Current Affairs

Issue 75 - March 2025

Energizing Talent

The electricity sector is currently facing challenges in workforce development due to labour shortages, an aging workforce, and the rapid evolution of required skills. With energy consumption and demand on the rise, the industry is looking to attract its most valuable assets – people. Current Affairs chats with Electricity Canada’s Manager of Safety and Human Resources Program, Natasha Honey, about the recent roundtable Electricity Canada hosted on the human resource challenges in the sector, “Energizing Talent".

Hi Natasha, thank you for joining us! What did the first Energizing Talent Roundtable session look like?

The first roundtable took place February 26th, and it was the first in a focused, but in-depth conversation series about the workforce challenges facing the electricity sector. The theme for this first roundtable was on government and industry collaboration, so we explored how current policies are shaping the labour market, where gaps exist and what can be done to strengthen the partnership between industry and government to address workforce needs.

This discussion was all about charting a path forward, building a shared understanding of key challenges, and identifying potential directions for future action. These types of conversations will hopefully lay a foundation for ongoing dialogue and more strategic workforce planning in the future!

Who was in attendance?

We have gathered leaders from across the electricity sector, government and labour organizations to bring different perspectives to the table.

We have representation from Electricity Human Resources Canada, and the Canadian Labour Congress. From our membership we have representation from Hydro One, and OPG. On the government side, we have representation from Employment and Social Development Canada, and we have representatives from the University of Ottawa, Toronto Metropolitan University as well as union representation from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW).

Describe some of the challenges the energy sector faces in our workforce?

One of the most pressing challenges, is the labour shortage that we're facing. By 2028, labour market studies are projecting that the sector is expected to be short more than 20,000 workers and 17% of the current workforce is set to retire. This creates serious risk for workforce stability and succession planning.

At the same time, we have an innovative industry that is changing so rapidly. There are all sorts of new technologies like hydrogen production, advanced grid systems, integrated renewables etc…It’s creating a demand for skills that current workers don’t really have resulting in training gaps.

The more complex workforce issues involve government programs aimed at supporting workforce development through more administrative barriers that are misaligned with the industry needs.

Where do you see opportunities in the electricity sector workforce?

I think there's a really big opportunity to strengthen the collaboration between government and industry, which is what this first roundtable is really hoping to address. By working together, we can ensure that workforce policies and programs are more responsive to the sector's needs and hopefully close the labour gaps. We would like to improve access to workforce supports and training, and create clear pathways for people entering and advancing in the industry.

Another opportunity is leveraging new data and insights to predict labour needs and skills requirements. Through that, there is an opportunity to become more strategic with workforce planning.

There is also an opportunity to attract untapped pools of workers that are typically underrepresented in the electricity industry like newcomers to Canada, women, and Indigenous workers. We can really diversify the industry this way and that is very exciting.

What are you hoping key stakeholders take away from these conversations?

I want everyone to leave with a clearer understanding of how government and industry can work more effectively together to address workforce challenges. We're not trying to be prescriptive with this round table, the goal is to identify the supporting areas to focus on and lay the groundwork for future action. This should be the start of an ongoing conversation as the industry continues to evolve.

Any ideas for future roundtables?

How we can collaborate with educational institutions from all different levels to attract talent and retain talent is probably the next focus of our roundtable series! To give students a good understanding how the industry works and show that you can have a long and illustrious career in the industry is really important.

Electricity Trade in North America

At the start of February, the U.S. set in motion a 25% tariff on most Canadian goods and a 10% tariff on energy sources from Canada. Canada responded by putting similar tariffs on products from the U.S. On February 3, these actions were “paused” by both countries for a month. But questions remain about what might happen to the electricity grid from both countries if tariffs ever come back on the table.

Canada and the United States have been trading electricity for over a century. The integrated grid gives both countries a sense of security and flexibility over their energy use and they can rely on each other to help keep the lights on in times of need. Current Affairs sits down with Manager of U.S. Affairs, Robin Yee to discuss the opportunities and potential upcoming challenges in energy policy with the new administration.

Hi Robin. Thank you for joining us. How has cross-border electricity trade traditionally worked for the past 100 years up until now?

Cross-border trade grew out of natural strengths and needs that complemented each other...Instead of one region needing to overbuild to meet its highest demand throughout the entire year, it could coordinate with its neighbours and draw on their surplus when the electricity wasn’t being used. An example of this is how – generally – Canadians tend to use more electricity during the winter (for heating) while in the U.S. their demand is higher in the summer (for cooling). Rather than building up for a peak that will just happen a few weeks in the whole year, we can be strategic and balance between both of us.

