By Francis Bradley
This op-ed appeared in the February 16, 2026 edition of the Financial Post
In coming weeks, the federal government will reveal its strategy for doubling Canada’s electricity grid. Expanding east-west connections will be a priority. In fact, that’s already underway: the provinces are working to better coordinate electricity trade. An Ontario-led effort will coordinate planning, information sharing and federal engagement on transmission projects.
Technically, however, we have east-west electricity connections already. In theory, you could generate electrons in Churchill Falls, Newfoundland, and transmit them all the way to White Rock, B.C. The problem is that they probably wouldn’t have enough energy left to do anything useful when they got there.
There’s a reason why that is. When Canada’s electricity providers were building the electricity grid of the 20th century, geography and economics were the drivers. Hydro-rich provinces like B.C., Manitoba and Quebec were closer to the larger U.S. electricity market than to their neighbouring provinces — and a rich and growing U.S. economy was willing to pay more for power. As a result, greater effort went into transmitting electricity along north-south lines
But that’s changing. The re-election of Donald Trump and the possibility of permanent tariffs have put greater focus on east-west connections. At the same time, Canada’s electricity demand is projected to rise sharply due to growing large-load customers, increased electrification and economic development across the country.
So how do we get the electricity system to a place where electrons can be transmitted across the country with full power?
For a start we can use what’s already there. Interties allow electricity to be shared between two or more systems. A key intertie already connects Ontario and Quebec, helping both provinces manage complementary peak-demand seasons: Ontario shares power with Quebec in winter, and Quebec shares with Ontario in summer.
Every province is already connected to its neighbours through interties. But the use made of them differs depending on the integrity of the transmission line, the market structure and existing long-term contracts with our neighbour to the south.
The only interprovincial intertie currently running at full capacity is between Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador. Over the past three years its utilization rate has been 99 per cent. In Western Canada, in contrast, many interties are underutilized. The condition of the line between Alberta and Saskatchewan has meant it is in limited use. Nova Scotia and New Brunswick’s needs are great enough they’re building a second intertie, which is due to go online in 2028.
A recent Deloitte study commissioned by Electricity Canada assessed current use of all interprovincial interties, as well as provincial demand forecasts out to 2040. It showed that several interties could be enhanced without major new infrastructure having to be built.
Improving current interties could enhance inter-regional electricity exchanges without requiring a full east-west grid. A province like Manitoba, which has extensive hydro resources, rising demand and limited new capacity could address potential supply shortages in poor water years by trading power with its neighbouring provinces.
Better east-west grid interconnections aren’t necessarily major projects of the sort that are dominating current policy discussions. They’re refurbishments or enhancements of existing infrastructure. They wouldn’t need review by the Major Projects Office. But they are clearly important and could have a major impact on the country’s electricity system. They need to get prompt attention from decision makers and regulators even if their profile is not as high as some other undertakings.
A recent report from the North American Reliability Corporation, which oversees the health of the continental electricity system, concludes that current grids do not provide enough flexibility to support many provinces during high‑load winter extremes or prolonged low-hydro conditions. Up to 14 gigawatts of new transfer capacity is needed.
Improving the capacity of interties that already exist would get us closer to that goal. We already have an East-West electricity system. If building an east-west electricity grid is a priority, this is where we start.
Francis Bradley is president and CEO of Electricity Canada.