Ontario will prioritize investment in conservation measures before building new generation, whenever it is cost-effective to do so.

The government has released Conservation First: A Renewed Vision for Energy Conservation in Ontario to help guide discussion as the province seeks input from Aboriginal partners, members of the public, local utilities, municipalities, environmental groups, business associations, and other stakeholders to develop a new Conservation and Demand Management Framework.

Feedback from these discussions will also inform the review of the province’s Long Term Energy Plan (see our recent post Ontario Kicks Off Long-Term Energy Plan Review).

With the current Conservation and Demand Management Framework set to wind down at the end of 2014, the Ministry of Energy is undertaking a formal consultation on innovative conservation ideas and the development of a new conservation framework for Ontario.

Although the global economic downturn of the past few years dampened electricity demand in Ontario and elsewhere, the government anticipates a possible shortfall in capacity as early as 2018. As a result, conservation investments will remain a priority for Ontario and conservation will be considered the first resource, where cost-effective, when planning for the province’s electricity needs.

The Conservation Discussion Paper is being posted on the EBR Registry number 011-9614 for a 62-day public review and comment period starting July 16, 2013 and ending on September 16, 2013.  The paper also includes several questions to help focus feedback.

Please refer to the on-line and other publicly available documents for full and current details of this review and consultation.