The Grid 2020: Transformation

- The transformation Issue -

Answering the call when Mother Nature strikes +

Manitoba Hydro responds to the worst early winter storm in the utility’s history

By Bruce Owen & Anthonie Koop - Media Relations Officer and Senior Communications & Engagement Advisor, Manitoba Hydro

First of its kind

Indigenous bioenergy project to generate cleaner power, economic benefits

By Joel Cherry - Media and Issues Consultant, SaskPower

There is no education like adversity

Regulatory lessons from the COVID-19 crisis

By Justin Crewson - Director of Transmission and Distribution Policy, Canadian Electricity Association

Getting Sticky

with electricity

By Myra Beaman - Media and Public Affairs Officer, Hydro Ottawa

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2020

State of the Canadian Electricity Industry

An overview of the current status, necessary industry actions and specific recommendations to help Canada’s electricity industry continue to provide safe, secure and sustainable electricity for all Canadians in the face of a rapid transformation is outlined.

READ NOW! www.electricity.ca/soti2020

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Contents

Transformation........................................................................................................................................... 4 Discovering the Possibilities of Local Electricity Markets........................................................... 6

Editor’s Note As the electricity sector looks ahead to 2050, one thing is abundantly clear: we must transform to meet our national climate goals. And while our industry was already on a fast track to change, COVID-19 further disrupted every aspect of not only our operations, but our lives.

Game Changers: A View from Inside the Industry......................................................................... 8 Giving EV Drivers Peace of Mind - OPG & Hydro One Launch New Ivy Charging Network ................................................................................................10 Focusing on the Future of Energy - Innovation at ENMAX Powers the Possibilities of Tomorrow..............................................................................11 Smart Grid Automation: Best Solutions Faster.............................................................................12 Climate Resiliency: The Canadian Electricity Sector’s Early Start...........................................13 Canada’s Electricity Industry… Sustainable, Adaptable, Strong............................................14 Staying Safe in Wildfire Country........................................................................................................18 Answering the Call When Mother Nature Strikes: Manitoba Hydro Responds to the Worst Early Winter Storm in the Utility’s History........................................21

During these difficult times, our sector has taken extraordinary actions to deliver a critical service—reliable, safe and affordable electricity—for Canadians. We would like to thank all utility workers— those working from home and those who are in the field—for keeping the lights on and powering homes, essential services and businesses from coast-to-coast-to-coast.

"There is No Education Like Adversity” - Regulatory Lessons From the COVID-19 Crisis ....................................................................................................................24

Sarah Robinson Director of Communications and Marketing, CEA

Getting Sticky with Electricity.............................................................................................................34

The Canary in the Oil Sands Mine ....................................................................................................26 Going Beyond Statistics: The New Path to Occupational Health and Safety in the Canadian Electricity Industry....................................................................................28 30 Years Young: Transforming a Heritage Asset into the Power Generator of Tomorrow...........................................................................................................29 Moving the Needle: Diversity & Inclusion in the Workplace....................................................30 Utilities Kingston Partners with Women of Powerline Technicians to Promote Diversity, Inclusion and Equality in the Trades.............................................................32 First of its Kind - Indigenous Bioenergy Project to Generate Cleaner Power, Economic Benefits....................................................................................................33 Neighbours Helping Neighbours......................................................................................................36 Acknowledgements...............................................................................................................................38

The Canadian Electricity Association -

Founded in 1891, CEA is the national forum and voice of the evolving electricity business in Canada. The Association contributes to the regional, national, and international success of its members. CEA members generate, transmit and distribute electrical energy to industrial, commercial, residential and institutional customers in all Canadian provinces and territories. www.electricity.ca |   

Learn more by watching our video canadian electricity association - THE GRID 2020 | transformation

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TRANSFORMATION - By Francis Bradley President & Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Electricity Association

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or more than 100 years, Canadian electricity companies had a simple mandate: provide reliable and safe power to all. Keep the lights on. And that’s exactly what they did.

For many decades, the business model was remarkably stable.

Electric utilities – and other companies – in 1980 interacted with their regulators and business partners, managed their operations, and served their customers in, fundamentally, much of the same way that they did in 1970 or even in 1960.

Today, these same companies are expected to also provide a broad range of energy services. New technology, renewable sources of energy and consumer convenience and personalization are the drivers of grid innovation.

Proactive communication capabilities are endless.

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System outage updates can be communicated via text linking to an outage map, and pending weather challenges are communicated via Twitter. These advancements are now basic customer expectations.

Similarly, sensors, smart home energy management assistants and resulting data provide the opportunity to achieve nearly net-zero consumption. Smart lighting in homes and businesses can be connected and controlled. Utilities are now evolving from the traditional one-directional pipeline delivery system to a platform-based relationship with customers.

The Canadian electricity industry is undergoing a period of unprecedented change through decarbonization, reconfigured governments and competitive markets.

At CEA’s Powering Partnerships symposium in November 2019, our keynote speaker, Amber Mac, stated, “Change has never happened this fast before and will never, ever be this slow again.”

Federal, provincial, and territorial governments must work collaboratively to ensure energy regulators are given the mandate to accommodate infrastructure investments and innovation into the rate-making processes.

The pace of disruption became discernable in all facets of our sector this spring, when COVID-19 had spread globally, prompting an unprecedented shut down of the economy and authorities to call for people to self-isolate. The pace and scope of transformational change is such that the realities of merely a few months prior impacted how we move forward as an industry.

Perhaps the most fundamental of many current transformations relates to the emergence of an ever-more diverse, distributed and technology-enabled electricity system.

Nothing quite tests the resiliency of our sector like a crisis. We have learned that it is no longer just downed lines, damaged generators or cyber-attacks that shut down communities and economies; health threats are equally, if not more, damaging.

Our relationship with electricity is changing. In the short-term, demand has declined modestly during the pandemic, however, carbon reduction imperative will see a greater need for electricity increase. Over the next 30 years, electricity will play a substantially greater role in Canada’s overall energy use.

Many people think electrification is just the growth of electric vehicles. But it is more than that. The path to net-zero emissions by 2050 requires a long-term solution to achieve a greener and more sustainable economy. This shift is largely driven by consumer and political demand to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in a sector already more than 80 percent GHG free; only about 20 percent of the sector’s energy use is electric.

While the transportation sector including passenger vehicles, mass transit and heavy-duty trucking is positioned to lead this move towards electrification, buildings and industrial applications will be just as impactful.

Innovation will be the key driver to the change needed in the electricity industry. CEA members are leading cutting-edge developments in the way that electricity is produced, delivered and consumed, and highlights transformational progress in how electricity yields economic, social and environmental benefits for Canadians.

The industry will continue to transform as the expectations of the consumer continue to grow. Whether the project is tailored to EV owners, allowing utilities to manually charge cars overnight during off-peak hours, or the development of the largest ever off-grid, solar and storage microgrid project in Canada – CEA members are evolving our ever-changing industry.

Today’s electricity system, one that may change in the future, is one that is built to meet peak demand, and the gap between actual demand and peak can be quite vast. And sometimes that peak is only reached for a very short time each year, usually in the summer and/or winter depending upon the system.

Storage is seen as a solution to some of these issues, potentially enabling more efficient plant and system operation, allowing for peak-shaving and valley-filling. But much of the discussion about storage is about batteries, pumped storage, compressed air and other similar technologies.

In this era of technology and personalization, companies will be challenged to meet increasing customer expectations and to maintain relationships through new touchpoints such as electric vehicle charging, smart homes and consumption dashboards.

Innovation will depend on first understanding what drives consumer behaviour, as well as what changes are likely to emerge and how rapidly. To reach our national targets, we need to develop disruptive solutions across all sectors. The creation of a national strategy to guide electrification remains essential.

Governments, Indigenous Peoples, communities and the sector must work collaboratively to build the social license for new projects and create the regulatory structure to have them approved. That will mean identifying areas where regulatory requirements are duplicative or have a burden greater than their public benefit. It will mean focusing on what we want to achieve: access to reliable, clean and competitively priced power, and setting a path to achieve that. Federal and provincial governments will need to work together and ensure new innovative projects are approved for commercial operation by provincial regulators.

We live in exciting times. Electricity is transforming at an unprecedented rate that will have major implications for how we live and for the Canadian economy. We can build a clean energy future together while stimulating economic recovery.

We must start now.

As we look ahead, one of the challenges Canada will have to address is the framework for energy regulation and innovation. canadian electricity association - THE GRID 2020 | transformation

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Discovering the possibilities of local electricity markets - By Lori Gariepy Communications Advisor, Alectra Utilities

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he unique energy needs of Canadian communities are as varied as the country’s landscape. In Ontario alone, communities range from sparsely populated rural areas to dense urban centres with differing industries driving local economies. As demands for electricity continue to increase, distributed energy resources (DERs) have potential to help manage this demand and provide cost-effective alternatives to traditional infrastructure.

One example is Ontario’s York Region where the population is 1.11 million and growing rapidly. As a result of this boom, electricity demand is expected to exceed system capability in the years ahead.

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More affordable and sustainable energy solutions are needed to address the increasing electricity demand and support the region’s long-term economic development plan.

At the same time, customers want more choice in determining how their electricity needs are met, and communities are interested in solutions that can defer the need for more poles and wires being built in their neighbourhoods.

Ontario’s electricity industry has provided efficient and costeffective services over the years, but local distribution companies (LDCs) have historically invested in traditional large-scale transmission and distribution assets that are now aging and require long-term capital investment to replace.

While this conventional infrastructure does provide economies of scale, it also has its limitations. Its ability to adapt to change in demand is slow with nominal opportunities for buying and selling electricity generated at a local level.