If the U.S places tariffs on Canadian goods including electricity, what exactly is at risk?

First of all, the whole electricity system has been built around tariff-free trade of electricity, so introducing tariffs will be hugely disruptive. Business decisions have been made based on the affordability and availability of electricity, and not just for our sector, but in the U.S. for industries that consume a lot of energy as well. If tariffs are introduced, that has a ripple effect.

But the most obvious one is economic. If the U.S. places tariffs on Canadian electricity, it means that their consumers and manufacturers will be paying more for electricity. The U.S. imports electricity from Canada because it makes sense for affordability. And electricity isn’t something you can source alternatives from overseas!

The same tariffs could also mean that bills go up here in Canada. It’s counterintuitive but a decline in exports could mean reduced revenues at home. The electricity sold is often surplus electricity, which is not needed in that moment. If there is extra flow or wind, it makes sense to sell to our neighbours and everyone benefits.

Also, even though Canada is a net exporter, we do still import from the U.S., and those imports are significant in the areas where they are used. B.C. is going through a drought cycle and has been importing more electricity over the last few years. If electricity costs go up in the U.S., that raises the price for U.S. exports to Canada, too.

We’re also watching for impacts on the overall supply chain. Again, the theme here is disruption, and for a regulated sector that has long lead times for planning, approval and procurement, tariffs introduce lots of uncertainty into the supply chain for costs and availability. It’s not just for new projects, but for maintenance and modernization too.

Beyond the tariffs, what other aspects of U.S/Canada are we watching?

We are also keeping an eye on the direction U.S. energy policy will take. The new government has very different priorities from the previous one and is much more focused on building up oil and gas production domestically. A lot of the policy from the last four years will be paused or rolled back. There’s a lot of regulatory uncertainty and I think that that’s something significant to watch for, will there be changes in the market structures or regulatory assumptions.

What have you and members of the Electricity Canada’s government relations team been doing?

We’ve been busy! I’d say we are talking with three main groups. The first is our members, especially those involved in power marketing, government relations or supply chain. We need to understand the questions they are asking and their priorities as the U.S. landscape changes.

We have also been engaged with key Canadian government officials to share industry information and understand the thinking around planning a response, and how we can inform and support this in a united way. That’s very important.

And we’ve been bringing the message directly to the U.S. as well, meeting with leaders from industry associations and stakeholders. As the new government settles in, we will meet with the energy policymakers too, as we’ve been doing for years. Electricity is one of those things that has worked so well, for so long in the cross-border relationship, that many people don’t even think about it. But I generally find that, once you take a look at how both countries benefit, people really do get it and understand the value.

A look ahead for 2025

Electricity Canada is jumping right back into the swing of things after the holiday season! Current Affairs sits down with our President and CEO Francis Bradley to discuss upcoming projects, upcoming issues, and some new year’s resolutions for the electricity industry.

Hi Francis, thanks for joining us. If the Canadian electricity industry had a new year’s resolution, what would it be?

That's a tough one! How about to have the courage of our convictions? Or how about being steadfast in seeking the changes that are going to be required to build the future system?
In short, some kind of new year’s resolution that will help us get things done, and will help us get things built. The challenge that the industry faces as we move to the future is this very rapid growth in demand. We need the kind of resolutions that are going to help us meet that very significant challenge.

What are the big challenges and opportunities for the electricity sector in 2025?

Well, the first challenge would be political change. We're facing a period of significant political change both here at home, where we're expecting an election in the coming year, and with our major trading partner in the North American grid, the United States with an incoming new administration.

Navigating that uncertainty is not an insignificant challenge. There always the potential for political whiplash which is when due to change in government to any jurisdiction, if the policy orientation changes by 180 degrees, decisions are going back and forth. This is a concern in a sector like ours where investments are made for generations.

The other challenge would be meeting that growing demand, sometimes referred to as resource adequacy. We're seeing demand coming at a much faster clip than anybody had anticipated. A couple of years ago when we were looking to the future, we expected to be in a period of growth right now, driven by the adoption of electric vehicles, and the slow but steady uptake of heat pumps in homes. But it's population growth and the growth of generative A.I. data centres that have suddenly significantly increased. Things are changing fast!

I joke that I don't know anybody that six months ago had restarting Three Mile Island nuclear power plant to supply data centres on their bingo card for 2024. Nobody saw that coming. But that's a result of such a rapid change in terms of that demand curve. When you do a chat GPT search instead of a regular Google search, it takes about then times more electricity. That is the new reality.

Electricity Canada recently devised a new three-year strategic plan that starts in 2025. What are we hoping to accomplish with this plan?

