Last week’s municipal elections granted fresh terms and new mandates to local leaders across Ontario — exactly when local democracy matters more than ever in shaping the province’s future.
One of the immediate questions facing many newly elected councils will be whether to support renewable energy and battery storage projects proposed in their communities. What may seem like a straightforward decision to some is becoming increasingly politicized across the province.
That is why it matters that candidates from three municipalities facing big energy decisions signed our Renewables-Ready Pledge. The pledge called on candidates to welcome responsibly located renewable energy and battery storage, reject or phase out polluting gas-fired electricity, and establish clear local standards for projects.
The pledge revealed an encouraging base of municipal leaders committed to those goals:
- In Toronto: nearly half of incoming councillors signed the Toronto election pledge. See which newly elected Toronto councillors signed here.
- In Ottawa: more than one-third of incoming councillors signed the pledge. Learn more about the Ottawa pledge here.
- In Thunder Bay: three members of the incoming Council signed, including newly elected Mayor Moe Comuzzi. Read CBC’s coverage of the pledge here.
Those commitments matter because Ontario’s renewable-energy buildout will need many more municipal champions in the years ahead.
Ontario’s growing electricity needs
Ontario will need roughly two-thirds more electricity than it uses today in the coming decades. In major cities like Toronto, electricity demand is expected to nearly double. Municipalities will need to host much of that power.
Today, Ontario municipalities are central in determining what gets built and where. Under the current energy procurement program, called the Long Term 2 (LT2), proposed projects require municipal support, giving councils meaningful influence over whether wind, solar, battery storage or gas generation moves forward in their communities.
That makes local politics a critical battleground for Ontario’s energy transition. Councillors often hear disproportionately from organized opposition to renewable power and battery storage. If the only voices showing up are saying “no,” that can shape what councils believe their communities want. That is why residents need to become YIMBYs — “Yes In My Backyard” — for responsibly located clean energy.
A “quiet but significant moment” in Ontario’s energy transition
The good news is that Ontario’s most recent competitive electricity procurement showed that renewables and storage can deliver new electricity more affordably than fossil gas. In the first window of Ontario’s Long-Term 2 procurement — a competitive energy auction — 12 solar projects and one wind project secured all contracts in the energy stream, while battery storage won the entire capacity procurement and gas projects secured none.
It was a quiet but significant moment in Ontario’s energy transition. But what happens next is far from guaranteed. The province is considering changes that could create new advantages for gas in future procurement rounds.
Yet across the United States, community groups are organizing in support of renewable energy by showing up at council meetings, contacting local representatives and making sure supportive voices are heard. Ontario needs the same.
We need to create that momentum here. Show up at council. Write to your councillor. Support responsibly located clean energy projects in your community.
The choices local councils make in the next few years will shape Ontario’s electricity system for decades. The energy transition will not happen on its own — communities need to make the case for the cleaner and more affordable future they want.