A competitive market combined with less investment in costly new infrastructure, the lower cost of generating and delivering electricity close to consumers, and reduced grid stress will all work together in the best interest of customers.

Introducing Ontario’s first local electricity market

Going local to find solutions to power the future

To help discover reliable and affordable alternatives to building new transmission infrastructure, Alectra Utilities is partnering with Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) and Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) to launch the first-ever local electricity market in Ontario. Officially named the IESO York Region Non-Wires Alternative (NWA) Demonstration Project, this innovative project was created by the IESO to study how a local electricity market could be integrated with the provincial electricity market. The project is funded equally by the IESO’s Grid Innovation Fund and NRCan’s Smart Grid Program. It is currently in the design phase and is expected to launch in mid-2020.

“This project will help us better understand the potential of using distributed energy resources in place of traditional infrastructure by evaluating them in real-world applications,” said Brian Bentz, President and CEO of Alectra Inc. The data collected through field testing of a local electricity market using DERs will help inform decisions for regional and provincial long-term economic plans.

How the local electricity market will work The IESO York Region local electricity market will leverage DERs, such as solar photovoltaic panels, electricity storage (e.g., batteries), combined heat and power plants, small natural gas-fired generators, energy conservation and other clean technologies.

The goal of the local electricity market pilot project is to learn how to achieve a cleaner, more flexible and efficient electricity system that: • takes advantage of distributed energy resources; • reduces grid consumption during peaks in demand; • minimizes the need to invest in new transmission infrastructure; • makes electricity distribution more reliable and resilient; and • provides customers more choice and drives down electricity system costs.

Alectra Utilities is proud to be involved in this groundbreaking initiative and believes that the benefits of DERs will be transformative. “We’re excited to join the IESO and Natural Resources Canada in championing innovation, embracing leading-edge technologies and shaping the energy future of our customers and our communities,” said Bentz.

The local electricity market is one of several pilot projects that will help Alectra discover the possibilities of sustainable energy solutions to power the future for the customers and communities it serves.

Alectra Utilities is partnering with NRCan and the IESO to launch Ontario’s first-ever local electricity market in 2020.

Since DERs are local, electricity has a shorter distance to travel along power lines in comparison to electricity that travels from large generation plants via long-distance transmission lines to electrical substations. DERs also enable utilities and customers to better respond to grid conditions and reduce or shift electricity consumption to on-site generation or storage. This has the potential to reduce stress on the grid during peak demand conditions as well as improve reliability and resiliency against power outages.

The local electricity market will also allow DER owners, aggregators representing groups of small business and residential customers, and large commercial customers to compete in a local market through which they can also provide services to the wholesale market.

“When we’re out talking to communities, one common theme we hear is a desire to have more choice in how their electricity needs are met,” said Terry Young, Vice-President of Policy, Engagement and Innovation at the IESO. “This pilot will help us learn if we can enable that choice while also reducing costs for Ontarians.” canadian electricity association - THE GRID 2020 | transformation

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Game changers: A view from inside the industry - By Stephen Koch Director of Emerging Issues, Canadian Electricity Association

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n 2017, the Canadian Electricity Association under the guidance of the Board of Directors, developed potential future industry scenarios that would inform decision makers as it relates to “Emerging Energy Issues”. This daunting initiative was the basis for convening senior utility members together to form the National Emerging Issues Committee (NEIC) under the leadership of Chairperson Karen Hutt, President and CEO of Nova Scotia Power.

“The whole purpose for this scenario work was not to try and land or get consensus on what the future was going to look like, but rather to create worlds that were different enough to stress test your strategies against, which is really the value of scenario development.”

As the NEIC dived into what the future may hold, three key gamechangers emerged as important areas of focus.

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The Unknown: the most elusive area in extracting data and information While the search for trends and game changes can be difficult at best, this unique phase encompasses our collective experiences that there are always unforeseen happenings, such as the Fukushima meltdown. While we knew the potential was there for an accident to happen, that one event led to the extrication of nuclear power in Germany. Or, how about that one person, working in a lab, or for that matter their basement, developing a new process of transmitting electricity without wirers. As Forrest Gump said after an unfortunate misstep, “It happens.”

To be aware of the potential impacts to the industry, by something we might not see, acknowledges the complexity of life and the changing world around us.

Distributed Energy Resources (DERs): the basis for today’s systems As society demands changes to how the electricity they use is generated, the grid must adapt and the path to a high-functioning, cleaner, greener grid will not be straightforward.

“Even the very first, smallest grids […] could be integrated into this mishmash of newly translatable technology systems. […]

America’s electrical infrastructure began to resolve itself, not in the direction of private plants, but toward what would come to be known as the ‘universal system’ of big interlocking grids powered by central systems.” 1 “By 1925 almost nobody in the electricity business could even imagine a system for making, transmitting, distributing or managing electric power other than a monopoly enterprise.” 2 The resurgence of DER’s today is driven by consumers and technology. It is easier today than when we touted the grid was one of the greatest engineering wonders of the modern world. The belief that centralized generation, transmission of electricity was the only way to provide reliable, safe and affordable power to the masses, can now be challenged. The problem hampering DER’s today is based upon this belief. We have developed, maintained and invested in a structure and regulatory system that severely restricts new ideas and entrants into the market. At some point, like with UBER and the taxi industry, the consumer will ignore the process for their own benefits and beliefs.

Storage: a game changer that has great potential, even today Complicated by an increasing amount of renewable power generation and the fact that our machines, which is a core reason the grid was built to power, require a well-regulated, predictable electrical flow. Technology, power management software and storage will transform our current grid and may also be the catalyst to DERs. As many are keenly aware, storage is not just batteries. Today storage technologies are as vast as hydro dams, pumped storage, thermal, compressed air, flywheels and hydrogen. Some of these are more developed for utility/commercial sized storage and/or residential use but they all have unique capabilities to reduce impacts of inconsistent generation, balance grid peaks and valleys, and improve reliability.

Predicting the future is undoubtably difficult. However, those that take ownership of potential ideas and technology have a greater chance of longevity and success. Considering what the future may hold and those elements that will drive change is a valuable exercise in any business.

Gretchen Bakke, The Grid: The Fraying Wires Between Americans and Our Energy Future (Bloomsbury, 2016), page 54.

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Gretchen Bakke, The Grid: The Fraying Wires Between Americans and Our Energy Future (Bloomsbury, 2016), page 60.

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Giving EV drivers peace of mind OPG & Hydro One launch new Ivy Charging Network - By Paul Choi Senior Communications Advisor, Corporate Affairs Ontario Power Generation

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he new Ivy Charging Network, which opened its first location in Huntsville last September, made its official launch to the public at the 2020 Canadian International Autoshow in Toronto.

By the end of 2021, an anticipated 160 Level 3 fast-chargers will be installed at 73 locations connecting north to south and east to west, making Ivy the largest fast-charger network in Ontario.

And with charging locations set to be an average of less than 100 kilometres apart, Ivy will help ease “range anxiety” for EV drivers, providing confidence on the road while supporting further adoption of EVs. 10

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“Having delivered the world’s largest single climate change action to date with the closure of our coal stations, OPG’s clean power serves as a strong platform to electrify carbonheavy sectors like transportation,” said Theresa Dekker, Vice President, Corporate Business Development and Strategy for OPG, and Co-President of Ivy Charging Network. “That’s why we’re so pleased to be partnering with Hydro One on an initiative that will broaden the benefits of electrification and provide a reliable, integrated network while ensuring no additional cost to ratepayers.”

The new company is an equal partnership between Hydro One and OPG. Natural Resources Canada provided additional funding through its Electric Vehicle and Alternate Fuel Infrastructure Deployment Initiative.

Greenlots, a member of the Shell Group and leader in EV charging and management solutions, has been selected as Ivy’s service partner to operate and manage the network.

In addition to enabling the electrification of the transportation sector, Ivy will also provide a new revenue stream for both OPG and Hydro One, offering greater value to Ontarians and shareholders.

Focusing on the future of energy Innovation at ENMAX powers the possibilities of tomorrow - By Julia Perkins External Relations Advisor, ENMAX

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t ENMAX, sustainability is about the long-game – making decisions today that consider the needs of tomorrow. It’s about resiliency, building from strength gained during challenging circumstances and channeling collective energy into new ways of thinking and connecting.

ENMAX is working to create a sustainable future through innovation across the electricity value chain.

Getting ready for tomorrow’s customer Forecasts indicate there will be ten times as many Electric Vehicles (EVs) on the streets of Calgary by 2025. ENMAX wants to be ready for the increased demand this will put on its electrical system.

In October 2019, ENMAX launched Charge Up, a small-scale EV charging pilot designed to understand how Calgarians use EVs and the potential impacts on the system.

Under this program, ENMAX helps offset the cost of EV chargers for select eligible homes and businesses. In return, ENMAX will use data from the chargers to better understand customer behaviours and the impacts of charging on the grid.

Enabling two-way flow With the rise of EVs will come increased demand for electricity and further exploration of renewable generation sources. Energy consumers on Calgary’s standard distribution network can generate electricity from solar and sell power back to the grid. But there’s a highly specialized and reliable secondary network that doesn’t allow for this two-way power flow.

ENMAX is working on modifications to the network’s hardware, software and communication systems that could unlock the potential for further small-scale clean energy generation in Calgary and other cities.

Going back to the source As we transition to emerging technologies in the coming years, large-scale generation remains necessary to meet today’s energy demands. At ENMAX, innovation in this area is about optimizing resources used to generate electricity, reducing emissions and increasing the efficiency of natural gas-fueled operations.

In November 2019, ENMAX announced an agreement with GE Renewable Energy to upgrade a gas turbine at Crossfield Energy Centre with GE’s hybrid electric gas turbine technology.