The new strategic plan talks about transition, security and resilience. So as an association, we are seeking to help our members ensure the affordability, the security and the resilience of the electricity system for their customers-which is already their main goal. It is up to us to ensure that we're delivering value to our members in these three areas, that we're developing policy and regulatory solutions, that we're advocating for the adoption of those solutions, and we're communicating about the innovation and the success of the sector so that we can help members deliver on that promise.

How would you fill in the blank in this sentence, "In 2025, the electricity sector needs more _____________________"?
In 2025, the electricity sector needs more…O

kilowatt hours, obviously, because the demand is going up.
policy certainty. We need regulatory simplification. We've got cumulative effects of all kinds of different regulatory instruments, making it increasingly difficult to get really good projects built.
more understanding by policymakers of the challenges that we face as a sector. We're starting to see parts of Canada that are getting closer to no longer having sufficient supplies well into the future, that becomes a huge concern. If the electricity sector can’t deliver the one thing that the country absolutely relies upon- a secure, reliable, stable electricity system, it is not going to be easy. We always say that electricity in Canada is roughly $33 billion of our GDP, but it's the first 3 billion because the rest of the economy can’t operate without it.

What do the first couple of months look like for you as CEO in 2025?

First, I know I’ll be spending more time in Washington. Part of it is due to the uncertainty, but it is part of the four-year cycle when there is a new administration. We need to be there on the ground to be able to build relationships, to be able to ensure that we're able to work with people who will be in the administration, that they understand our sector and know that they can reach out to us to be able to address cross-border issues.

I'll also be spending a fair amount of time in Ottawa on a similar tack, talking about potential political change here! Every ten years roughly in Canada, there's been a change in government that tends to last roughly a decade. We're at the tail end of a decade of the Trudeau government. When we’re in periods of political change, it's really an opportunity to make sure that the potential new players understand our sector, and it’s also an opportunity to be able to address some of the challenges and the things that we're concerned about.

In our case, whether it's the Fisheries Act or the Impact Assessment Act there's a range of federal regulatory instruments whose cumulative effect and the way they're being implemented, slow down our ability to get moving forward with good and clean energy projects that are going to help us as we continue to decarbonize the economy.

In early 2025, myself and a lot of members of the team are going to be focused on if there's going to be political change happening in Canada, what can we do to shape that political change. Or at the minimum, ensure that the people who will be at the centre of that political change have a really good understanding of the importance of the electricity sector, the criticality of ensuring reliability and affordability for customers, and the importance that the electricity sector plays in in terms of being the cornerstone of the of the economy as a whole.

Meet the Corporate Partners

Electricity Canada’s Corporate Partner program is home to nearly 100 companies who provide services or solutions to all aspects of the electricity sector. The program is offered as a space where innovative thought leaders can connect with electricity leaders and showcase their expertise. Current Affairs sat down with Faran Mirza, Manager of the Corporate Partner program and events to learn more.

Hi Faran, thank you for joining us. Talk to us about the Corporate Partners – who are they and why do they make a difference to Electricity Canada and our membership?

Electricity Canada's Corporate Partners are suppliers and vendors that offer solutions to the electricity industry. Our partners are vital to our membership is because they bring a wealth of expertise and thought leadership and knowledge. They're working on research and innovations on a daily basis and they're providing innovative solutions which can help our members solve their day-to-day and long-term challenges.

What are the benefits of joining the program?

The benefit for our members is the opportunity to learn from the expertise of our partners. They can learn about the innovations and the research and the problems that our partners are solving with the products and services they are developing.

It also gives our partners the opportunity to connect with their clientele and potential future customers and build relationships with them. Electricity Canada is broken down into roughly 40 councils and committees and we facilitate matching our partners with the right group to share their solutions so they can segment their thought leadership and cater to each council or committee’s needs.

What kind of opportunities are available for Corporate Partners in 2025?

In the coming year, Corporate Partners will have the opportunity to attend a number of Electricity Canada events, starting with DistribuTech. It’s actually one of the biggest electricity events in the world! We host a big reception for Canadian delegates, which is always popular and give members and Corporate Partners a chance to meet face to face.

We host networking events with each of our major councils: Customer Council, Generation Council, Transmission Council and Distribution Council. At those events partners will get the chance to meet and mingle with the Executives.

With our Supply Chain Committee, we host an annual “speed dating” event, which is a facilitated meet and greet with members. Partners and members will pair up and chat for about 5 minutes and switch off to the next person. It’s a great way to maximize one on one time.

Many more events are added throughout the year and we always come up with spontaneous opportunities to get everyone together. Our committees will often be looking Corporate Partners to participate in their meetings for presentations or speaking engagements as a subject matter expert

What have been some of the highlights of the Corporate Partner program over the past couple of years?

