Community Report - Q1 2022

Shareholder Municipalities

Elexicon Energy’s quarterly reports provide our valued communities and customers with a progress and impact update. Each report details Elexicon’s continued commitment to customer service, system reliability, corporate social responsibility, operations management and other significant updates – nurturing transparency and open communication between Elexicon and its stakeholders.

Select a community report in your region from the tab below.

Town of Ajax

Image for Ajax

We proudly serve 39,000 residential and business customers in the Town of Ajax with reliable and affordable energy services.

The Community Reports support our commitment to transparency and keeping our shareholder communities up to date on our activities more frequently. The reports include information on Customer Service, System Reliability, Operations and Asset Improvements, Communications and Thought Leadership, Innovation and Sustainability, Industry News and Corporate Social Responsibility.

Have a question or require more information? communications@elexiconenergy.com

Customer Experience

  • The Ontario Energy Board’s Winter Disconnection Ban remains in effect. Electricity and natural gas distributors are not permitted to disconnect residential services for non-payment from November 15, 2021 to April 30, 2022.
  • Residential and small business customers can choose their price plan, either Time-of-Use or Tiered pricing. Customers are not required to select a price plan but if they wish to switch, they must notify Elexicon Energy by submitting an election form. As of March 31th, 5,318 Elexicon Energy customers (or 3.1 per cent) have changed their pricing structure or are in the process of doing so.
  • There are financial assistance programs in place to support customers, including the Ontario Electricity Support Program and the Low-income Energy Assistance Program. Elexicon Energy continues to encourage customers experiencing difficulty paying their bill to contact us to discuss bill payment options.
  • Elexicon Energy values its customers, and our Customer Experience team strives to provide customers with assistance in an accurate and respectful manner. Provided below are the number of calls and written enquires the Customer Experience team received and responded to in Q1 2022.
    • Phone Calls

    January: 7,491

    February: 7,029

    March: 7,442

    TOTAL: 21,962

    Written Enquiries

    January: 1,071

    February: 947

    March: 1,210

    TOTAL: 3,228

System Reliability

More than 39,000 homes and businesses in the Town of Ajax depend on a steady supply of electricity to power their lives. Elexicon Energy takes service reliability very seriously, and continues to monitor and mitigate any trends to ensure system reliability.

System Reliability
The average number of hours that power to a customer was interrupted in Q1 2022 was 0.86 compared to 0.10 in Q1 2021.

TOP THREE REASONS FOR OUTAGE DURATION IN Q1 2022:

Adverse Weather:
27,193 hrs* compared to 0 hrs in Q1 2021

Defective Equipment:
5,846 hrs** compared to 287 hrs in Q1 2021

Tree Contacts:
310 hrs compared to 0 hrs in Q1 2021

TOTAL OUTAGE DURATION IN CUSTOMER HOURS:

33,747 hrs*** in Q1 2022 compared to 3,830 hrs in Q1 2021

System Reliability
The average number of times that power to a customer was interrupted in Q1 2022 was 0.56 compared to 0.11 in Q1 2021.

TOP THREE REASONS FOR OUTAGE DURATION IN Q1 2022:

Defective Equipment:
12 outages compared to 17 outages in Q1 2021

Schedule Outages:
4 outages compared to 0 outages in Q1 2022

Adverse Weather:
4 outages compared to 0 outages in Q1 2021

TOTAL NUMBER OF OUTAGES:

25 in Q1 2022 compared to 25 in Q1 2021

*The majority of the 27,193 hours is a result of a single large outage due to high winds that affected 3,810 customers with an outage duration of over 8 hours.

**The major contributor to this increase was a single outage on a feeder breaker with mechanical issues. Stations crew had to be dispatched to fix the breaker. This single outage affected 1,147 customers with an outage duration over 4 hours.

***The 33,740-plus hours are largely attributed to the Adverse Weather event and Defective Equipment

Operations and Asset Improvements

Operations and Asset Improvements
  • Completed: Eighteen (18) poles relocated to accommodate third party connections.
  • Underway: Elexicon Energy has contracted Asplundh Canada ULC to perform tree trimming in areas throughout Ajax. The proactive work and preventative maintenance helps ensure public safety and the reliable operation of our distribution system during major weather events. The work started on March 21st and should be wrapped up by June 30th, 2022.

Communications and Thought Leadership

  • On January 26, Bell Let’s Talk Day, Elexicon Energy joined Ontario Shores Mental Health Foundation (Ontario Shores) to raise awareness for mental health and to help end the stigma of mental illness. Elexicon Energy made a commitment to donate $1 for each unique share, comment and like of a video produced with Ontario Shores. The partnership raised more than $2,100 for mental health programming and support services.
  • In early February, Elexicon Energy’s Health, Safety & Environment team partnered with Kids’ Safety Village Durham to provide virtual electrical safety presentations for students in Grades 1 to 3. Through the use of animated videos, Lucky the Squirrel shows children why it’s not safe to fly kites near powerlines, touch electrical equipment, and other dangers that exist around their home and in their neighbourhood.
  • Elexicon Energy celebrated Black History Month in February by sharing the accomplishments and contributions of Black leaders and businesses on this microsite and its social media channels. The company also proudly supported the 15th Annual Durham Black History Month Celebration – the region’s longest running and largest Black History Month event. Additionally, Elexicon Energy sponsored events by the Whitby Chamber of Commerce and Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade.
  • March was National Fraud Prevention Month, and Elexicon Energy joined forces with four of Ontario’s largest utilities to raise awareness about ongoing sophisticated scams targeting utility customers. All utilities encouraged their customers to protect themselves and provided a number of safety tips using their websites and social media channels.
  • In early March, Elexicon Energy President and CEO, Indrani Butany-DeSouza, joined Francis Bradley, President and CEO of Electricity Canada, on his podcast The Flux Capacitor. Indrani discussed her transition from regulatory affairs to her position as the head of Elexicon Energy, what government commitments for a net zero electricity grid by 2035 will mean for Elexicon Energy, the role of distribution companies and customers will have to play to meet GHG reduction targets, and the need for regulatory frameworks to be updated to meet the new realities of a net zero world.
  • March 8th was International Women’s Day (IWD), a global event to recognize and celebrate women’s social, economic, cultural and political achievements. As an organization committed to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, Elexicon Energy celebrated IWD by profiling some of its employees to show how they have worked hard to #BreakTheBias and succeed in their careers. Their stories were posted on this microsite and on its social media channels.
  • March 8th, Edyta McKay, Manager of Communications, Marketing and Public Affairs at Elexicon Energy was a guest speaker at “I Am… A Woman in Business” event hosted by the Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade (APBOT). The event was part of a series focusing on women in business with the purpose to inspire, share ideas, visions and opportunities.
  • Elexicon Energy’s Vice President of Technology and Innovation, Falguni Shah, was recognized by the Electricity Distributors Association (EDA) at their annual Awards Gala. Ms. Shah received the EDA’s Volunteer Excellence Award in recognition of her outstanding support and perseverance in advancing the association’s policy positions.
  • Elexicon Energy’s Communications, Marketing and Public Affairs team is making good progress on its new website build project. The end goal is to deliver an interactive, responsive and engaging website that improves the user experience with our brand and for our customers. The new website is expected to go live by the end of August.
Communications Thought Leadership

