Demand Better

In 2009, the Ontario government embarked on a bold policy experiment: to transform Ontario’s electric power sector radically, to base it largely on renewable sources such as wind and solar, and to establish a new industry in Ontario based on those technologies. Most Ontarians, probably thinking about it only in passing, likely saw that as a good thing.

And then everyone was mugged by reality, or by several realities. It turned out that the Ontario residents who would actually live with the new generating facilities were not so keen, and several Liberal members of the provincial legislature felt the consequences directly in the 2011 election. Upon reflection, many people in Ontario were not so sure that paying from twice to ten times the market rate for electricity was such a good bargain, despite the touted future benefits. The policy of preferring Ontario suppliers then ran into the inconvenient reality of longstanding international trade obligations.

And...