The turbine will be equipped to provide operating reserves without burning fuel.

At Shepard Energy Centre, H2O is top-of-mind. Shepard uses reclaimed wastewater for its power generation needs, but the intake water can only be processed so many times before it becomes unusable. The Shepard team recently found the perfect balance to maximize the number of usable cycles while maintaining strict water quality parameters, reducing the plant’s annual wastewater volume by 29 per cent.

Looking ahead ENMAX’s mission is to power the potential of people, businesses and communities by safely and responsibly providing electricity and energy services in ways that matter to them today and tomorrow. As the electricity industry enters a new decade, ENMAX will continue to look to industry trends, changing customer needs and cross-company collaboration to drive its next chapter in innovation.

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Instead, a computer took data including where you are, and where traffic is, to automatically give you an efficient solution that improves your day by reducing your time spent travelling.

But what does data driven automation have to do with the safe, reliable and sustainable creation and delivery of electricity? And how does this improve the lives of our customers?

The smart grid will protect public safety in myriad ways. Highly trained human grid operators are fast, but computers are faster for turning the power off if a dangerous anomaly is detected. Those few moments of grid automation can reduce response time and potentially save someone’s life. Additionally, with information on grid anomalies—like a branch intermittently striking a wire—being fed to operators they can proactively dispatch repair crews to perform maintenance before dangerous situations ever occur.

Smart Grid Automation: Best Solutions Faster - By Alex Kent Manager, Transmission & Distribution Policy, Canadian Electricity Association

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ur current electricity grid works. Utilities have hundreds of employees ready at any given moment to ensure Canadians have power to their homes, businesses, and communities. Canada’s electricity supply is extremely reliable, and our grid is 82% non-greenhouse gas (GHG) emitting and improving every year. The next step for members of the Canadian Electricity Association (CEA) is the pursuit of smart grid automation—or data driven automation— and the ability to do more by leveraging data to assist those hundreds of employees in the operation of the grid.

Data driven automation in general has three components: collection, communication and conversion. Sensors gather data that is sent to a hub to be processed into automatic decisions and outputs. Data driven automation is something that we use everyday. When you search online for the best route to an address, no human calculated the map that you see.

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Smart grid automation will also improve the reliability of the electrical system by augmenting CEA members ability to calculate and coordinate the huge amounts of information needed to operate the grid to get the best solution faster. For example, if a neighbourhood experiences a power outage in a storm the best way to restore electricity is in stages. But given the complexity of the grid, the calculations and coordination required to do a staged restoration are vast and take time. A smart grid will easily accomplish a staged restoration by allowing CEA members to bring transformers online one at a time. This is simpler than having to restart everything at once and which will both hasten the recovery and do it much more safely for lineworkers.

The smart grid could also manage electric vehicle charging so that all cars on a street don’t pull current at the same time and cause an overload, essentially ‘tripping a breaker’ at the community level.

In this solution all EV’s are charged, no one loses power and the utilities protect their equipment from unnecessary degradation.

Furthermore, the smart grid will allow customers to optimally draw from non-GHG emitting sources, again by calculating and coordinating the right information. Smart grid automation is key for Canada to meet its net zero by 2050 target. While the grid works really well today, to electrify transportation, building heating and the rest of the economy as well as manage the increasing amounts of distributed non-GHG energy needed to supply the economy, it will need to deliver more energy and manage more information all in a safe, reliable and sustainable way.

As we look to the future, smart grid automation is an important and frankly exciting evolution in Canada’s electricity industry and thus CEA has specific advocacy asks of government to allow our members to unlock the smart grid. These asks include modernization of the Electricity & Gas Inspection Act (grid sensors), telecom regulatory modernization for private virtual networks (grid communication) and regulatory approval for cloud computing (information processing).

Each piece individually will support Canadians and Canada’s net zero targets but combined they form the smart grid; the fusion of data and electricity, the future of electricity.

Climate Resiliency:

The Canadian Electricity Sector’s Early Start - By Shahrzad Simab Senior Advisor, Climate Change & Clean Energy, Canadian Electricity Association

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any of us don’t often think about electricity as the driver of so many of our day-to-day activities, let alone the grid that supplies it. As such, it is not commonly known that most of the electricity grid that we use today has been serving Canadians for many decades, well before climate change was understood as the threat it is known to be today. In a similar respect, the standards and maintenance procedures used to support the grid were originally based on principles established before the surge of climate concerns.

The Canadian Electricity Association (CEA) is recognizing climate adaptation as a priority today, rather than a far-off risk of the future given more frequent and severe weather events are anticipated, coupled with an aging infrastructure.

The climate science and data available in the last several years have become integral to predicting what Canada’s climate landscape may look like in future decades. This has been fundamental to understanding the key components that are required in climate adaptation and risk management plans. The science and numbers speak volumes. The Insurance Bureau of Canada’s 2019 Fact Book, for instance, states that the average number of catastrophic losses rose to 104 between 2009-2018, up from 56 between 1999-2008. Another eye-opening study in the last year was Canada’s Changing Climate report, showing that Canada’s climate is warming at nearly twice the global rate.

For utilities, the implications of this assessment are there will be more power outages for longer periods of time when electricity demand is at its peak should adequate climate change adaption measures not be actioned.

Fortunately, the Canadian electricity industry prides itself on being a leader in climate adaptation. CEA is currently in the third year of a joint partnership with Natural Resources Canada to develop climate adaptation planning guidelines for electricity companies in Canada. The guidelines are meant to serve as recommended processes for utilities to follow when creating tailored company-specific climate adaptation plans. As most companies have enterprise risk management plans and practices already in place, the guidelines may also serve as a complementary checklist to ensure a climate lens is thoroughly applied. In addition, given the diverse geography and structure of the electricity sector across Canada, a series of workshops are being delivered to work firsthand with members in interpreting and applying these guidelines.

Today, electric utilities are on the cusp of massive change and recognize the importance of a resilient grid being one of the drivers of this transformation. CEA is proud to support members during these times of transition and towards the aspirational goal of utilities developing climate adaptation plans.

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Canada’s Electricity Industry…

Sustainable, Adaptable, Strong - By Nora M. Duke Executive Vice President, Sustainability and Chief Human Resource Officer, Fortis Inc.

This article includes forward-looking information about Fortis Inc. which is subject to uncertainties and assumptions. A number of factors could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those discussed or implied.

These risks are described in more detail under “Forward Looking Information” in the company’s financial reports available at www.fortisinc.com.

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limate change is dominating today’s headlines and our industry has a significant role to play in ensuring a sustainable future. We’re all part of the clean energy transformation that is taking place.

Our customers want and expect reliable, affordable, secure and clean energy.

Customers are seeking renewable energy sources. Recent technology gains and incentive mechanisms have dramatically reduced the cost of wind and solar over the past decade.

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Additionally, public policies are supporting the transition to renewable energy; however, customer expectations are now a key driver.

This renewable energy transformation is powering innovation, growth and opportunity at our companies. It’s an exciting time.

Here in Canada, we have so much to offer.

We have one of the cleanest energy systems on the planet, with more than 80% of the current electricity generation mix in Canada being greenhouse gas (“GHG”) free1. Even so, we continue to take the right steps to make it even cleaner, stronger and more adaptable.

How can we put the strength of Canada and our industry to work in order to support other countries decrease global greenhouse gas emissions?

If we look south to the U.S., Canada is already highly integrated with the U.S. market. Over 80 TWh of electricity flowed across the border in 2017, with thirty states engaged in electricity trade with Canada annually2.

Our largest utility, ITC Holdings in the U.S. Midwest, is working on the Lake Erie Connector Project. The project would see the construction of a 117 kilometre, 1,000 MW underwater transmission line across Lake Erie. This line would provide the first direct link between Ontario and the largest electrical market in the world, the PJM Interconnection.

Like many countries, the U.S. is on an energy transformation journey.

Since 2005 the percentage of renewable resources in the U.S. energy mix has quadrupled, and today more than half of new electricity generation capacity each year in the country is wind and solar3.

When I look at the activity taking place across our Fortis utilities, this transformation is not slowing down. It’s picking up speed.

What’s the Fortis approach to a clean energy future?

At Fortis, we think a lot about what’s happening in our world today, what will happen in future and how we can continue to be a positive force for change.

Our business focus guides our sustainability strategy. This is how we can have the greatest impact on the environment.

Fortis utility ITC Holdings is the largest independent transmission company in the U.S. and is a great illustration of our strategy in action. It has already connected over 6,800 MW of wind energy and over the next five years expects to connect another 2,000 MW of wind and 600 MW of solar energy across the U.S. Midwest.

What is core to your business? Where can you have the greatest impact?

Two examples of the Fortis approach to climate change The Fortis approach to combatting climate change looks slightly different at each of our utilities.

I want to introduce you to Danielle Wensink. She is the Director, Conservation and Energy Management at FortisBC. The Province of British Columbia (“BC”) has established new targets for carbon emission reductions. To support these targets, FortisBC has set a “30BY30” goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with customers’ energy use by 30% by the year 2030. The utility serves approximately 179,000 electricity customers and more than one million natural gas customers.

With our ten utilities operating across Canada, the U.S. and the Caribbean, and our reach to approximately 3.3 million customers, we believe we have an important role.

Fortis is an energy “delivery” business. Our assets primarily consist of electricity poles, wires and natural gas lines, which make up 93% of our total assets. We are different from many large North American utility companies in that we are not heavily focused on generation.

Our focus on energy delivery shapes the actions we take to preserve the environment. What do I mean by this? Quite simply, Fortis can have the biggest and most positive impact on the environment by focusing primarily on delivering more renewable energy to customers.