Innovation and Sustainability

Innovation and Sustainability
  • March 15th, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) launched consultation on the Clean Electricity Standard and released a discussion paper on the standard. The Clean Electricity Standard is meant to provide a pathway for how the federal government can reach a net-zero electricity system by 2035.
  • On February 23, Ontario launched the first six ONroute electric vehicle charging stations in Cambridge South, Cambridge North, West Lorne, Dutton, Odessa and Napanee. In December 2021, the Government of Ontario announced plans to build chargers at 17 ONroute locations in time for summer, with another three ONroute locations opening before the end of 2022. The initiative is being undertaken in partnership with Hydro One and Ontario Power Generation's joint Ivy Charging Network, and will see a total of 69 fast chargers built at all 23 ONroute locations. The news release can be viewed here.
  • To support the generation and adoption of new ideas and technologies within Ontario’s energy sector, the Ontario Energy Board (OEB) unveiled its Innovation Sandbox 2.0 in late January. Utilities and other companies in the sector can leverage the platform to access customized regulatory guidance and/or seek assistance in requesting temporary relief from a regulatory requirement to enable pilot projects. More information is available on the OEB’s Sandbox webpage.

Industry News

  • The Ministry of Energy is seeking input from stakeholders and interested members of the public on a proposed policy change to enable the creation of an additional optional Time-of-Use (TOU) price plan that would include a new ultra-low overnight rate. The new optional price plan, if approved, would encourage customers to shift electricity use to lower-demand periods and be designed to meet the following objectives: provide additional choice and value for electricity customers including shift workers and electric vehicle (EV) users that use more electricity at night, prepare the electricity system for anticipated increased electrification, and contribute to the decarbonization of the economy. The new overnight electricity rate is being proposed for April 2023.
  • The Ontario Energy Association released a new Energy Platform to provide Ontario's political parties with precise recommendations on how to optimize energy policies for Ontario’s energy consumers. Recommendations are organized into five categories with a few recommendations per category, followed by a detailed discussion on the recommendations. The five recommendations areas are: Comprehensive & Co-ordinated Plan; Optimize Use of Existing Infrastructure; Invest in Infrastructure, Technology & Adaptation; Invest in Energy Efficiency; and Achieve Behavioral Change. The platform can be viewed here.
  • The Electricity Distributors Association (EDA) released a new paper as part of their Power to Connect Series. The paper focuses on a number of topics related to Distributed Energy Resources (DER), including: the interaction required to manage conflicting local distribution level and bulks system level needs; the regulatory flexibility that will be needed from the Ontario Energy Board to make the necessary investments to achieve decarbonization objectives; and points to consider as part of the Independent Electricity System Operator’s (IESO) DER Roadmap. A free account must be created to download the paper here.
  • The EDA released its second Electrification Position Paper. The paper discusses current federal and provincial targets on Electric Vehicle (EV) implementation and the critical role LDCs will have to play in order for the country and province to meet the set targets. The EDA provides reasons why system upgrades related to enabling electrification should be covered by an LDC’s rate base, the role that LDCs should have in outreach and education, and justification for an EV specific TOU rate. A free account must be created to download the paper here.
  • Ministerial Directive on Lake Erie Connector Project: The Minister of Energy sent a directive to the IESO that instructs the organization to continue examining a potential Joint Operating Agreement with PJM Interconnection on a potential Lake Erie Connector (LEC). The LEC is a proposed 117 kilometer underwater electricity transmission line that would deliver 1,000 MW of power bi-directionally between Ontario and the largest electrical market in the world – 13 U.S. Midwestern and Mid-Atlantic states.
Industry News

Corporate Social Responsibility

CORPORATE GIVING PROGRAM UPDATE:

  • 2022 Budget: $80,119
  • Amount spent to date: $12,648

RECENT CORPORATE GIVING RECIPIENTS:

  • Autism Home Base Durham
  • Cultural Expressions Art Gallery Inc.
  • Grandview Kids
  • Ontario Shores for Mental Health
  • Ontario Tech
Corporate Social Responsibility

"Grandview Kids Foundation is honoured to be part of Elexicon Energy's Corporate Giving Program which is helping to make so much possible for local charities. Our partnership with Elexicon Energy helps to provide programs and services to children and youth with physical, communication and developmental needs to live their best life. Together, we are working on building a brighter future for our community.”

– Brandy Reid, Community Engagement & Donor Relations Officer

Grandview Kids Foundation

“Thank you so much to Elexicon Energy for their support of the Ontario Tech 3MT competition in March. This competition has challenged me to explain my research and its impact in three minutes or less in an interesting and accessible way to a wide, general audience. The other competitors are experts in their field and presented some really groundbreaking research. I feel very proud that the research I am doing is seen as just as important and am honoured to have won both our Ontario Tech competition and Regionals. I look forward to competing at Nationals in November and hope to continue to represent Ontario Tech with passion and grace.”

– Emmeline Meens Miller, 2022 Ontario 3MT champion

Ontario Tech University

City of Belleville

Image for Belleville

We proudly serve 18,000 residential and business customers in the City of Belleville with reliable and affordable energy services.

The Community Reports support our commitment to transparency and keeping our shareholder communities up to date on our activities more frequently. The reports include information on Customer Service, System Reliability, Operations and Asset Improvements, Communications and Thought Leadership, Innovation and Sustainability, Industry News and Corporate Social Responsibility.

Have a question or require more information? communications@elexiconenergy.com

Customer Experience

  • The Ontario Energy Board’s Winter Disconnection Ban remains in effect. Electricity and natural gas distributors are not permitted to disconnect residential services for non-payment from November 15, 2021 to April 30, 2022.
  • Residential and small business customers can choose their price plan, either Time-of-Use or Tiered pricing. Customers are not required to select a price plan but if they wish to switch, they must notify Elexicon Energy by submitting an election form. As of March 31th, 5,318 Elexicon Energy customers (or 3.1 per cent) have changed their pricing structure or are in the process of doing so.
  • There are financial assistance programs in place to support customers, including the Ontario Electricity Support Program and the Low-income Energy Assistance Program. Elexicon Energy continues to encourage customers experiencing difficulty paying their bill to contact us to discuss bill payment options.
  • Elexicon Energy values its customers, and our Customer Experience team strives to provide customers with assistance in an accurate and respectful manner. Provided below are the number of calls and written enquires the Customer Experience team received and responded to in Q1 2022.
    • Phone Calls

    January: 7,491

    February: 7,029

    March: 7,442

    TOTAL: 21,962

    Written Enquiries

    January: 1,071

    February: 947

    March: 1,210

    TOTAL: 3,228

System Reliability

More than 18,000 homes and businesses in the City of Belleville depend on a steady supply of electricity to power their lives. Elexicon Energy takes service reliability very seriously, and continues to monitor and mitigate any trends to ensure system reliability.

