On the recommendation of the undersigned, the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, by and with the advice and concurrence of the Executive Council of Ontario, orders that:

Whereas Ontario considers it critical to expand Ontario’s transmission system to provide a reliable and adequate supply of electricity to Southwestern Ontario to support economic growth in the region, including the rapidly growing agricultural sector and the potential for growth in the electric vehicle and broader automotive sectors;

And whereas on December 17, 2020, the Minister of Energy, Northern Development and Mines, with the approval of the Lieutenant Governor in Council pursuant to Order in Council No. 1499/2020 dated November 5, 2020, issued a directive to the Ontario Energy Board to amend Hydro One Networks Inc.’s electricity transmission licence to include a requirement that it proceed to develop and seek approvals for a new 230 kilovolt (kV) double-circuit transmission line from the existing Chatham Switching Station to the new Lakeshore Transformer Station to be located at Leamington Junction; 

And whereas the Independent Electricity System Operator, the organization responsible for ensuring the reliability of Ontario’s electricity grid, issued a bulk planning report dated September 23, 2021, entitled “Need for Bulk System Reinforcements West of London” which recommended new transmission infrastructure to meet forecast electricity demand growth and identified potential future projects that may be needed depending on how growth materializes and where generation resources are located;

And whereas the Government has determined that the development of the transmission projects should be undertaken by a transmitter that is best positioned to ensure that the infrastructure can be developed expediently and on a timeline that supports economic growth;

And whereas the Government has determined that concurrently conducting development work related to additional transmission projects that may be required in the future will preserve flexibility, result in cost and time savings and support more meaningful and transparent consultations as well as economic participation opportunities with Indigenous communities and stakeholders;

And whereas the Government has determined that the preferred manner of proceeding is to require Hydro One Networks Inc. to undertake the development of the transmission projects, including taking any and all steps that are deemed to be necessary and desirable in order to seek required approvals and fulfilling, as part of the environmental assessment process and other applicable provincial permits, any procedural aspects of the Crown’s duty to consult potentially impacted Indigenous communities that may be delegated to it;

And whereas the Minister of Energy has, with the approval of the Lieutenant Governor in Council, the authority to issue Directives pursuant to section 28.6.1 of the Ontario Energy Board Act, 1998, which relate to the construction, expansion or re-enforcement of transmission systems;

Now therefore the Directive attached hereto is approved and shall be and is effective as of the date hereof.

Directive

Ministry of Infrastructure

Approved and Ordered: March 31, 2022