As of December 2013 there were 73 local electricity distribution companies [“LDCs”] under the regulation of the Ontario Energy Board [“OEB”]. The size of these distribution companies varies widely, from Hydro 2000, with only 1,220 customers and 21km of network […]
Introduction Utilities sometimes find themselves interacting with individuals who contend that they are not subject to generally applicable laws and obligations, such as the need to pay income taxes or utility bills. These individuals often attempt unilaterally to impose legal […]
Introduction My mandate in this paper is to address 2014 developments in administrative law that are of interest to the energy regulation community. Rather than attempt to assess the impact of the entire range of administrative law developments of potential […]
Introduction This paper describes a range of current practices, priorities, trends and aspirations among selected administrative tribunals, particularly in Ontario, in relation to electronic evidence, and electronic litigation, based on a recent, informal survey.1 What is readily apparent is that […]
Nova Scotia’s electricity system is undergoing significant change, particularly when measured against the history of Nova Scotia energy policy and politics. In 2007, when a renewable energy goal was first enacted into law, 90 per cent of the province’s electricity supply came from fossil fuels, mostly coal […]
Introduction and Overview Energy delivery systems are changing – fundamentally and possibly very quickly – because of the combined effects of several factors: technology, environmental demands and growing concerns about system performance on costs, reliability and resilience. The systems may […]
Advances in CHP technology, coupled with a widening “spark spread”, have reduced capital costs and improved the operational competitiveness of CHP systems. This has increased interest among facilities with a consistent need for both heat and electricity as well as those that place a high value on energy security and reliability […]
Justification, transparency and intelligibility in the decision-making process, coupled with acceptable outcomes which are defensible in respect of the facts and the law, are the hallmarks of sound regulatory tribunal decisions according to the seminal decision of the Supreme Court of Canada in Dunsmuir v. New Brunswick […]
Participants in the regulatory world sometimes observe that if only one remembered what we have gone through in the past, perhaps it would be easier and faster to find solutions to difficult regulatory matters. As the saying goes, “memory […]