System Reliability
The average number of hours that power to a customer was interrupted in Q1 2022 was 1.15 compared to 0.04 in Q1 2021.

TOP THREE REASONS FOR OUTAGE DURATION IN Q1 2022:

Unknown/Other:
13,641 hrs* compared to 204 hrs in Q1 2021

Defective Equipment:
6,687 hrs** compared to 348 hrs in Q1 2021

Loss of Supply:
1,461 hrs*** compared to 0 hrs in Q1 2021

TOTAL OUTAGE DURATION IN CUSTOMER HOURS:

22,310 hrs**** in Q1 2022 compared to 724 hrs in Q1 2021

System Reliability
The average number of times that power to a customer was interrupted in Q1 2022 was 0.37 compared to 0.16 in Q1 2021.

TOP THREE REASONS FOR OUTAGE DURATION IN Q1 2022:

Defective Equipment:
14 outages compared to 10 outages in Q1 2021

Schedule Outages:
6 outages compared to 6 outages in Q1 2021

Unknown/Other:
2 outages compared to 5 outages in Q1 2021

TOTAL NUMBER OF OUTAGES:

26 in Q1 2022 compared to 24 in Q1 2021

*The majority of the 13,641 hours is a result of a single large outage on Belleville TS 44kV station and feed lock out that affected 5,021 customers over 13,267 hours

**This is related to the Belleville TS 44kV station noted above that caused a loss of 4,976 hours affecting 933 customers

***The Ontario Energy Board describes loss of supply as an interruption due to problems associated with assets owned and/or operated by another party, and/or the bulk electricity supply system

****The 22,300-plus hours are largely attributed to the Belleville TS 44kV station and feeder lock out

Operations and Asset Improvements

Operations and Asset Improvements
  • Completed: Ten (10) pole replacements throughout the City.

Communications and Thought Leadership

  • On January 26, Bell Let’s Talk Day, Elexicon Energy joined Ontario Shores Mental Health Foundation (Ontario Shores) to raise awareness for mental health and to help end the stigma of mental illness. Elexicon Energy made a commitment to donate $1 for each unique share, comment and like of a video produced with Ontario Shores. The partnership raised more than $2,100 for mental health programming and support services.
  • In early February, Elexicon Energy’s Health, Safety & Environment team partnered with Kids’ Safety Village Durham to provide virtual electrical safety presentations for students in Grades 1 to 3. Through the use of animated videos, Lucky the Squirrel shows children why it’s not safe to fly kites near powerlines, touch electrical equipment, and other dangers that exist around their home and in their neighbourhood.
  • Elexicon Energy celebrated Black History Month in February by sharing the accomplishments and contributions of Black leaders and businesses on this microsite and its social media channels. The company also proudly supported the 15th Annual Durham Black History Month Celebration – the region’s longest running and largest Black History Month event. Additionally, Elexicon Energy sponsored events by the Whitby Chamber of Commerce and Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade.
  • March was National Fraud Prevention Month, and Elexicon Energy joined forces with four of Ontario’s largest utilities to raise awareness about ongoing sophisticated scams targeting utility customers. All utilities encouraged their customers to protect themselves and provided a number of safety tips using their websites and social media channels.
  • In early March, Elexicon Energy President and CEO, Indrani Butany-DeSouza, joined Francis Bradley, President and CEO of Electricity Canada, on his podcast The Flux Capacitor. Indrani discussed her transition from regulatory affairs to her position as the head of Elexicon Energy, what government commitments for a net zero electricity grid by 2035 will mean for Elexicon Energy, the role of distribution companies and customers will have to play to meet GHG reduction targets, and the need for regulatory frameworks to be updated to meet the new realities of a net zero world.
  • March 8th was International Women’s Day (IWD), a global event to recognize and celebrate women’s social, economic, cultural and political achievements. As an organization committed to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, Elexicon Energy celebrated IWD by profiling some of its employees to show how they have worked hard to #BreakTheBias and succeed in their careers. Their stories were posted on this microsite and on its social media channels.
  • March 8th, Edyta McKay, Manager of Communications, Marketing and Public Affairs at Elexicon Energy was a guest speaker at “I Am… A Woman in Business” event hosted by the Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade (APBOT). The event was part of a series focusing on women in business with the purpose to inspire, share ideas, visions and opportunities.
  • Elexicon Energy’s Vice President of Technology and Innovation, Falguni Shah, was recognized by the Electricity Distributors Association (EDA) at their annual Awards Gala. Ms. Shah received the EDA’s Volunteer Excellence Award in recognition of her outstanding support and perseverance in advancing the association’s policy positions.
  • Elexicon Energy’s Communications, Marketing and Public Affairs team is making good progress on its new website build project. The end goal is to deliver an interactive, responsive and engaging website that improves the user experience with our brand and for our customers. The new website is expected to go live by the end of August.
Communications Thought Leadership

Innovation and Sustainability

Innovation and Sustainability
  • March 15th, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) launched consultation on the Clean Electricity Standard and released a discussion paper on the standard. The Clean Electricity Standard is meant to provide a pathway for how the federal government can reach a net-zero electricity system by 2035.
  • On February 23, Ontario launched the first six ONroute electric vehicle charging stations in Cambridge South, Cambridge North, West Lorne, Dutton, Odessa and Napanee. In December 2021, the Government of Ontario announced plans to build chargers at 17 ONroute locations in time for summer, with another three ONroute locations opening before the end of 2022. The initiative is being undertaken in partnership with Hydro One and Ontario Power Generation's joint Ivy Charging Network, and will see a total of 69 fast chargers built at all 23 ONroute locations. The news release can be viewed here.
  • To support the generation and adoption of new ideas and technologies within Ontario’s energy sector, the Ontario Energy Board (OEB) unveiled its Innovation Sandbox 2.0 in late January. Utilities and other companies in the sector can leverage the platform to access customized regulatory guidance and/or seek assistance in requesting temporary relief from a regulatory requirement to enable pilot projects. More information is available on the OEB’s Sandbox webpage.

