Renewable energy and electricity prices were a hot topic in the
2018 Ontario election, and Doug Ford's government wasted no
time in making a splash in this area after taking office.
The new government has taken a number of significant steps in
the renewable energy sector. To date, it has: cancelled the White
Pines Wind Project (Project); directed the cancellation of 758
power purchase agreements for renewable energy projects in early
stages of development; and proposed Bill 34, which would repeal the
Green Energy Act and reintroduce municipal planning
requirements for renewable energy projects. While many specifics of
Bill 34 have been left to yet-to-be enacted regulations, the
provisions of the proposed legislation create added uncertainty for
contracted projects. Although the Ontario government has provided
some compensation to the developers of cancelled projects, the
measures described in this article will make it challenging to
develop large-scale renewable