We leverage our assets to have the greatest positive impact by: • creating and maintaining a strong and well-maintained grid that is ready for new technology, new demands and harsher weather; • looking at ways to add more renewable energy to our operations while recognizing the importance of affordability and reliability; • investing in low and zero-carbon vehicles and transportation infrastructure; and, • being innovative and open to seeing the opportunities that lie ahead of us.

To achieve this goal, FortisBC will triple investment in energy efficiency projects to $368.5 million by 2022, increase renewable gas supply and focus on low and zero-carbon vehicles and transportation infrastructure to get to 30BY30.

Danielle’s team offers a variety of rebates for residential, commercial and industrial customers to help them upgrade to high-efficiency equipment, renovate existing homes and buildings to be more energy efficient, and construct new homes and buildings to the levels of the BC Energy Step Code.

As an example, the team is helping to cut costs and emissions at ice rinks by offering rebates for a “cool” technology to resurface ice.

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The results are a reduction in costs, emissions and energy use and a quality, well-maintained ice surface for the local recreation hockey league – a “win-win”4.

Our decarbonization approach uses both the natural gas and electricity together. Natural gas plays an important role in delivering emissions reductions affordably and reliably.

Following a path that utilizes both systems, we can reach similar GHG reductions. Choosing a path that allows both energy systems to be used to their maximum benefit provides a more affordable way forward to the same energy future.

The Opportunities Ahead Fortis is nearly 134 years old, yet in some ways, I feel like our industry is progressing more than ever and we’re excited about the opportunities that lie ahead.

With the rate of technological change and innovation that is taking place, there is no limit to what we’ll see in the coming decades.

The use of technology in the home and at work will advance rapidly, further increasing the importance of delivering reliable energy to customers.

In BC, emissions in the transportation sector represent more than one-third of the province’s total GHG emissions4. CO2 emissions from natural gas are estimated at 15%-25% less than traditional fuels. FortisBC is now fueling marine ferries and transport truck fleets with natural gas. It is also the first company in the world to offer onboard truck-to-ship liquified natural gas bunkering6. This is an example of FortisBC putting its assets to work to have a global impact on combatting climate change.

The transformation to renewable energy will continue to accelerate. Often energy generation assets, specifically renewables, are not located in close proximity to our largest markets.

Shifting to one of our U.S. utilities, meet Erik Bakken. Erik is the Vice President, System Operations and Environment at Fortis utility Tucson Electric Power (“TEP”).

While much will change, two things will remain constant. The first is our customers’ desire for affordable energy. When we talk with our customers, they want clean energy and the latest in technology. That said, affordability and reliability remain at the top of their list.

The small amount of generation owned by Fortis is primarily within the operations of TEP. Erik’s team set a target to supply 30% of retail sales with renewable energy sources by 2030. TEP is expected to achieve that target in 2021 - almost a decade ahead of schedule. By 2030, TEP plans to have three times as much wind and solar energy as they have today, enough to power almost every home in the Tucson area.

TEP is now in the midst of collaborating with the University of Arizona and the local community to set new carbon emission reduction goals in line with the Paris Agreement on climate change.

FortisBC and TEP are examples of two vastly different approaches tailored to their service territories. Ultimately, both aspire to the same end goal – decreased emissions and a more sustainable approach to operations.

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The grid of the future will need to continue to deliver energy reliably and efficiently to our customers and that’s going to require investment in our transmission and distribution systems.

Second, communities will continue to rely on us to power lives.

Most new technology requires the grid, making it one of the most valuable pieces of infrastructure around the globe.

Customer preferences and combatting climate change will continue to shape our industry for years to come. It’s my hope that in the not too distant future we will have turned the corner on climate change and can enjoy the benefits of a clean energy world for generations to come.

Nora M. Duke is Executive Vice President, Sustainability and Chief Human Resource Officer of Fortis Inc. She serves on the Boards of UNS Energy and FortisAlberta, both Fortis utilities.

1 International Electricity Summit, October 2019. U.S. Briefing Book: CEA Submission, page 62.

2 International Electricity Summit, October 2019. U.S. Briefing Book: CEA Submission, page 64.

3 International Electricity Summit, October 2019. U.S. Briefing Book: EEI Submission, page 27.

4 https://www.fortisbc.com/news-events/stories-and-news-from-fortisbc/howbc-ice-rinks-are-cutting-costs-and-emissions-with-cool-technology 5 https://www.fortisbc.com/news-events/stories-and-news-from-fortisbc/storiesnews-from-fortisbc/2017/08/16/20170816-We-have-the-Innovation-factor 6 https://www.fortisbc.com/news-events/stories-and-news-from-fortisbc/storiesnews-from-fortisbc/2017/08/16/20170816-We-have-the-Innovation-factor

THE CANADIAN ELECTRICITY ASSOCIATION

CORPORATE PARTNER

PROGRAM CEA’s Corporate Partner Program connects companies that manufacture, consult or provide a service to any part of the electricity industry with decision makers of CEA members, utility and service operators from every province and territory in Canada. Corporate Partners may currently be established in the Canadian market or looking for a way to introduce their products or services to CEA members from outside Canada.

JOIN NOW!

For more information, please contact:

Janice Garcia

Corporate Secretary and Director of Membership & Sustainability

garcia@electricity.ca canadian electricity association - THE GRID 2020 | transformation

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This is why AltaLink has developed a coordinated plan to reduce wildfires by enhancing maintenance programs and implementing new protocols to protect communities in the most vulnerable areas.

Working with the provincial government’s branch of wildfire experts, Alberta Wildfire, AltaLink has identified high-risk areas within its system using wildfire risk maps. Building on this resource, the company is creating its own, more specific wildfire risk maps to assess its system.

AltaLink is monitoring and managing its assets more closely in extremely high-risk areas. It is recording fire incidents as part of its Incident Management Standard and coordinating closely with local municipalities in identifying and responding to fires.

Integrating real-time information, such as weather reports and alerts, wind direction, velocity and active fire reports into its operations provides a greater situational awareness. The company is planning to install local weather stations in key locations and field crews are continuously monitoring for wildfire risk through the new fire threat mapping and active fire monitoring that AltaLink is implementing.

Staying safe in wildfire country - Amanda Sadleir Manager, Corporate Communications, AltaLink

I

n recent years, large-scale wildfires in Alberta have become a concern for the public and the utilities that supply them with electricity. The damage caused by fires in Fort McMurray in 2016 and Waterton Lakes in 2017 was devastating. As part of its sustainability plan, AltaLink has embarked on a series of initiatives to reduce the likelihood that its transmission facilities could ignite a wildfire in high-risk areas.

According to Alberta Wildfire’s Historical Wildfire Database, wildfires caused by the powerline industry from 1996-2005 dramatically increased from 64 fires to 850 fires between 2006 to 2017. Powerline-caused fires in Alberta’s Forest Protection Area account for 2.7% of total wildfires.

“Wildfire prevention has always been incredibly important for AltaLink,” said Paul Lee, Vice President, System Operations, AltaLink. “The safety of the public is our number one concern.

With the frequency and severity of fire incidents increasing each year, we know we need to move faster.”

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Incremental reductions in the amount of vegetation around transmission equipment are another key step in AltaLink’s wildfire risk management program. Increasing the frequency of line and vegetation inspections will identify priority areas and high-risk equipment so field crews can address issues.

Upgrades to older wood pole transmission lines are also planned, including using composite, steel or fiber-glass materials, increasing insulation, and/or replacing structures and equipment.

As AltaLink continues to strengthen its fire mitigation plan and processes, it plans to share its learnings with stakeholders and customers so more communities can benefit. This includes working closely with local emergency services to coordinate with existing emergency response plans.

To prevent the ignition of a wildfire, AltaLink will proactively shut-off power to power lines in high-risk fire areas in times of extreme fire weather conditions as a last resort. Customers will be engaged before the shut-off and be informed of the start and end times if weather conditions improve. This measure will only be used where specific fire weather risk triggers are met and local experts confirm conditions require a powerline shut off to maintain safety.

“We will continue to develop best practices for wildfire risk mitigation,” said Lee. “It’s part of our commitment to keeping our neighbours, customers, and the entire grid safe."

Save the Date Canada Protection Symposium December 1 - 3, 2020 Join us for the 5th Annual Canada Protection Symposium on December 1 - 3, 2020. This annual event will be held at the Hyatt Regency Toronto in Downtown Toronto, Canada.

Topics Covered: Incorporating DERs onto the Grid, IEC 61850, Microgrids, Energy Storage, Cybersecurity, Distribution Automation and much more!

Come hear more than 20 industry expert speakers and share your utility best practices with peers! Last year we had more than 30 different service utility participants. events.omicronenergy.com/cps

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Gypsumville restoration: Manitoba Hydro, Minnesota Power and SaskPower crews working together on restoration in Gypsumville.

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Answering the call when Mother Nature strikes Manitoba Hydro responds to the worst early winter storm in the utility’s history - By Bruce Owen & Anthonie Koop Media Relations Officer and Senior Communications & Engagement Advisor, Manitoba Hydro

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hat many Manitobans had planned to be a leisurely Thanksgiving weekend with friends and family was anything but when one of the worst early-winter snow storms in memory hit the province, causing damage to Manitoba Hydro’s system on a scale the utility had never seen before..

A stubborn, slow-moving winter storm starting on October 10, 2019 dumped heavy, wet snow on thousands of trees in Winnipeg—most still thick with leaves—snapping large branches like toothpicks and taking out power lines throughout the city. The storm lingered for two more days, also slamming rural areas to the west and north of the city. Thousands of wood poles broke under the stress of the wet snow and high winds. Dozens of transmission towers twisted and crumpled into piles of bent steel.