Industry News

  • The Ministry of Energy is seeking input from stakeholders and interested members of the public on a proposed policy change to enable the creation of an additional optional Time-of-Use (TOU) price plan that would include a new ultra-low overnight rate. The new optional price plan, if approved, would encourage customers to shift electricity use to lower-demand periods and be designed to meet the following objectives: provide additional choice and value for electricity customers including shift workers and electric vehicle (EV) users that use more electricity at night, prepare the electricity system for anticipated increased electrification, and contribute to the decarbonization of the economy. The new overnight electricity rate is being proposed for April 2023.
  • The Ontario Energy Association released a new Energy Platform to provide Ontario's political parties with precise recommendations on how to optimize energy policies for Ontario’s energy consumers. Recommendations are organized into five categories with a few recommendations per category, followed by a detailed discussion on the recommendations. The five recommendations areas are: Comprehensive & Co-ordinated Plan; Optimize Use of Existing Infrastructure; Invest in Infrastructure, Technology & Adaptation; Invest in Energy Efficiency; and Achieve Behavioral Change. The platform can be viewed here.
  • The Electricity Distributors Association (EDA) released a new paper as part of their Power to Connect Series. The paper focuses on a number of topics related to Distributed Energy Resources (DER), including: the interaction required to manage conflicting local distribution level and bulks system level needs; the regulatory flexibility that will be needed from the Ontario Energy Board to make the necessary investments to achieve decarbonization objectives; and points to consider as part of the Independent Electricity System Operator’s (IESO) DER Roadmap. A free account must be created to download the paper here.
  • The EDA released its second Electrification Position Paper. The paper discusses current federal and provincial targets on Electric Vehicle (EV) implementation and the critical role LDCs will have to play in order for the country and province to meet the set targets. The EDA provides reasons why system upgrades related to enabling electrification should be covered by an LDC’s rate base, the role that LDCs should have in outreach and education, and justification for an EV specific TOU rate. A free account must be created to download the paper here.
  • Ministerial Directive on Lake Erie Connector Project: The Minister of Energy sent a directive to the IESO that instructs the organization to continue examining a potential Joint Operating Agreement with PJM Interconnection on a potential Lake Erie Connector (LEC). The LEC is a proposed 117 kilometer underwater electricity transmission line that would deliver 1,000 MW of power bi-directionally between Ontario and the largest electrical market in the world – 13 U.S. Midwestern and Mid-Atlantic states.
Industry News

Corporate Social Responsibility

CORPORATE GIVING PROGRAM UPDATE:

  • 2022 Budget: $37,215
  • Amount spent to date: $106.00

RECENT CORPORATE GIVING RECIPIENTS:

  • Ontario Tech
Corporate Social Responsibility

“Thank you so much to Elexicon Energy for their support of the Ontario Tech 3MT competition in March. This competition has challenged me to explain my research and its impact in three minutes or less in an interesting and accessible way to a wide, general audience. The other competitors are experts in their field and presented some really groundbreaking research. I feel very proud that the research I am doing is seen as just as important and am honoured to have won both our Ontario Tech competition and Regionals. I look forward to competing at Nationals in November and hope to continue to represent Ontario Tech with passion and grace.”

– Emmeline Meens Miller, 2022 Ontario 3MT champion

Ontario Tech University

Municipality of Clarington

Image for Clarington

We proudly serve 16,000 residential and business customers in the Municipality of Clarington with reliable and affordable energy services.

The Community Reports support our commitment to transparency and keeping our shareholder communities up to date on our activities more frequently. The reports include information on Customer Service, System Reliability, Operations and Asset Improvements, Communications and Thought Leadership, Innovation and Sustainability, Industry News and Corporate Social Responsibility.

Have a question or require more information? communications@elexiconenergy.com

Customer Experience

  • The Ontario Energy Board’s Winter Disconnection Ban remains in effect. Electricity and natural gas distributors are not permitted to disconnect residential services for non-payment from November 15, 2021 to April 30, 2022.
  • Residential and small business customers can choose their price plan, either Time-of-Use or Tiered pricing. Customers are not required to select a price plan but if they wish to switch, they must notify Elexicon Energy by submitting an election form. As of March 31th, 5,318 Elexicon Energy customers (or 3.1 per cent) have changed their pricing structure or are in the process of doing so.
  • There are financial assistance programs in place to support customers, including the Ontario Electricity Support Program and the Low-income Energy Assistance Program. Elexicon Energy continues to encourage customers experiencing difficulty paying their bill to contact us to discuss bill payment options.
  • Elexicon Energy values its customers, and our Customer Experience team strives to provide customers with assistance in an accurate and respectful manner. Provided below are the number of calls and written enquires the Customer Experience team received and responded to in Q1 2022.
    • Phone Calls

    January: 7,491

    February: 7,029

    March: 7,442

    TOTAL: 21,962

    Written Enquiries

    January: 1,071

    February: 947

    March: 1,210

    TOTAL: 3,228

System Reliability

More than 16,000 homes and businesses in the Municipality of Clarington depend on a steady supply of electricity to power their lives. Elexicon Energy takes service reliability very seriously, and continues to monitor and mitigate any trends to ensure system reliability.

System Reliability
The average number of hours that power to a customer was interrupted in Q1 2022 was 0.04 compared to 0.01 in Q1 2021.

TOP THREE REASONS FOR OUTAGE DURATION IN Q1 2022:

Loss of Supply:
4,043 hrs* compared to 251 hrs in Q1 2021

Defective Equipment:
553 hrs compared to 27 hrs in Q1 2021

Scheduled Outage:
21 hrs compared to 25 hrs in Q1 2021

TOTAL OUTAGE DURATION IN CUSTOMER HOURS:

4,629 hrs in Q1 2022 compared to 391 hrs in Q1 2021

System Reliability
The average number of times that power to a customer was interrupted in Q1 2022 was 0.02 compared to 0.01 in Q1 2021.

TOP THREE REASONS FOR OUTAGE DURATION IN Q1 2022:

Loss of Supply:
3 outage compared to 1 outage in Q1 2021

Defective Equipment:
2 outages compared to 4 outages in Q1 2021

Foreign Interference**:
1 outage compared to 2 outages in Q1 2021

TOTAL NUMBER OF OUTAGES:

7 in Q1 2022 compared to 15 in Q1 2021

* A large outage in Bowmanville caused by a Hydro One feeder affected 5,460 customers and caused a loss of 3,822 hours

**The Ontario Energy Board describes Foreign Interference as interruptions beyond the control of the distributor such as those caused by animals, vehicles, dig-ins, vandalism, sabotage and other foreign interference.

Operations and Asset Improvements

Operations and Asset Improvements
  • Nothing to report at this time.