The Corporate Partner program has experienced tremendous growth over the past five to six years. One of the big highlights has been aligning with our partners at our annual Powering Partnerships event. They have been vital to its overall growth and have supported the programming by sitting on panels, and moderating sessions. Those have been really key for us.
They've allowed us to run new events like Faces of the Industry last spring, which was such a success that we will be hosting it again in 2025!

Overall, it has been very positive, and we look forward to seeing the program grow in the coming years. We have about 90 + Corporate Partners on an annual basis, essentially doubling since 2018. The variety of Corporate Partners who are signing on and offering different expertise has been growing. As the electricity sector changes and the priorities of our members change, so we are growing to match that need with subject matter experts offering unique solutions.

What do you like the most about working with our Corporate Partners?

I think the best part is building relationships and learning about what each Corporate Partner does. There is so much being done in the industry that's new daily it is hard to keep up. Every day, I get to learn from our partners about some of the new innovations they're working on to solve our industries short term and long-term challenges which is really cool.
Finding ways to connect the partners to the right members that will take advantage and tap into their expertise is a good challenge, and it’s fun on a daily basis.

For more information on Electricity Canada’s Corporate Partner program, please contact info@electricity.ca.

Electricity Canada discusses “What happens when..” in the electricity sector at Powering Partnerships Symposium

On November 26^th, Electricity Canada members including CEO’s, senior executives, corporate partners, electricity sector stakeholders and elected officials will meet in Toronto, Ontario for our annual Powering Partnerships symposium. Current Affairs sat down with Julia Muggeridge, Vice President of Communications and Sustainability, to learn all about it.

Hi Julia, thank you for joining us! This year, our Powering Partnerships theme tackles a big question “what happens when”. Talk to us about the inspiration for this theme?

The inspiration from this year’s theme comes from looking at the hypothetical, applying it to real situations and then forecasting it out to the future. Last year’s theme was “the future of” and it gave us the opportunity to fill in the blanks with all of the different issues facing the sector. This year we are doing something similar.

How is "what happens when?" relevant to the electricity sector?

From extreme weather to a cyber breach – these are all things our member companies have experienced. They are able to learn from previous events and look ahead to how to overcome those challenges better in the future. This theme is focused around that perspective, about learning from the past to tackle the present and the future.

We are looking at a mix of moderated panels, armchair discussions and keynotes for this year’s line up. Who can we expect to see?

We have an awesome lineup for this year’s Powering Partnerships event. To kick off our day, we have the launch of Electricity Now, which is a Grade 9 and 10 electricity curriculum and that should be fantastic! It's big news for our sector and we’re excited to be making waves in the education space following the success of our online Electricity Fundamentals in Canada course that was developed a few years ago.

There will be a keynote from Gary Smith, an Executive Vice President at Fortis Inc. who is going to be talking about some of the powerful storms we have been hearing about in the news.

We are going to be talking about the energy transition through a panel discussion and how that specifically affects affordability with speakers from some of our member companies, as well as some of the major banks in Canada like BMO.

And we’re talking a little bit about how to predict the unpredictable. We are bringing in Jim Robb, President and CEO from the North American Reliability Corporation (NERC) as well as Monica Gattinger from Positive Energy to have a really good discussion on that.

We will be finishing up the day with Sean Cullen, he is a fantastic comedian and one that I think the whole audience will enjoy!

Which discussion are you most looking forward to and why?

As much I find the technology and the reliability and the cyber discussions are interesting, I always really like the conversations that are about the people behind the sector.
So, I'm actually really looking forward to the last panel of the day, which is going to be focused on culture. We have specifically called this one “what happens when your company needs to change its culture” and it's going to pull in that technology piece by looking at artificial intelligence and how now influence the way that we work. So many people are affected by this changing community!

We brought in a speaker from Shopify to talk through their experience about going completely online and getting rid of all of their real estate since COVID, a behavioural psychologist from BE Wworks and then one of our member companies that has been really focused on culture to have the discussion.

What is one takeaway you want the audience to leave with after the Symposium?

Because the theme is so broad, what I would like the audience to walk away with is “wow, the electricity sector is really thinking about the future”!So even if they walk away with one topic that they want to explore further, or a speaker that they want to look up that would mean that the event was meaningful enough that they understand that the sector isn't just moving ahead. The electricity sector is actually thinking about how we can accomplish the big tasks that have been put in front of us.

For more information on Powering Partnerships, please visit our website.