The impact was instant and widespread. Over 160,000 customers lost power during the storm; some more than once. For perspective, the utility’s total electric customer base is 586,795.

It took two weeks to restore all affected customers and, for the first time, Manitoba Hydro invoked mutual aid agreements with neighbouring utilities—SaskPower, Hydro One and Minnesota Power—to get help. It would take many more weeks to complete repairs to the transmission system, salvage materials and clean up debris.

At the height of the restoration effort more than 1,400 Manitoba Hydro staff—about a third of the utility’s’ workforce—were mobilized to get the lights back on.

That number included frontline crews and personnel working to make sure the emergency teams were properly supplied, fed and got the rest they needed during their long days, often spent in cold, water-filled ditches. External contractors and neighbouring utilities also provided critical tracked equipment, trucks and personnel.

While the extent of damage to the electrical system was unprecedented, the response to it

by Manitobans was not. The major Red River flood of 1997 and Assiniboine River flooding in both 2011 and 2014 brought out the best of Manitobans in helping those hit by nature’s fury.

The October 2019 snowstorm was no different.

But this time the recipients of extensive community support were crews from Manitoba Hydro and our mutual aid partners. They were greeted in numerous communities with homecooked meals, hand-drawn thank-you cards from school children and an outpouring of wellwishes and kudos on social media.

“What sticks with me is not only the commitment of our staff to our customers through those two weeks, but how so many people stepped up to help and thank us even when many of them still didn’t have power in their own homes,” said Jay Grewal, President and CEO of Manitoba Hydro.

Continued on page 20

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Public communications efforts on the pace of restoration became an around-the-clock, rapid response operation. It included daily media releases updating the utility’s storm response, continual web updates, monitoring and responding to customers on social media on a continuous basis, and keeping Manitoba Hydro staff informed through the utility’s intranet and special bulletins printed and delivered to temporary work camps set up in the Portage la Prairie and the Interlake areas. Regular telephone briefings were also provided to affected major customers, rural municipalities and First Nation communities.

Manitoba Hydro’s response to the Thanksgiving weekend storm began long before the snow started falling. Three days earlier, on Monday October 7, Environment and Climate Change Canada issued a severe weather notification calling for a sudden drop in temperature combined with a Colorado low-pressure system to sneak up from the U.S., bringing rain, snow, freezing rain and ice pellets to southern Manitoba in three days. Worse, the system was expected to stall over central Manitoba into that Saturday ,Sunday or even Monday, walloping some areas with up to 35 centimetres of snow.

The next morning, about nine hours before the storm, Hydro staff in Winnipeg were sent home to get rest in order to be available throughout the night.

Then it hit.

The utility had seen bad storms before, like in 1996 when tornado-like winds took out 19 towers on Manitoba Hydro's two high voltage direct current transmission lines.

This was worse. By the time the skies cleared two days later a good portion of southern Manitoba was under a thick blanket of wet snow, up to 34 centimetres in Winnipeg. Although snow does occur on occasion before Thanksgiving in Manitoba, a snowstorm of this magnitude so early in the season had never happened before.

Hundreds of thousands of Manitobans were without power.

Manitoba Hydro staff had already started restoration efforts, but it was extremely slow going. Over 30,000 trees were damaged in Winnipeg—blocking streets and alleys throughout the city— and were draped over power lines, delaying restoration. Outside With that dire the city many roads forecast, Manitoba Lundar Camp-10: Temporary camps set up in areas hardest hit by the storm hosted workers in the were plugged with Hydro staff initiated hundreds. Each morning over two weeks, crews would fuel up and head out to work on repairs. snow drifts up to three early emergency metres deep, and paths had to be ploughed to even allow Manitoba preparedness and response plans, including drawing up staffing Hydro vehicles to get to downed lines and damaged poles. lists and confirming equipment and materials availability such as trucks, bucket trucks, diggers, flex tracks, poles, wires, As the snowstorm took hold and the outage calls flooded in, the transformers and fuel. utility activated Emergency Operations Centres (EOCs) across the province. These EOCs were responsible for assessing damage, Two days later the forecast got worse. Environment and Climate identifying resource requirements and initiating the responses.

Change Canada upped its snowfall warning: up to 75 centimetres of snow could fall in an area between Winnipeg and Brandon from the U.S. border north-east to Lake Winnipeg. Wind would also pick It would take over a day to assess the extent of the damage.

The hardest hit parts of the province were the rural areas to up with gusts up to 90 kilometres per hour. The federal agency issued a severe weather warning for the lower half of the province. the north and the east of Winnipeg. Approximately 4,000 wood poles were broken, more than 100 transmission towers were damaged and almost 1,000 kilometres of power lines Based on the worsening weather forecast, Manitoba Hydro were down. The destruction list included approximately 100 ramped up its storm preparations. Emergency Management transformers and 2,000 cross-arms. In some cases, over 60 poles Plans were activated and emergency agencies at the City of needed to be reset to restore as little as four customers.

Winnipeg were contacted and briefed on the potential risks of the possible damage to Manitoba Hydro’s distribution system.

At Hydro, core emergency incident command teams were identified and notified of their roles and responsibilities.

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The utility quickly told affected customers to expect prolonged outages lasting several days and to find alternate shelter in hotels or with friends and family.

As the scale of the restoration effort became clear, Manitoba Hydro also activated its’ Corporate Emergency Centre made up of senior leaders and key personnel who would liaise with regional EOCs, helping acquire and coordinate the distribution of needed resources across the affected areas.

The Government of Manitoba declared a limited state of emergency to allow the utility to enact its mutual aid agreements with neighbouring utilities for additional support.

Within hours needed equipment and support personnel from SaskPower, Hydro One and Minnesota Power rolled into Manitoba, and went to work almost immediately. All brought not only trucks and staff, but critical flextrack equipment, allowing crews to access the many areas not accessible by wheeled vehicles.

As crews began pouring into rural areas there was also an urgent need to feed and house them. With staff working 14- to 16-hour days, accommodations had to be provided within a reasonable distance to allow proper rest, including the ability to provide hot meals in the morning and evening. Mobile work camps were setup to support field crews and provisioned with needed supplies – everything from boot warmers to toothpaste.

To temporarily restore three communities, Manitoba Hydro trucked in and connected diesel generators as it wasn’t possible to immediately fix the lines into the communities due to the extensive damage and access issues caused by flooding.

By October 25, all customers affected by the storm were fully restored. Crews from SaskPower, Hydro One and Minnesota Power, who helped with restoration efforts since October 15, had returned home and many Manitoba Hydro employees had also returned to regular duties.

Work to repair the transmission system continued into the new year.

On some towers near Portage La Prairie, crews only had to replace the top sections and in other locations crews had to build entirely new foundations and structures from the ground up. The network was returned to full redundancy standards by early 2020.

Despite the hardship it caused for so many, the storm brought out the best in Manitobans. Keeping the lights on for customers is Manitoba Hydro’s top priority, and their support and patience throughout the storm and in the days that followed was a critical element of our success.

Similarly, keeping the frontlines stocked with the materials needed to make repairs was a huge challenge. With such a large workforce engaged in the restoration effort, the consumption of replacement parts was incredibly fast. As soon as material hit the floor in central stores, it was right back out the door again. To keep up with this “burn rate”, Manitoba Hydro worked with suppliers to source priority items from other utility customers, while crews salvaged everything they could, shipping what was useful where it could be used.

“What also helped make our restoration work go as smoothly as it did was the incredible effort that happened behind the scenes, from our materials management and fleet services to our office staff from around the province who made sure the daily business of Manitoba Hydro wasn’t put on hold,” said Grewal.

It was tough slogging. In some cases, line workers had to re-set broken poles in chest-deep ditch water and mud, but restoration work progressed steadily with large blocks of customers coming back on each day.

As more and more customers were restored, the focus shifted from fixing major backbone infrastructure to local distribution lines.

Within a week, the majority of impacted customers had power again, but many were still out in remote rural locations, including seven First Nation communities.

Tricky terrain and wet, swampy conditions meant using some special equipment and techniques to repair or replace downed poles, including helicopters. That included helicopters, boats and tracked and amphibious vehicles.

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There is no education like adversity Regulatory Lessons from the COVID-19 Crisis - By Justin Crewson Director of Transmission and Distribution Policy, Canadian Electricity Association

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t is not often that I lead with a quote from the 19th century British politician Benjamin Disraeli. However, given the COVID-19 pandemic, Disraeli’s words are illuminating.

The electricity sector should not, and will not, look the same as it did before the crisis. The sector will tweak practices, protocols and perspectives as we learn from this experience.

I would like to take a moment to reflect on some of my key takeaways from the coronavirus crisis. At the Canadian Electricity Association, my responsibilities include a focus on regulatory affairs.

Therefore, it is through this lens that I will reflect on how our sector can work with regulators to build upon insights gained during the pandemic.

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Adjust regulatory processes to value a modern and resilient grid Over the past several years there has been a notion in some quarters that the grid could soon become a thing of the past. But it has become clear to me through this crisis that my grid connection is essential. It is something that ought to be invested in during good times, so that it is there in bad times. As much of society shifted to shelter-in-place, a stable and functioning grid proved essential to enabling life in the “new normal�.

As a case in point, it is a reality that for the vast majority of the population, behind-the-meter renewables and storage technologies are not replacements for a grid connection. Nor will they be in the foreseeable future.

Rather, they are complementary to, and in most cases dependent upon, a grid connection. Therefore, from a policy perspective we should learn from the pandemic experience and develop mechanisms that incent investments that make the grid more resilient to black swan (low-probability but high-impact) events.

that have already started tackling these issues. For instance, the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) has moved to fast-track regulatory approval for storm-protection projects in order to prepare our grids as quickly as possible for the new risk environment. We need to start to have these conversations.

