.
We’ve confirmed the scoop from Radio-Canada that the province won’t renew the seven-year Ontario-Quebec Electricity Trade Agreement when it expires next year. The deal saw Ontario buy 2.3 terawatt hours of electricity from Quebec annually, with an eye to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Instead, Energy Minister TODD SMITH says the government can save money via a “competitive” procurement process.
Quebec, like Ontario, is facing an electricity supply crunch. That could lead to brownouts and higher bills without more generation, such as natural gas.
The province has also asked the country’s regulator to keep the Pickering nuclear station operating for an extra year, until 2026, and is exploring the feasibility and cost of refurbishment to keep it online for decades to come.
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