Communications and Thought Leadership

  • On January 26, Bell Let’s Talk Day, Elexicon Energy joined Ontario Shores Mental Health Foundation (Ontario Shores) to raise awareness for mental health and to help end the stigma of mental illness. Elexicon Energy made a commitment to donate $1 for each unique share, comment and like of a video produced with Ontario Shores. The partnership raised more than $2,100 for mental health programming and support services.
  • In early February, Elexicon Energy’s Health, Safety & Environment team partnered with Kids’ Safety Village Durham to provide virtual electrical safety presentations for students in Grades 1 to 3. Through the use of animated videos, Lucky the Squirrel shows children why it’s not safe to fly kites near powerlines, touch electrical equipment, and other dangers that exist around their home and in their neighbourhood.
  • Elexicon Energy celebrated Black History Month in February by sharing the accomplishments and contributions of Black leaders and businesses on this microsite and its social media channels. The company also proudly supported the 15th Annual Durham Black History Month Celebration – the region’s longest running and largest Black History Month event. Additionally, Elexicon Energy sponsored events by the Whitby Chamber of Commerce and Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade.
  • March was National Fraud Prevention Month, and Elexicon Energy joined forces with four of Ontario’s largest utilities to raise awareness about ongoing sophisticated scams targeting utility customers. All utilities encouraged their customers to protect themselves and provided a number of safety tips using their websites and social media channels.
  • In early March, Elexicon Energy President and CEO, Indrani Butany-DeSouza, joined Francis Bradley, President and CEO of Electricity Canada, on his podcast The Flux Capacitor. Indrani discussed her transition from regulatory affairs to her position as the head of Elexicon Energy, what government commitments for a net zero electricity grid by 2035 will mean for Elexicon Energy, the role of distribution companies and customers will have to play to meet GHG reduction targets, and the need for regulatory frameworks to be updated to meet the new realities of a net zero world.
  • March 8th was International Women’s Day (IWD), a global event to recognize and celebrate women’s social, economic, cultural and political achievements. As an organization committed to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, Elexicon Energy celebrated IWD by profiling some of its employees to show how they have worked hard to #BreakTheBias and succeed in their careers. Their stories were posted on this microsite and on its social media channels.
  • March 8th, Edyta McKay, Manager of Communications, Marketing and Public Affairs at Elexicon Energy was a guest speaker at “I Am… A Woman in Business” event hosted by the Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade (APBOT). The event was part of a series focusing on women in business with the purpose to inspire, share ideas, visions and opportunities.
  • Elexicon Energy’s Vice President of Technology and Innovation, Falguni Shah, was recognized by the Electricity Distributors Association (EDA) at their annual Awards Gala. Ms. Shah received the EDA’s Volunteer Excellence Award in recognition of her outstanding support and perseverance in advancing the association’s policy positions.
  • Elexicon Energy’s Communications, Marketing and Public Affairs team is making good progress on its new website build project. The end goal is to deliver an interactive, responsive and engaging website that improves the user experience with our brand and for our customers. The new website is expected to go live by the end of August.
Communications Thought Leadership

Innovation and Sustainability

Innovation and Sustainability
  • March 15th, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) launched consultation on the Clean Electricity Standard and released a discussion paper on the standard. The Clean Electricity Standard is meant to provide a pathway for how the federal government can reach a net-zero electricity system by 2035.
  • On February 23, Ontario launched the first six ONroute electric vehicle charging stations in Cambridge South, Cambridge North, West Lorne, Dutton, Odessa and Napanee. In December 2021, the Government of Ontario announced plans to build chargers at 17 ONroute locations in time for summer, with another three ONroute locations opening before the end of 2022. The initiative is being undertaken in partnership with Hydro One and Ontario Power Generation's joint Ivy Charging Network, and will see a total of 69 fast chargers built at all 23 ONroute locations. The news release can be viewed here.
  • To support the generation and adoption of new ideas and technologies within Ontario’s energy sector, the Ontario Energy Board (OEB) unveiled its Innovation Sandbox 2.0 in late January. Utilities and other companies in the sector can leverage the platform to access customized regulatory guidance and/or seek assistance in requesting temporary relief from a regulatory requirement to enable pilot projects. More information is available on the OEB’s Sandbox webpage.

Industry News

  • The Ministry of Energy is seeking input from stakeholders and interested members of the public on a proposed policy change to enable the creation of an additional optional Time-of-Use (TOU) price plan that would include a new ultra-low overnight rate. The new optional price plan, if approved, would encourage customers to shift electricity use to lower-demand periods and be designed to meet the following objectives: provide additional choice and value for electricity customers including shift workers and electric vehicle (EV) users that use more electricity at night, prepare the electricity system for anticipated increased electrification, and contribute to the decarbonization of the economy. The new overnight electricity rate is being proposed for April 2023.
  • The Ontario Energy Association released a new Energy Platform to provide Ontario's political parties with precise recommendations on how to optimize energy policies for Ontario’s energy consumers. Recommendations are organized into five categories with a few recommendations per category, followed by a detailed discussion on the recommendations. The five recommendations areas are: Comprehensive & Co-ordinated Plan; Optimize Use of Existing Infrastructure; Invest in Infrastructure, Technology & Adaptation; Invest in Energy Efficiency; and Achieve Behavioral Change. The platform can be viewed here.
  • The Electricity Distributors Association (EDA) released a new paper as part of their Power to Connect Series. The paper focuses on a number of topics related to Distributed Energy Resources (DER), including: the interaction required to manage conflicting local distribution level and bulks system level needs; the regulatory flexibility that will be needed from the Ontario Energy Board to make the necessary investments to achieve decarbonization objectives; and points to consider as part of the Independent Electricity System Operator’s (IESO) DER Roadmap. A free account must be created to download the paper here.
  • The EDA released its second Electrification Position Paper. The paper discusses current federal and provincial targets on Electric Vehicle (EV) implementation and the critical role LDCs will have to play in order for the country and province to meet the set targets. The EDA provides reasons why system upgrades related to enabling electrification should be covered by an LDC’s rate base, the role that LDCs should have in outreach and education, and justification for an EV specific TOU rate. A free account must be created to download the paper here.
  • Ministerial Directive on Lake Erie Connector Project: The Minister of Energy sent a directive to the IESO that instructs the organization to continue examining a potential Joint Operating Agreement with PJM Interconnection on a potential Lake Erie Connector (LEC). The LEC is a proposed 117 kilometer underwater electricity transmission line that would deliver 1,000 MW of power bi-directionally between Ontario and the largest electrical market in the world – 13 U.S. Midwestern and Mid-Atlantic states.
Industry News

Corporate Social Responsibility

CORPORATE GIVING PROGRAM UPDATE:

  • 2022 Budget: $32,968
  • Amount spent to date: $2,963

RECENT CORPORATE GIVING RECIPIENTS:

  • Grandview Kids
  • Ontario Tech
Corporate Social Responsibility

"Grandview Kids Foundation is honoured to be part of Elexicon Energy's Corporate Giving Program which is helping to make so much possible for local charities. Our partnership with Elexicon Energy helps to provide programs and services to children and youth with physical, communication and developmental needs to live their best life. Together, we are working on building a brighter future for our community.”

– Brandy Reid, Community Engagement & Donor Relations Officer

Grandview Kids Foundation

“Thank you so much to Elexicon Energy for their support of the Ontario Tech 3MT competition in March. This competition has challenged me to explain my research and its impact in three minutes or less in an interesting and accessible way to a wide, general audience. The other competitors are experts in their field and presented some really groundbreaking research. I feel very proud that the research I am doing is seen as just as important and am honoured to have won both our Ontario Tech competition and Regionals. I look forward to competing at Nationals in November and hope to continue to represent Ontario Tech with passion and grace.”