Growth in Mutual Assistance

When extreme weather or other damaging events occur within a specific service territory, utilities can call on neighbouring utilities to assist in the restoration process called ‘mutual assistance’. In 2021, Electricity Canada developed a pilot program to act as the single point of contact for our members to assist in this mass coordination effort in case of emergencies. From ice storms, to derechos, to hurricanes, utilities that participate in mutual assistance agreements have access 24/7 support. Current Affairs sits down with Shelley Levoy, Manager, Distribution and Mutual Assistance to the past, present and future of the program.

Hi Shelley, thanks for joining us. Electricity Canada’s Ontario Mutual Assistance Group has grown over the last year! Talk to us about that growth.

Absolutely! The Ontario Mutual Assistance Group (OnMAG) has been steadily growing, and we now have 31 utility members, covering 91% of customers across Ontario. With this growth, we've organized into sub-regions to enhance efficiency and streamline restoration efforts.

Ontario is a province that spans 1,568 kilometers and includes three distinct climates. At some point in the future, we may be working to restore regions of Ontario affected by separate weather events. Ensuring we are well-practiced now to operate in regions that will serve us in actual situations in the future.

What is happening with the Canadian Mutual Assistance Group (CanMAG)?

In late 2023, we revitalized and updated the Canadian Mutual Assistance Agreement as a membership to enhance its effectiveness. Since then, we’ve actively encouraged all Canadian utilities to sign on. Our goal with the Agreement is to build a framework that will ensure our members experience a streamlined response during crises, eliminating key coordination challenges. Strengthening our national resilience regarding extensive restoration ensures faster, more organized support.

Right now, we're seeing momentum with our OnMAG members signing onto CanMAG, which broadens the pool of available resources for all our members. For example, if a utility from the East Coast needs help, they are not part of OnMAG, which is an Ontario program. But if the East Coast utility in our example has signed CanMAG and the Ontario utilities offering to send support have signed CanMAG, we're all connected and able to assist each other, no matter where the need arises!

There have been rumours about "TechMAG". Tell us about that.

Lately, it seems in all directions, there's been a shift in focus to cybersecurity— we know it's top of mind for our board and our members. We're working on a cybersecurity-focused mutual assistance agreement, similar to the Canada Mutual Assistance Agreement, specifically for cyber events. We're calling it the Technology Mutual Assistance Group, or TechMAG. Well, that's the working title. The idea is to create a roster of qualified experts who can assist utilities during a cybersecurity event or attack. We aim to launch in spring 2025 and are currently drafting the agreement and building the framework.

Looking ahead, we recognize that a utility could face a physical and cyber attack simultaneously, so getting TechMAG up and running is a top priority. Our future goals include hosting exercises to develop a framework for coordinating physical and cyber responses effectively, ensuring we're prepared for that dual-threat scenario.

What are upcoming developments in the mutual assistance space that you're looking forward to in the coming year and what is the most exciting?

As part of CanMAG, we're in the early stages of working with our U.S. partners along the Canada-U.S. border to improve cross-border mutual assistance efforts. Right now, each border crossing has different requirements, which can slow down emergency restoration efforts. We're mapping out how to standardize the process for moving crews and equipment across the border by land, air, and water so they can get to work as quickly as possible.

An exciting OnMAG development, we met at Hydro Ottawa this week. Part of our meeting focused on standardizing resources and best practices. For example, standardizing equipment names across companies would make it easier to share resources efficiently. We're also looking to streamline procedures for crews arriving on site, ensuring they have the correct information, permits, and local guidance to hit the ground running. It's all about improving communication and ensuring everyone is on the same page.

What do you like best about working in the mutual assistance community?

The people. This is a corny answer, for sure, but let me give you context. I have a long career in fundraising, and I have met my share of people who do good work. Everyone I have encountered in the mutual assistance space knows what they're talking about, and they are confident in what they're doing. There's a level of patience, understanding, and ease of explanation in everything that they do.

They focus on being efficient without compromising safety, with two top objectives: getting everyone home and logging how we can improve on what was done last time.

For more information on Electricity Canada’s Mutual Assistance Program, contact info@electricity.ca

Energizing Talent

Other Stories

Electricity Trade in North America

Other Stories:

A look ahead for 2025

Other Stories:

Meet the Corporate Partners

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Electricity Canada discusses “What happens when..” in the electricity sector at Powering Partnerships Symposium

Other Stories

Growth in Mutual Assistance

Other Stories

Energizing Talent

Other Stories

Electricity Trade in North America

Other Stories:

A look ahead for 2025

Other Stories:

Meet the Corporate Partners

Other Stories

Electricity Canada discusses “What happens when..” in the electricity sector at Powering Partnerships Symposium

Other Stories

Growth in Mutual Assistance

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