PC government quietly creates energy transition panel

Premier Doug Ford's cabinet quietly created a new "Electrification and Energy Transition Panel" a few weeks ago to instruct Ontario's government on how to transition the economy to become more climate-friendly.

The group was officially formed by cabinet using an order-in-council that was approved about one month ago — which happens to be weeks before Earth Day, this Friday, as well as the election.

The panel was formed for up to one year, beginning on April 1.

The three-member advisory group will be chaired by David Collie, a former president and CEO of Ontario's Electrical Safety Authority, who will be paid up to $80,000 at a $1,000-a-day rate for his work. Energy Minister Todd Smith announced Collie's appointment in a tweet a few hours after this story was first published.

Electrification and economic growth are driving increased #energy demand.

With the launch of our Electrification and Energy Transition Panel, our government is ensuring continued access to a reliable and affordable clean energy supply for years to come while reducing emissions. pic.twitter.com/gLxE42FyM4

— Todd Smith (@ToddSmithPC) April 22, 2022

The other two yet-to-be-named members of the panel will be paid $723-a-day, up to $57,840. They and Collie will also be compensated for "reasonable expenses" that their duties as members of the energy transition panel require, which includes certain travel, meal and hospitality expenses, as is typical for these types of appointments. Another recent cabinet order lays out members' compensation.

As cabinet's order states, the "expert panel (will) provide advice to the Minister of Energy on various issues related to integrated long-term energy planning in Ontario."

The orders creating the panel came, officially, from the Ministry of Energy, which Smith oversees as minister. The Ministry of Energy Act gives Ontario's energy minister the authority to put together committees to give him advice.

Smith said in an open letter included in his tweet on Friday that the panel's goal "is to help government keep rates low and enable investment, job creation and skills development in Ontario by making it easier for companies to anticipate the long-term development of Ontario's energy sector."

Cabinet's order also says Ontario's government is: "committed to ensuring a reliable, affordable and sustainable supply of energy for Ontarians"; "is reviewing its current long-term energy planning process to increase the effectiveness, transparency, predictability, and accountability of energy decision-making in Ontario in order to enable better use of resources and increase benefits to customers"; and "understands that the successful transition to a clean energy economy and increased electrification will bring with it wide-ranging consequences that require careful consideration and coordination."

Early in its term, Ford's government was infamously ruthless in rolling back measures its predecessor had taken to protect the environment, including pulling out of the province's cap-and-trade regime.

Over the last few months, with an election looming, the PCs made a significant U-turn on their position toward the auto sector by embracing electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing — the use of which they actively worked against earlier in their mandate by axing a rebate for EV buyers and cancelling an expansion of Ontario's EV-charger network.

The energy minister also wrote in his Twitter post that because of "significant growth in electric vehicles and ... corporate environmental and sustainability decisions ... it is important Ontario takes steps now to ensure we have the energy infrastructure to support the growing demand for clean energy."

On Friday, Ontario's other party leaders had events and announcements planned to align with Earth Day. The Liberals promised to plant 800 million trees if elected. NDP Leader Andrea Horwath planned to attend a tree-planting event in her hometown of Hamilton, where she also planned to hold an Earth Day-themed announcement. The Ontario Greens on Thursday published statements promoting their plans to counter rising food costs in an environmentally conscious way, and to address "environmental racism," which is the idea that racialized communities are disproportionately impacted by climate disasters and the wider effects of climate change.

Although Canada produces the fifth largest quantity of oil in the world, Ontario is essentially a dry jurisdiction for oil production (in 2018 it contributed 0.1 per cent to Canada's total oil production, according to the Canada Energy Regulator). Out of the provinces, Ontario is second, behind Alberta, in oil-refining ability, with about 20 per cent of Canada's capacity.

Ontario is also one of Canada's leaders in zero-carbon-emitting energy production. In 2018, 23 per cent of electricity generated in Canada came from Ontario — 96 per cent of which came from nuclear (60 per cent), hydroelectricity (26 per cent), wind (seven per cent) and solar (two per cent) sources.

UPDATE: This story was updated to include details Energy Minister Todd Smith tweeted about the Electrification and Energy Transition Panel a few hours after this story was published on Friday.