– Emmeline Meens Miller, 2022 Ontario 3MT champion

Ontario Tech University

City of Pickering

Image for Pickering

We proudly serve 34,000 residential and business customers in the City of Pickering with reliable and affordable energy services.

The Community Reports support our commitment to transparency and keeping our shareholder communities up to date on our activities more frequently. The reports include information on Customer Service, System Reliability, Operations and Asset Improvements, Communications and Thought Leadership, Innovation and Sustainability, Industry News and Corporate Social Responsibility.

Have a question or require more information? communications@elexiconenergy.com

Customer Experience

  • The Ontario Energy Board’s Winter Disconnection Ban remains in effect. Electricity and natural gas distributors are not permitted to disconnect residential services for non-payment from November 15, 2021 to April 30, 2022.
  • Residential and small business customers can choose their price plan, either Time-of-Use or Tiered pricing. Customers are not required to select a price plan but if they wish to switch, they must notify Elexicon Energy by submitting an election form. As of March 31th, 5,318 Elexicon Energy customers (or 3.1 per cent) have changed their pricing structure or are in the process of doing so.
  • There are financial assistance programs in place to support customers, including the Ontario Electricity Support Program and the Low-income Energy Assistance Program. Elexicon Energy continues to encourage customers experiencing difficulty paying their bill to contact us to discuss bill payment options.
  • Elexicon Energy values its customers, and our Customer Experience team strives to provide customers with assistance in an accurate and respectful manner. Provided below are the number of calls and written enquires the Customer Experience team received and responded to in Q1 2022.
    • Phone Calls

    January: 7,491

    February: 7,029

    March: 7,442

    TOTAL: 21,962

    Written Enquiries

    January: 1,071

    February: 947

    March: 1,210

    TOTAL: 3,228

System Reliability

More than 34,000 homes and businesses in the City of Pickering depend on a steady supply of electricity to power their lives. Elexicon Energy takes service reliability very seriously, and continues to monitor and mitigate any trends to ensure system reliability.

System Reliability
The average number of hours that power to a customer was interrupted in Q1 2022 was 0.08 compared to 0.38 in Q1 2021.

TOP THREE REASONS FOR OUTAGE DURATION IN Q1 2022:

Tree Contacts:
1,069 hrs compared to 209 hrs in Q1 2021

Defective Equipment:
1,040 hrs compared to 3,694 hrs in Q1 2021

Scheduled Outage:
221 hrs compared to 1,453 hrs in Q1 2021

TOTAL OUTAGE DURATION IN CUSTOMER HOURS:

2,713 hrs in Q1 2022 compared to 12,936 hrs in Q1 2021

System Reliability
The average number of times that power to a customer was interrupted in Q1 2022 was 0.12 compared to 0.17 in Q1 2021.

TOP THREE REASONS FOR OUTAGE DURATION IN Q1 2022:

Defective Equipment:
11 outages compared to 22 outages in Q1 2021

Unknown/Other:
5 outages compared to 6 outages in Q1 2021

Foreign Interference*:
3 outages compared to 7 outages in Q1 2021

TOTAL NUMBER OF OUTAGES:

26 in Q1 2022 compared to 50 in Q4 2021

*The Ontario Energy Board describes Foreign Interference as interruptions beyond the control of the distributor such as those caused by animals, vehicles, dig-ins, vandalism, sabotage and other foreign interference.

Operations and Asset Improvements

Operations and Asset Improvements
  • Underway: Elexicon Energy has contracted Asplundh Canada ULC to perform tree trimming in areas throughout Pickering. The proactive work and preventative maintenance helps ensure public safety and the reliable operation of our distribution system during major weather events. The work started on March 21st and should be wrapped up by June 30th, 2022.

Communications and Thought Leadership

  • On January 26, Bell Let’s Talk Day, Elexicon Energy joined Ontario Shores Mental Health Foundation (Ontario Shores) to raise awareness for mental health and to help end the stigma of mental illness. Elexicon Energy made a commitment to donate $1 for each unique share, comment and like of a video produced with Ontario Shores. The partnership raised more than $2,100 for mental health programming and support services.
  • In early February, Elexicon Energy’s Health, Safety & Environment team partnered with Kids’ Safety Village Durham to provide virtual electrical safety presentations for students in Grades 1 to 3. Through the use of animated videos, Lucky the Squirrel shows children why it’s not safe to fly kites near powerlines, touch electrical equipment, and other dangers that exist around their home and in their neighbourhood.
  • Elexicon Energy celebrated Black History Month in February by sharing the accomplishments and contributions of Black leaders and businesses on this microsite and its social media channels. The company also proudly supported the 15th Annual Durham Black History Month Celebration – the region’s longest running and largest Black History Month event. Additionally, Elexicon Energy sponsored events by the Whitby Chamber of Commerce and Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade.
  • March was National Fraud Prevention Month, and Elexicon Energy joined forces with four of Ontario’s largest utilities to raise awareness about ongoing sophisticated scams targeting utility customers. All utilities encouraged their customers to protect themselves and provided a number of safety tips using their websites and social media channels.
  • In early March, Elexicon Energy President and CEO, Indrani Butany-DeSouza, joined Francis Bradley, President and CEO of Electricity Canada, on his podcast The Flux Capacitor. Indrani discussed her transition from regulatory affairs to her position as the head of Elexicon Energy, what government commitments for a net zero electricity grid by 2035 will mean for Elexicon Energy, the role of distribution companies and customers will have to play to meet GHG reduction targets, and the need for regulatory frameworks to be updated to meet the new realities of a net zero world.
  • March 8th was International Women’s Day (IWD), a global event to recognize and celebrate women’s social, economic, cultural and political achievements. As an organization committed to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, Elexicon Energy celebrated IWD by profiling some of its employees to show how they have worked hard to #BreakTheBias and succeed in their careers. Their stories were posted on this microsite and on its social media channels.
  • March 8th, Edyta McKay, Manager of Communications, Marketing and Public Affairs at Elexicon Energy was a guest speaker at “I Am… A Woman in Business” event hosted by the Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade (APBOT). The event was part of a series focusing on women in business with the purpose to inspire, share ideas, visions and opportunities.
  • Elexicon Energy’s Vice President of Technology and Innovation, Falguni Shah, was recognized by the Electricity Distributors Association (EDA) at their annual Awards Gala. Ms. Shah received the EDA’s Volunteer Excellence Award in recognition of her outstanding support and perseverance in advancing the association’s policy positions.
  • Elexicon Energy’s Communications, Marketing and Public Affairs team is making good progress on its new website build project. The end goal is to deliver an interactive, responsive and engaging website that improves the user experience with our brand and for our customers. The new website is expected to go live by the end of August.
Communications Thought Leadership

Innovation and Sustainability

Innovation and Sustainability
  • March 15th, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) launched consultation on the Clean Electricity Standard and released a discussion paper on the standard. The Clean Electricity Standard is meant to provide a pathway for how the federal government can reach a net-zero electricity system by 2035.
  • On February 23, Ontario launched the first six ONroute electric vehicle charging stations in Cambridge South, Cambridge North, West Lorne, Dutton, Odessa and Napanee. In December 2021, the Government of Ontario announced plans to build chargers at 17 ONroute locations in time for summer, with another three ONroute locations opening before the end of 2022. The initiative is being undertaken in partnership with Hydro One and Ontario Power Generation's joint Ivy Charging Network, and will see a total of 69 fast chargers built at all 23 ONroute locations. The news release can be viewed here.
  • To support the generation and adoption of new ideas and technologies within Ontario’s energy sector, the Ontario Energy Board (OEB) unveiled its Innovation Sandbox 2.0 in late January. Utilities and other companies in the sector can leverage the platform to access customized regulatory guidance and/or seek assistance in requesting temporary relief from a regulatory requirement to enable pilot projects. More information is available on the OEB’s Sandbox webpage.