This will mean adjusting regulatory processes to recognize the value of resiliency investments. In fact, the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory is working on developing quantitative metrics to value grid resiliency investments. We need to do the same in Canada.

Moreover, as is the case in California, we should start a conversation on how we can incent investments to modernize the grid to better integrate the technologies of the future.

Incent digital technologies

Fast-track storm protection projects Mass weather-related power outages could definitely have made the pandemic situation worse. For the economy’s vital supply chains and essential services these events could have spelled disaster. Our sector mitigates against these risks during the best of times, but the global crisis invokes a sense that more ought to be done to help ensure that we are prepared for the uncertainty that the future brings.

This is especially true when one considers that climate change is compounding the likelihood of extreme weather events, bringing once black swan 100-year storms, closer to the realm of the expected.

Climate adaptation and mitigation, however, will entail increased costs over current business practices, and governments and regulators must partner further with industry to address these realities. In this regard, we can learn from international jurisdictions

The digital age is upon us and we must embrace it. We must revisit outdated regulatory processes that drive electricity companies away from the investments that they should be making. For instance, the benefits of cloud computing services are more pronounced than ever as major portions of our workforce have transitioned to work remotely.

The resilience and agility that these technologies are enabling is clear.

Therefore it is incumbent on regulators to revisit rulemaking that disincentivizes companies from embracing the digital age.

For example, the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) is progressing rulemaking that would enable electricity companies to capitalize investments in cloud-based services. This would help advance the sector towards technologies that will enable it to be more efficient in the best of times, and more resilient in the worst of times.

It is what we take away from adversity that matters most While these takeaways are surely not exhaustive, they do represent some areas where we should be turning our attention to in the months and years ahead. Indeed, the situation is a fluid one, and more issues are sure to arise. But in the end, it is what we take away from adversity that matters most. canadian electricity association - THE GRID 2020 | transformation

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The Canary in the Oil Sands Mine - By Jay Wilson Director of Generation and Stewardship, Canadian Electricity Association

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uch has happened in the past few months. At the time of writing in May 2020, Canadians had been in lockdown for two months in an effort to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 across Canada.

While the pandemic still colours every discussion around economy and development, it is not the only lens through which we can view Canada’s plans for our future prosperity.

The notice of withdrawal of the Frontier Oil Sands Project Application put forward by Lindsay, was striking. It was an unusual piece of corporate communications, as it offers an astute and timeless commentary on energy resource development in Canada. Similar to any other timeless works, the letter can be received and interpreted differently by each individual who reads it. As a result, it stimulated a lively discussion.

Only a few weeks before COVID-19 conquered the news cycle, the Teck Frontier oilsands mine was foremost in the energy resource sector’s collective consciousness. On February 23, 2020, just hours after a major milestone was passed in the active negotiations on the project, President and CEO of Teck Resources Limited, Don Lindsay, sent a public letter to withdraw their regulatory application under the federal environmental assessment process.

The value of Lindsay’s thought leadership can be summed up in the following excerpt:

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“[…] global capital markets are changing rapidly, and investors and customers are increasingly looking for jurisdictions to have a framework in place that reconciles resource development and climate change, in order to produce the cleanest possible products.

This does not yet exist here today […] Questions about the societal implications of energy development, climate change and Indigenous rights are critically important ones for Canada, its provinces and Indigenous governments to work through.”

This statement is perfectly accurate; there exists no Canadian framework that allows investors and customers to ensure that products are “clean”. Although the word itself is loaded with all kinds of connotations, in this context “clean” suggests that a product should be both environmentally benign and socially acceptable over the long term.

This is a completely rational demand from customers and investors.

The value of a product is no longer defined merely by the price tag.

Now more than ever, customers consider environmental and social impacts when considering the entire cost of their consumption.

In recent years, investors have been making up for lost time.

Institutional investors, in particular, are actively seeking to support “clean” businesses. They are no longer content to simply hold shares in financially profitable—however socially and environmentally questionable—businesses.

Climate change-related aspects of businesses have been under scrutiny lately. In the past few years, there has been a proliferation of new financial tools that, in effect, pose limitations to high-carbon businesses while spurring investment in lowercarbon businesses. Blackrock, the world’s largest asset manager responsible for approximately seven trillion dollars, announced in its annual letter to shareholders that “climate risk is investment risk”, and that “[e]very government, company, and shareholder must confront climate change”. The companies in which BlackRock invests will increasingly become subject to more stringent reporting requirements, including exposure to climate risks. Plans for operating in an emissions-constrained world, as governments grapple with exceeding their Paris Agreement commitments to attempt to restrict warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, will also be considered as part of their equation.

It is not the moral argument that is driving investors to demand higher standards. The business that emits CO2 with abandon runs a greater risk of later being punitively regulated to bring those emissions under control, at a high cost to both the company and its shareholders. A project that alienates the local community and ignores their concerns is likely to have their reputation damaged. Investors are increasingly becoming aware that these are considered real costs.

The true challenge, as Lindsay articulated, is to develop a framework to reconcile the requirement for development with the necessity for environmentally benign and socially just production. This is not a question for Alberta oil sands projects alone—this impacts every development in Canada and should impact development everywhere.

Now, this begs the question: can any development be considered clean? Considering that between 2005 and 2018 the electricity industry reduced its carbon emissions by 46%, more than four times greater than the next-best performing sector.

Aside from these two industries – electricity and heavy industry – emissions in every other sector were stagnant or increasing. The electricity sector in Canada is one of the cleanest, most socially responsible and lowest-carbon sectors in the world.

Further, every credible path leading to Canada reaching net zero carbon emissions includes a vibrant electricity sector.

Without significantly expanding the role of clean electricity in Canadians’ lives, there is no way to decarbonize the rest of the economy at scale. None of this is secret. It has been openly discussed and independently verified.

Knowing this fact, one could be excused in thinking that building major, low-carbon electricity projects would be encouraged, while still requiring the normal due diligence.

Clearly, without these projects, decarbonization of the economy will fail before it even begins.

However, that isn’t the case. As Lindsay mentioned, there is no policy framework in Canada to balance the need for development with the need to decarbonize – even when the development is required in order to decarbonize. Investors and customers require that framework in order to be confident that clean means clean, and that rules won’t change in the next election.

Therefore, the rationale in the letter transcends the Frontier Mine.

Perhaps, if this framework existed, that project would have been able to satisfy investors and customers and the $20 billion project would have gone ahead. Regardless, addressing climate change requires very simple—yet not necessarily easy—solutions to reduce carbon emissions rapidly. The engineering needed to achieve this goal is straightforward. Winning the support of the people who stand to have their lives changed as a result, is not.

At the core of every environmental problem is a very human problem. How will we organize ourselves to affect the changes we wish to see in our world? Can we do so in a way that builds confidence in the process, so we can build the systems we need to protect ourselves from the impacts of climate change? And can we do so in a way that not only allows, but encourages, smart development and the social and economic benefits it provides to Canadians?

The impacts of COVID-19 on the economy since March make this issue even more urgent. Many are calling for a “clean recovery” that will accelerate the transition to a low carbon economy. Hundreds of major projects will need to be built to support these ambitions.

If Canada wants a prosperous, low-carbon future, we must find a way to build the support of governments, investors and all Canadians for these projects today. canadian electricity association - THE GRID 2020 | transformation

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attendants clearing the scene followed by a police investigation to ensure no criminal activity was afoot. Fortunately, the worker did not lose his arm, but needless to say, it was a major wake up call for the team.

CEA Commitments Think about what happened to my colleague: One year away from retirement and so close to having all future plans changed in the blink of eye. You can record this as an injury and add this to your key point indicator metrics, but how do you measure the rest of a lifelong impact?

As defined by the Campbell Institute, safety lagging indicators are reactive measures that track only negative outcomes such as an injury, once it has already occurred. This means that an accident has already happened before establishing preventative measures. As apposed, safety leading indicators are proactive measures for prevention efforts and can be observed and recorded prior to an injury. These safety measurements can be described as senior level commitments to health and safety, safety culture and behaviour, and training metrics.

Going Beyond Statistics:

The New Path to Occupational Health and Safety in the Canadian Electricity Industry - By Kerri Fournier Manager, OHS and Standards Programs, Canadian Electricity Association

Personal Experience

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hile I’ve been in the health and safety field for nearly a decade, I will never forget the first time I witnessed a major accident on the job. It was a former colleague; an older gentleman only a year away from retirement, was in the process of troubleshooting a malfunctioning food bagging machine. While diagnosing the problem, he tripped a sensor which caused a plunger to engage and squeeze his arm between it and the machine’s inside wall.

He screamed for help. Luckily, another worker was nearby who disengaged the plunger and freed his crushed arm.

I shudder to this day when I think about the scream. The scene to follow was just as horrific; panicked workers and ambulance

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The Canadian Electricity Association’s (CEA) Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Committee appreciates the value of preventative measures. It is committed to adding leading indicators to its own reporting metrics in an effort to ensure the utilities they represent are ultimately keeping their teams safe before an incident or injury occurs. To make certain the best leading indicators for the electricity industry in Canada are designed, the OHS Committee has commissioned an expert consultant to identify the most suitable and effective leading indicators for provision of the greatest outcome.

Along with leading indicators, the OHS Committee understands that standardization is key to any OHS management system success.

Therefore, it has also committed to completing an ISO45001 gap analysis for their respective companies to benchmark and demonstrate how they meet the OHS management system standard. The Committee would then be better positioned to support the industry with guidance and sharing of best practice that are targeted to areas where additional attention in developing member OHS management systems may be needed.

