Ontario proposes enhancing energy, electricity grid for export to the U.S.

The Ford government is proposing to enhance energy delivery and build out the electricity grid to “encourage more exports of Canadian energy and electricity to the U.S.”

Premier Doug Ford, along with Energy Minister Stephen Lecce, announced the details in of the province’s plan to “achieve Am-Can energy security and power economic growth” at a news conference in Darlington, Ont., on Wednesday.

The initiative is part of what the Ford government has called ‘Fortress Am-Can,’ which the province is touting as a “renewed strategic alliance between Canada and America.”

Ford is trumpeting Ontario’s nuclear energy expertise to build more large and small modular nuclear reactors in partnership with the U.S.

The province says Canada and the U.S. are ‘significant trading partners’ that represent trillions of dollars in annual economy activity and millions of jobs for both countries.

“Fortress Am-Can will leverage Ontario’s unique advantages to help America bring jobs back home as it decouples from China, including by enhancing and building out the integrated Am-Can energy and electricity grid to encourage more exports of Canadian energy and electricity to the U.S.,” a release states.

The announcement comes as U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has threatened to impose a 25 per cent tariff on all Canadian and Mexican imports as soon as he returns to the White House on Jan. 20 – unless the two countries improve security along their borders with the U.S.

“With a new administration set to take office in the White House, our government has an ambitious plan to build up Fortress Am-Can to usher in a new American and Canadian century defined by unprecedented growth, job creation and prosperity. We can only do so by working together and respecting each other,” Ford said.

“Fortress Am-Can should be powered by Am-Can energy of every type that’s produced, consumed and creates jobs in every region of both countries. With our fleet of nuclear power plants and the first small modular nuclear reactors in the G7, Ontario is uniquely positioned to power the future of Fortress Am-Can.”

Ford has previously threatened to cut off energy the province sells to four states should the tariffs be implemented, but says he does not want to do that.

The Ford government is recommending the following additional measures (list below from government release):

• Enhance and build out the integrated Am-Can energy and electricity grid to encourage more exports of Canadian energy and electricity to the U.S., including Ontario’s clean nuclear energy, to power economic growth on both sides of the border.
• Establish a cross-border working group with U.S. and Canadian lawmakers alongside energy and security experts to ensure both countries adhere to best practices for power system security against foreign interference, cyber attacks, terrorism and extreme weather, among other threats.
• Achieve Am-Can energy security sooner by streamlining the approval of new small modular and large nuclear reactors, while respecting duty to consult obligations and protecting safe operations.
• Develop new and reinforce existing electricity transmission interties and natural gas and oil pipelines between Canada and the U.S. to promote the flow of energy across borders.
• Establish a cross-border working group with U.S. and Canadian lawmakers and industry experts to align regulations and eliminate red-tape that slows building cross-border energy infrastructure, including for transmission lines, interties and pipelines.
• Promote Ontario and Canadian nuclear expertise by establishing a new small modular and large -scale nuclear reactor partnership with U.S., including with key states and local or regional energy and electricity authorities.
• Expand the production of life-saving, cancer-fighting medical isotopes at Ontario’s growing fleet of nuclear reactors to support improved cancer patient outcomes in Canada and the United States.
• Complement the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve and further enhance Am-Can energy by rebuilding and enhancing America’s Strategic Oil Reserve to protect both countries, businesses and every-day families from the high-cost consequences of global oil price manipulation.

The province announced on Tuesday an operation intended to beef up security along the border with the United States that will “crackdown on illegal border crossings and illegal guns and drugs.” As part of the operation, Ontario says provincial police have an “emergency response team” of 200 officers focused on boosting border security.

With files from Lucas Casaletto and Mark McAllister, CityNews