Industry News

  • The Ministry of Energy is seeking input from stakeholders and interested members of the public on a proposed policy change to enable the creation of an additional optional Time-of-Use (TOU) price plan that would include a new ultra-low overnight rate. The new optional price plan, if approved, would encourage customers to shift electricity use to lower-demand periods and be designed to meet the following objectives: provide additional choice and value for electricity customers including shift workers and electric vehicle (EV) users that use more electricity at night, prepare the electricity system for anticipated increased electrification, and contribute to the decarbonization of the economy. The new overnight electricity rate is being proposed for April 2023.
  • The Ontario Energy Association released a new Energy Platform to provide Ontario's political parties with precise recommendations on how to optimize energy policies for Ontario’s energy consumers. Recommendations are organized into five categories with a few recommendations per category, followed by a detailed discussion on the recommendations. The five recommendations areas are: Comprehensive & Co-ordinated Plan; Optimize Use of Existing Infrastructure; Invest in Infrastructure, Technology & Adaptation; Invest in Energy Efficiency; and Achieve Behavioral Change. The platform can be viewed here.
  • The Electricity Distributors Association (EDA) released a new paper as part of their Power to Connect Series. The paper focuses on a number of topics related to Distributed Energy Resources (DER), including: the interaction required to manage conflicting local distribution level and bulks system level needs; the regulatory flexibility that will be needed from the Ontario Energy Board to make the necessary investments to achieve decarbonization objectives; and points to consider as part of the Independent Electricity System Operator’s (IESO) DER Roadmap. A free account must be created to download the paper here.
  • The EDA released its second Electrification Position Paper. The paper discusses current federal and provincial targets on Electric Vehicle (EV) implementation and the critical role LDCs will have to play in order for the country and province to meet the set targets. The EDA provides reasons why system upgrades related to enabling electrification should be covered by an LDC’s rate base, the role that LDCs should have in outreach and education, and justification for an EV specific TOU rate. A free account must be created to download the paper here.
  • Ministerial Directive on Lake Erie Connector Project: The Minister of Energy sent a directive to the IESO that instructs the organization to continue examining a potential Joint Operating Agreement with PJM Interconnection on a potential Lake Erie Connector (LEC). The LEC is a proposed 117 kilometer underwater electricity transmission line that would deliver 1,000 MW of power bi-directionally between Ontario and the largest electrical market in the world – 13 U.S. Midwestern and Mid-Atlantic states.
Industry News

Corporate Social Responsibility

CORPORATE GIVING PROGRAM UPDATE:

  • 2022 Budget: $68,982
  • Amount spent to date: $10,891

RECENT CORPORATE GIVING RECIPIENTS:

  • Autism Home Base Durham
  • Cultural Expressions Art Gallery Inc.
  • Grandview Kids
  • Ontario Shores for Mental Health
  • Ontario Tech
Corporate Social Responsibility

"Grandview Kids Foundation is honoured to be part of Elexicon Energy's Corporate Giving Program which is helping to make so much possible for local charities. Our partnership with Elexicon Energy helps to provide programs and services to children and youth with physical, communication and developmental needs to live their best life. Together, we are working on building a brighter future for our community.”

– Brandy Reid, Community Engagement & Donor Relations Officer

Grandview Kids Foundation

“Thank you so much to Elexicon Energy for their support of the Ontario Tech 3MT competition in March. This competition has challenged me to explain my research and its impact in three minutes or less in an interesting and accessible way to a wide, general audience. The other competitors are experts in their field and presented some really groundbreaking research. I feel very proud that the research I am doing is seen as just as important and am honoured to have won both our Ontario Tech competition and Regionals. I look forward to competing at Nationals in November and hope to continue to represent Ontario Tech with passion and grace.”

– Emmeline Meens Miller, 2022 Ontario 3MT champion

Ontario Tech University

Town of Whitby

Image for Whitby

We proudly serve 46,500 residential and business customers in the Town of Whitby with reliable and affordable energy services.

The Community Reports support our commitment to transparency and keeping our shareholder communities up to date on our activities more frequently. The reports include information on Customer Service, System Reliability, Operations and Asset Improvements, Communications and Thought Leadership, Innovation and Sustainability, Industry News and Corporate Social Responsibility.

Have a question or require more information? communications@elexiconenergy.com

Customer Experience

  • The Ontario Energy Board’s Winter Disconnection Ban remains in effect. Electricity and natural gas distributors are not permitted to disconnect residential services for non-payment from November 15, 2021 to April 30, 2022.
  • Residential and small business customers can choose their price plan, either Time-of-Use or Tiered pricing. Customers are not required to select a price plan but if they wish to switch, they must notify Elexicon Energy by submitting an election form. As of March 31th, 5,318 Elexicon Energy customers (or 3.1 per cent) have changed their pricing structure or are in the process of doing so.
  • There are financial assistance programs in place to support customers, including the Ontario Electricity Support Program and the Low-income Energy Assistance Program. Elexicon Energy continues to encourage customers experiencing difficulty paying their bill to contact us to discuss bill payment options.
  • Elexicon Energy values its customers, and our Customer Experience team strives to provide customers with assistance in an accurate and respectful manner. Provided below are the number of calls and written enquires the Customer Experience team received and responded to in Q1 2022.
    • Phone Calls

    January: 7,491

    February: 7,029

    March: 7,442

    TOTAL: 21,962

    Written Enquiries

    January: 1,071

    February: 947

    March: 1,210

    TOTAL: 3,228

System Reliability

More than 45,000 homes and businesses in the Town of Whitby depend on a steady supply of electricity to power their lives. Elexicon Energy takes service reliability very seriously, and continues to monitor and mitigate any trends to ensure system reliability.

System Reliability
The average number of hours that power to a customer was interrupted in Q1 2022 was 0.08 compared to 0.02 in Q1 2021.