CEA members also recognize the importance of safety for their contractors. They appreciate that contractors are just as important as employees, are part of the team and must be protected and treated equally in the OHS management system.

At this time, contractor metrics are being identified and a CEA working group has been struck to look solely at contractors and the unique set of challenges they bring forth in safety.

Looking Forward This is demonstrated by their daily commitment, determination and desire to continue to be on the leading edge of the health and safety of their teams. We look forward to a day where injuries are no longer a measurement of success or failure but to a safety culture which fosters all aspects of the workplace.

30 Years Young: Transforming a Heritage Asset into the Power Generator of Tomorrow - By Daniel Jurijew Vice President, Government & External Relations, Capital Power

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ur world is changing at a rapid pace. From the electrification of our economy to the pressing need to address climate change, the energy industry is at the forefront of these complex, global challenges. At Capital Power we are passionately pursuing a number of initiatives and innovations across our fleet to deliver low-carbon, sustainable energy for generations to come.

As an Alberta-based company, we’re proud to be investing in and developing world-leading transformation initiatives at our Genesee Generating Station. Located west of Edmonton, our Genesee facility consists of three generating units which provide over 1,300 MW of reliable, baseload generation for Albertans. While this facility recently marked its 30th anniversary of operations in 2019, it could have just as easily celebrated its promising future.

Originally constructed as a coal-fired power generation facility, Genesee is now undergoing a significant transformation to optimize its performance, enable fuel flexibility and support the development and application of carbon conversion technology.

In 2016, Capital Power launched our five-year, $45-million Genesee Performance Standard (GPS) efficiency improvement program, which targets a 12% reduction in carbon emissions by 2021. In addition to this program, major turbine upgrades initiated in 2019 have put us ahead of schedule to achieve these emissions reduction targets. This past year, we also announced a $70-million dual-fuel project. Upon completion of this project, all three Genesee units will be transformed to have complete dual-fuel capability, with real-time flexibility to use up to 100% natural gas or coal, or a mix of the two, depending on market conditions, until we eliminate coal by 2029. This flexibility will further reduce emissions.

Capital Power also plans to build the Genesee Carbon Conversion Centre (GC3), which will be the world’s first commercial-scale production facility of carbon nanotubes.

GC3 will utilize emissions from the Genesee facility alongside C2CNT technology, a carbon conversion solution that transforms emissions into carbon nanotubes. Carbon nanotubes are a conductive, high-value product that can be used as an additive to substantially increase the strength of materials such as concrete, steel and aluminum. Subject to permitting and requisite approvals, construction is currently scheduled to start later this year. The facility will have an initial production capacity of approximately 2,500 tonnes of carbon nanotubes per year. The key benefits: those 2,500 tonnes of carbon nanotubes would be produced from 10,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide captured from our flue gas, while the use of those carbon nanotubes in downstream industrial processes—such as cement production—would reduce the amount of inputs and energy required and drive additional reductions in carbon dioxide emissions.

Advancing this slate of transformational projects at our Genesee Generating Station is just one of the ways Capital Power is innovating to provide low-carbon power generation and deliver Responsible Energy for Tomorrow. We’re committed to creating dependable, cost-effective and innovative electricity solutions to create long term value for generations to come.

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Moving the Needle: Diversity & Inclusion in the Workplace - By Channa S. Perera Vice President, Policy Development, Canadian Electricity Association

Personal Experience

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es, I am new to the organizational discourse on diversity and inclusion. But as a visible minority who immigrated to Canada just over 30 years ago, I’ve had the chance to experience the challenges around these issues from both the outside looking in (as an average person growing up in suburban Toronto and Ottawa) and from the inside looking out (as a senior employee at the Canadian Electricity Association). I am keenly aware of what it means to feel included or excluded. I am sure I’m not alone, and perhaps many of you can also relate, to this issue through your own life experiences. While we’ve made great strides over the years on diversity and inclusion, we have much more to accomplish as organizations, as industries, as a country and as a world in creating a fair and just society for all.

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Make no mistake, our collective efforts will eventually succeed in achieving this vision. I’ve had the privilege of working in the energy sector for the last two decades and breaking through many barriers, some of which were facilitated by supportive colleagues and managers who saw me beyond my race, my ethnicity, my thinking style, etc. That level of acceptance and support, in my view, is fundamental for addressing diversity and inclusion in a meaningful manner and setting up organizations for future success. In fact, empirical studies have shown there is a direct correlation between gender and ethnic diversity, and company profitability and value creation.

Defining the Concepts & the Challenge Advancing diversity and inclusion is still a challenge as not everyone fully appreciates the nuances around creating a heterogeneous work environment. These are broad and complicated concepts that require acceptance by many people within an organization. Diversity touches on many individual traits such as gender, ethnicity, race, age, sexual orientation, religion and marital status, to name a few. The concept of inclusion is about leveraging diversity to promote an equitable and fair work environment through a fundamental shift in an organization’s culture and values.

The challenge for leaders is to integrate and leverage these concepts to strategically position their organizations for future success in a rapidly changing work environment. While there is no homogenous approach to addressing these issues, all forward-thinking organizations should start by investing in the foundational elements, including the development and implementation of a clear strategic framework to drive meaningful change.

Mainstreaming diversity and inclusion in organizations is not dissimilar to other corporate issues such as Occupational Health and Safety and Sustainability. As is the case of the latter issues in the last several decades, we need to normalize conversations about diversity and inclusion. In addition to including these issues into organizational strategies and operations, all members of the organization should integrate diversity and inclusion “discourse” and “moments” into their daily work and interactions with each other. The more we normalize these conversations, the easier it would be to drive culture change and shift to a more diverse and inclusive workplace paradigm.

The Electricity Sector Journey The Canadian electricity sector, like many other economic sectors in Canada, has already begun its diversity and inclusion journey.

However, there is still a long way to go and getting there is not without challenges. Every electricity company works in different service territories with different demographics.

While the industry is making incremental progress on attracting, retaining and promoting employees from different backgrounds, there are still gaps from implementing overarching corporate strategies to attracting diverse talent throughout the organizational value chain. Attracting skilled workers and accelerating this transition to a diverse and inclusive workforce will be essential as the industry goes through rapid technological innovation and transformation of its business models.

The CEA Human Resources Committee, comprised of the industry’s senior Human Resources executives, is already working collectively to address these gaps by benchmarking their approaches, sharing best practices and developing tools related to diversity and inclusion.

Several of these companies have also signed onto various external initiatives including Electricity Human Resources Canada’s (EHRC) Leadership Accord on Gender Diversity and the federal government’s Equal by 30 (equal pay, equal leadership and equal opportunity) initiative.

As the voice of electricity in Canada, CEA is committed to advancing this agenda in the months and years ahead. CEA has also made a commitment to both above-mentioned external initiatives and we look forward to pursuing strategies and measures to achieve our goals in diversity and inclusion.

Our Collective Future As this journey continues, let’s remember that diversity is not about ticking boxes. It is about shifting attitudes, ways of doing things, respecting different perspectives, and creating a fair and just society. This is within our reach and together we can achieve it. Let’s join hands to create a brighter future for generations to come.

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According to Electricity Human Resources Canada (EHRC), women in trades and technical roles represent only seven per cent of the workforce while female powerline technicians represent less than five per cent of the trade positions available nationally.

Utilities Kingston has partnered with the Women of Powerline Technicians (Women of PLT) organization to promote gender diversity in the trade. This national not-for-profit organization is committed to increasing the representation of women in trades and technical roles within Canada’s electricity sector. “Our vision is to see every gender represented on every distribution operations crew,” says Lana Norton, Executive Director and Founder of Women of Powerline Technicians.

“This partnership is a great way for Utilities Kingston to promote diversity, inclusion and equality in the trades. That’s why we are proud to be a partner of the Women of Powerline Technicians organization,” says Jim Keech, President and CEO of Utilities Kingston.

Utilities Kingston partners with Women of Powerline Technicians to promote diversity, inclusion and equality in the trades - By Katie McNichols Human Resources Advisor, Utilities Kingston

The partnership included a $1,000 bursary for one student in a recognized powerline technician post-secondary diploma program. The bursary was open to any student, of any gender, registered in a full-time Powerline Technician program in the province of Ontario. Chloe Smith, a second-year student in the Powerline Technician program at Algonquin College, was awarded the bursary in 2019.

She says that there are very few women in the program and, while the students and teachers in her program are inclusive and accepting, one of the challenges she faces is that people sometimes underestimate her ability to lift and gather the right equipment.

“The ability to work in any trade does not depend on your gender, but on having the skills and knowledge, and demonstrating the safe work practices to contribute fully to an organization’s success.

I hope that more women will join the powerline technician trade.

Including more women in a male-dominated field will give a unique and different perspective to the trades,” says Chloe.

E

mploying and supporting a diverse team of people isan important element in creating an inclusive and engaged workforce. A diverse employee base is known to bring many benefits to a company including a broad talent and skill pool, innovation through different points-of-view, improved performance and overall community development.

While there are many ways to define diversity – such as race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, and more – this article focuses on improving the gender gap that is apparent in the skilled trades.

Utilities Kingston supports an inclusive workplace and we are proud to celebrate and support the achievements of women. Shown, are some of the women leading the way for the utility company.

For more information on Women of PLT, or to become a partner, visit https://womenofplt.com

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First of its kind

Indigenous bioenergy project to generate cleaner power, economic benefits - By Joel Cherry Media and Issues Consultant, SaskPower

N

early 10 years in the making, construction activities have now begun on the First Nations-owned Meadow Lake Tribal Council (MLTC) Bioenergy Centre. In October 2019, a Power Purchase Agreement between MLTC and SaskPower was signed for up to eight megawatts of carbon-neutral power – enough baseload electricity to power more than 5,000 Saskatchewan homes.

