This was supposed to be renewable energy’s big moment. Ontario was set to launch the largest clean-energy build-out ever in our history. Yet, instead of unlocking new wind, solar and storage projects for the province’s growing energy needs, Premier Doug Ford and Energy Minister Stephen Lecce are turning it into a fossil-fuel revival.

And the only ones truly winning are gas investors.

Profits for Gas, Costs for Ontarians

The National Observer recently revealed how Enbridge is expanding its gas network while reporting record-high profits for shareholders. Their plan is simple: build more pipelines, guarantee cost recovery from ratepayers and lock in decades of returns. Meanwhile, Ontarians are paying the price. 

But that’s only part of the story. It’s not just about keeping our homes hooked on gas. The government is also making our electricity system more dependent on gas. Under the new rules for Ontario’s electricity build out, gas plant developers get up to 75 per cent of their connection costs covered by the electricity ratepayers, while renewable developers are provided with little interconnection certainty for their projects. 

Even worse, more than 70 per cent of Ontario’s gas is imported from the U.S.—and 90 per cent of that is fracked. So much for “energy security.” We’re exporting our dollars to American gas producers instead of investing in home-grown clean power.

How the LT2 Process is being hijacked

Ontario’s long-term energy build-out (ambiguously called the Long-Term 2) is intended to deliver 7,500 megawatts of new electricity capacity, initially only from renewables. But soon after Minister Lecce took over the energy file, the process was rebranded as “technology-agnostic” and opened to gas-fired electricity developers. In practice, the Minister’s Office focused on rewriting the rules to favour gas.

Battery-storage projects were effectively penalized, and the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) stacked the deck in favour of gas proposals. In doing so, the Ontario government has rolled out the red carpet to  gas plant developers and it shows. 

There are proposals for gas plants that far outstrips the 600MW the government said they are seeking. At Environmental Defence, our tracking shows that there are currently 1800MW of gas projects on the table with likely more to come since there is still two more months for the LT2 process to close. This isn’t a “balanced” energy plan. It’s a fossil bailout disguised as fair and balanced acquisition plan for our energy needs. 

The Renewable Opportunity We’re Missing

The tragedy is that Ontario has everything to gain from embracing renewables. According to Canada’s Renewable Energy Market Outlook 2025, Ontario already ranks among the top three provinces for clean-energy capacity—about 5–6 GW of wind, 1.6 GW of solar (the most in Canada), and 200–300 MW of battery storage.

By 2035, Ontario could add another 6–10 GW of wind, 4–6 GW of solar, and 3–4 GW of storage—one-third of all new Canadian renewable growth. That would attract up to $40 billion in investment and create 60,000–80,000 job-years of employment. It would also cut our electricity emissions to near-zero by 2050.

Instead, we’re spending public money to lock in decades of new gas pollution. The IESO projects that power-sector emissions could rise by as much as 400 per cent by 2043 if new gas plants go ahead.

A Better Path Forward

Clean energy isn’t the risky choice, it’s the smart one, and other provinces are proving it. Quebec, Nova Scotia and even Saskatchewan are rapidly adding renewables, creating jobs and building stable local economies. Around the world, investment in wind, solar and storage now outpaces fossil fuels two-to-one.

Ontario has a strong foundation in clean power, but the province risks falling behind if it doesn’t keep pace with the global energy transition. The government needs to get the LT2 process back on track by prioritizing renewables and storage, and supporting municipalities that want the tax dollars, economic development, and community benefits that renewable energy projects can bring.

The technology is ready. The economics are proven. The only thing missing is political will. Putting gas first in Ontario’s new energy plans is not only ideological, it also makes a mockery of Minister Lecce’s claim that it is “technology agnostic.” 

Choose the Future

I’ve been an environmental advocate for over two decades, and what’s happening in Ontario is one of the most deliberate rollbacks of progress I’ve seen in Canada. But it’s not irreversible.

Ontario can still lead the clean-energy transition—creating jobs, cutting pollution and keeping energy dollars here at home.

The choice is simple: do we want our energy system to serve the public good, or private (mostly American) profit?

Let’s make it clear to decision-makers that Ontarians want a renewable Canadian-owned future—not another fossil past.