The bioenergy power plant is being constructed at Canada’s only 100 per cent Indigenous-owned sawmill, MLTC’s NorSask facility, located near Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan. Energy will be generated onsite by burning residual wood waste such as bark, sawdust and planer shavings. This carbon-neutral approach to electricity generation will also significantly improve air quality for area residents by reducing smoke and other harmful emissions. In total, the plant is expected to decrease greenhouse gas emissions by more than one million tonnes over 25 years.

“The MLTC bioenergy project is a landmark step to strengthen our relationship and collaboration with Saskatchewan First Nations,” said SaskPower President & CEO Mike Marsh.

“SaskPower has committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40 per cent from 2005 levels by 2030. This project will provide another low-carbon generation option to help us meet that target and safeguard a better future for everyone.”

In addition to providing low-carbon baseload power to Saskatchewan’s provincial grid, the bioenergy plant will increase economic opportunities for the nine First Nations that comprise the MLTC – Birch Narrows Dene Nation, Buffalo River Dene Nation, Canoe Lake Cree Nation, Clearwater River Dene Nation, English River First Nation, Flying Dust First Nation, Makwa Sahgaiehcan First Nation, Ministikwan Lake Cree Nation and Waterhen Lake First Nation. Revenues will also support essential programs and services in these communities.

“I want to acknowledge the leadership and hard work of my nine MLTC First Nation Chiefs, and I want to recognize the contribution and long-term partnership MLTC now has with SaskPower,” said MLTC Tribal Chief Richard Ben. “This project allows MLTC communities to continue growing our participation in the Saskatchewan economy and supports greater investment in key community infrastructure, housing, health and education projects, and programming for our youth and elders.”

The project was made possible in part because of significant investment by the Government of Canada. Up to $52.5 million in federal funds will go to this project through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Plan, and an additional $250,000 is being provided by the federal Community Opportunities Readiness Program. These funds mark some of the largest federal investments in power generation in Saskatchewan in recent years.

In the photo from left to right are: Minister of Trade & Export Development Jeremy Harrison, Makwa Sahgaiehcan FN Chief Ronald Mitsuing, Meadow Lake Tribal Chief Richard Ben, Flying Dust First Nation Chief Jeremy Norman, SaskPower President and CEO Mike Marsh, and elder Sylvia Bekkattla.

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Getting Sticky with Electricity

- By Myra BeamanMedia and Public Affairs Officer, Hydro Ottawa

I

don’t know about you, but I often struggle to remember what I ate for dinner the night before. From the moment that we wake up to when we go back to bed, we are bombarded with notifications on our smartphones and laptops – with marketing messages, reminders, social updates, bills and more.

In an age of information overload, for which many are using the term “infobesity”, it’s a challenge to stay focused and to remember even a fraction of the information we review every day. So how do utilities overcome this challenge?

For utilities, relevant, creative and consistent content is crucial.

In order to elevate the brand, they must develop content that tells customers a story beyond their monthly bill – a rather dreary message that customers are constantly reminded of. To counteract the potential negativity that can come with regular billing, a balance of alternative – and memorable – content is needed to help customers see value. While basic ad hoc content and shorter-term campaigns are good, organizations need to go a step further if they want to stand out from the noise.

Repetition, repetition, repetition. The average person needs to hear a message at least three times before it truly sticks in their mind.

In fact, there are studies indicating that six to twenty times is ideal.

From a content marketing perspective, this is an important reality to be aware of for organizations that want to stay top-of-mind.

On a foundational level, this is where content themes come in. Leveraging a quarterly or monthly content theme enables utilities to not only align content to business objectives, but also to unify company messaging.

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With a planned campaign and timeline to share a particular theme, it opens up the possibility for the theme to have a variety of touchpoints and cross-pollination, thus providing the repetition needed to make it memorable. It gives customers a narrative that they will see across everything they receive from the company – including the bill (on-bill messaging and graphics, anyone?). An added benefit is that building a rich set of content will also develop search engine optimization authority on the themes covered.

Once some content themes are established, it’s important to find a creative format to uniquely deliver the message. In Hydro Ottawa’s case, one way we decided to do this was through adopting a podcast format to stir up a conversation with our audience. Other ways that we try to mix it up are through leveraging drones – for a unique vantage, and through programming smart speaker skills.

In order to strengthen the reach of a thematic message, a multichannel strategy is necessary. It’s important to consider the most appropriate channels to share each piece of content and to customize messaging based on the medium and differing target audiences.

Consideration for current events and for how people are shifting their social media and search habits for web and voice is also important for making the content easy to find, accessible, and relevant.

The more electricity companies can share thematic content evenly across digital and non-digital channels, the stickier the content will become. But, as they say, the proof is in the pudding: a crucial element to apply to any new content marketing efforts is a way to track engagement through a performance tracking tool.

Month over month data is what helps our company determine the effectiveness of both its channels and campaigns.

Adopting a thematic content strategy is something that Hydro Ottawa has leaned into. With our messaging aligned across nearly all of our channels, we are greatly increasing our footprint for delivering a particular message. For example, using simply Hydro Ottawa’s customer email newsletter, going out to 180,000+ customers, and Twitter account with 38,000+ followers, we are able to reach a large proportion of customers with theme-related content in different formats. Using themes to guide our content is not only helping our customers receive unified messaging, it’s also providing a compass for all of our content development moving forward.

Hydro Ottawa’s first quarterly theme for 2020 was “Behindthe-scenes”, showcasing the human side of Hydro. Driving this message across our website, ThinkEnergy podcast, blog, Energy Talks email newsletter, and social media accounts proved to resonate well across each channel. One noteworthy success was that, with the rise of the COVID-19 crisis, we were able to bridge this theme with current events to maintain relevancy. These efforts resulted in over 50 per cent open rates and 10 per cent click rates on all email marketing campaigns (well above industry benchmarks), a more engaged audience, and an overall positive sentiment across all social media campaigns.

Follow us on Twitter to see how the Hydro Ottawa’s content story unfolds for the rest of the year.

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Neighbours Helping Neighbours - By Joelle Lancaster Reliability Analyst, Canadian Electricity Association

F

or over a century, lineworkers have been working hard to build and maintain the powerlines that provide Canadians access to reliable, affordable and clean electricity. The increase in frequency, intensity and duration of severe weather events has elevated the importance of lineworkers to ensure a steady supply of power to Canadians. This job does not end at the boundaries of a lineworker’s service territory.

Mutual assistance agreements are engagements between various utilities where their respective lineworkers assist each other in times of severe weather in an effort to help restore power to energy customers across North America. During a particularly harsh winter storm that battered Manitoba residents over Canadian Thanksgiving of 2019, lineworkers and equipment arrived from Saskatchewan, Ontario and even Minnesota to help restore service.

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Adverse weather can challenge workforces of any size, and mutual assistance can be as wide as a multi-country response involving hundreds of powerline workers or as small as a single crew trucking over to help restore power in a neighbouring city.

Unlike Ontario, which has over 60 distribution utilities providing power to the province, most only have a single—or handful—of electricity companies.

Storms do not limit the havoc they wreak to a single service territory. And just like reaching out to a neighbour for help cleaning up your yard after one passes, utilities do the same, calling in reinforcements for storm damage assistance.

The Ontario Mutual Assistance Group (OnMAG) program, being piloted through the Canadian Electricity Association, brings neighbours together in order to best manage crews and resources across Ontario and bring aid to utilities in distress.

The program provides a single point of contact for utilities requesting assistance, a call-out system to match utilities who need helping hands across the province.

The OnMAG builds upon the Canadian Mutual Assistance Group, a national committee of utilities that oversees the National Mutual Assistance Agreement and shares best practices, such as storm recovery and onboarding practices, and addresses the unique make-up of Ontario’s electricity distribution ecosystem.

Utilities signed onto the Ontario Mutual Assistance Agreement strengthen their partnerships across the province and contribute to ensuring that lineworkers continue to reach out during dark times and connect with neighbours in need to get the lights back on in a coordinated, province-wide approach.

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Acknowledgements

C

EA would like to express our deepest appreciation to the authors of this publication, most notably our members from all across the country who have invested their efforts and resources into sharing their stories, their initiatives on transformational innovation, and perspectives on the present and future implications of COVID-19 on the electricity sector. We thank Fortis Inc.’s Nora M. Duke, Capital Power’s Daniel Jurijew, AltaLink’s Amanda Sadleir, SaskPower’s Natosha Lipinski, Ontario Power Generation’s Paul Choi, Alectra Utilities’ Lori Gariepy, Manitoba Hydro’s Bruce Owen, Utilities Kingston’s Katie McNichols, ENMAX’s Julia Perkins, and Hydro Ottawa’s Myra Beaman.

We also acknowledge CEA’s staff contributions, particularly our President and Chief Executive Officer, Francis Bradley; Vice President of Policy Development, Channa Perera; Director of Transmission and Distribution Policy, Justin Crewson; Director of Emerging Issues, Stephen Koch; Director of Generation & Stewardship, Jay Wilson; Manager of Occupational Health and Safety and Standards Program, Kerri Fournier; Manager of Transmission & Distribution Policy, Alex Kent; Senior Advisor of Climate Change & Clean Energy, Shahrzad Simab; and Reliability Analyst, Joelle Lancaster.

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A special thank you to Sarah Robinson, Patrick Farley, and Rewa Mourad for the production of The Grid 2020: The Transformation Issue.

Finally, CEA would like to convey its sincerest gratitude to the following organizations for sponsoring this publication:

For more information, please visit electricity.ca or contact Rewa Mourad at mourad@electricity.ca

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