TOP THREE REASONS FOR OUTAGE DURATION IN Q1 2022:

Foreign Interference*:
2,508 hrs compared to 454 hrs in Q1 2021

Unknown/Other:
1,049 hrs compared to 0 hrs in Q1 2021

Tree Contacts:
164 hrs compared to 0 hrs in Q1 2021

TOTAL OUTAGE DURATION IN CUSTOMER HOURS:

3,962 hrs in Q1 2022 compared to 946 hrs in Q1 2021

System Reliability
The average number of times that power to a customer was interrupted in Q1 2022 was 0.12 compared to 0.01 in Q1 2021.

TOP THREE REASONS FOR OUTAGE DURATION IN Q1 2022:

Defective Equipment:
10 outages compared to 1 outage in Q1 2021

Schedule Outages:
7 outages compared to 16 outages in Q1 2021

Foreign Interference:
3 outages compared to 6 outages in Q1 2021

TOTAL NUMBER OF OUTAGES:

24 in Q1 2022 compared to 23 in Q1 2021

*The Ontario Energy Board describes foreign interference as interruptions beyond the control of the distributor such as those caused by animals, vehicles, dig-ins, vandalism, sabotage and other foreign interference.

Operations and Asset Improvements

Operations and Asset Improvements
  • Completed: Three (3) Smart Network Installations on Garden Street (South of Dundas Street), Rossland Road (West of Country Lane) and Rossland Road (East of Cochrane Street) to improve system reliability.
  • Underway: Elexicon Energy has contracted Davey Tree Expert Company to perform tree trimming in areas throughout Whitby. The proactive work and preventative maintenance helps ensure public safety and the reliable operation of our distribution system during major weather events. The work started on March 21st and should be wrapped up by June 30th, 2022.

Communications and Thought Leadership

  • On January 26, Bell Let’s Talk Day, Elexicon Energy joined Ontario Shores Mental Health Foundation (Ontario Shores) to raise awareness for mental health and to help end the stigma of mental illness. Elexicon Energy made a commitment to donate $1 for each unique share, comment and like of a video produced with Ontario Shores. The partnership raised more than $2,100 for mental health programming and support services.
  • In early February, Elexicon Energy’s Health, Safety & Environment team partnered with Kids’ Safety Village Durham to provide virtual electrical safety presentations for students in Grades 1 to 3. Through the use of animated videos, Lucky the Squirrel shows children why it’s not safe to fly kites near powerlines, touch electrical equipment, and other dangers that exist around their home and in their neighbourhood.
  • Elexicon Energy celebrated Black History Month in February by sharing the accomplishments and contributions of Black leaders and businesses on this microsite and its social media channels. The company also proudly supported the 15th Annual Durham Black History Month Celebration – the region’s longest running and largest Black History Month event. Additionally, Elexicon Energy sponsored events by the Whitby Chamber of Commerce and Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade.
  • March was National Fraud Prevention Month, and Elexicon Energy joined forces with four of Ontario’s largest utilities to raise awareness about ongoing sophisticated scams targeting utility customers. All utilities encouraged their customers to protect themselves and provided a number of safety tips using their websites and social media channels.
  • In early March, Elexicon Energy President and CEO, Indrani Butany-DeSouza, joined Francis Bradley, President and CEO of Electricity Canada, on his podcast The Flux Capacitor. Indrani discussed her transition from regulatory affairs to her position as the head of Elexicon Energy, what government commitments for a net zero electricity grid by 2035 will mean for Elexicon Energy, the role of distribution companies and customers will have to play to meet GHG reduction targets, and the need for regulatory frameworks to be updated to meet the new realities of a net zero world.
  • March 8th was International Women’s Day (IWD), a global event to recognize and celebrate women’s social, economic, cultural and political achievements. As an organization committed to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, Elexicon Energy celebrated IWD by profiling some of its employees to show how they have worked hard to #BreakTheBias and succeed in their careers. Their stories were posted on this microsite and on its social media channels.
  • March 8th, Edyta McKay, Manager of Communications, Marketing and Public Affairs at Elexicon Energy was a guest speaker at “I Am… A Woman in Business” event hosted by the Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade (APBOT). The event was part of a series focusing on women in business with the purpose to inspire, share ideas, visions and opportunities.
  • Elexicon Energy’s Vice President of Technology and Innovation, Falguni Shah, was recognized by the Electricity Distributors Association (EDA) at their annual Awards Gala. Ms. Shah received the EDA’s Volunteer Excellence Award in recognition of her outstanding support and perseverance in advancing the association’s policy positions.
  • Elexicon Energy’s Communications, Marketing and Public Affairs team is making good progress on its new website build project. The end goal is to deliver an interactive, responsive and engaging website that improves the user experience with our brand and for our customers. The new website is expected to go live by the end of August.
Communications Thought Leadership

Innovation and Sustainability

Innovation and Sustainability
  • March 15th, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) launched consultation on the Clean Electricity Standard and released a discussion paper on the standard. The Clean Electricity Standard is meant to provide a pathway for how the federal government can reach a net-zero electricity system by 2035.
  • On February 23, Ontario launched the first six ONroute electric vehicle charging stations in Cambridge South, Cambridge North, West Lorne, Dutton, Odessa and Napanee. In December 2021, the Government of Ontario announced plans to build chargers at 17 ONroute locations in time for summer, with another three ONroute locations opening before the end of 2022. The initiative is being undertaken in partnership with Hydro One and Ontario Power Generation's joint Ivy Charging Network, and will see a total of 69 fast chargers built at all 23 ONroute locations. The news release can be viewed here.
  • To support the generation and adoption of new ideas and technologies within Ontario’s energy sector, the Ontario Energy Board (OEB) unveiled its Innovation Sandbox 2.0 in late January. Utilities and other companies in the sector can leverage the platform to access customized regulatory guidance and/or seek assistance in requesting temporary relief from a regulatory requirement to enable pilot projects. More information is available on the OEB’s Sandbox webpage.

Industry News

  • The Ministry of Energy is seeking input from stakeholders and interested members of the public on a proposed policy change to enable the creation of an additional optional Time-of-Use (TOU) price plan that would include a new ultra-low overnight rate. The new optional price plan, if approved, would encourage customers to shift electricity use to lower-demand periods and be designed to meet the following objectives: provide additional choice and value for electricity customers including shift workers and electric vehicle (EV) users that use more electricity at night, prepare the electricity system for anticipated increased electrification, and contribute to the decarbonization of the economy. The new overnight electricity rate is being proposed for April 2023.
  • The Ontario Energy Association released a new Energy Platform to provide Ontario's political parties with precise recommendations on how to optimize energy policies for Ontario’s energy consumers. Recommendations are organized into five categories with a few recommendations per category, followed by a detailed discussion on the recommendations. The five recommendations areas are: Comprehensive & Co-ordinated Plan; Optimize Use of Existing Infrastructure; Invest in Infrastructure, Technology & Adaptation; Invest in Energy Efficiency; and Achieve Behavioral Change. The platform can be viewed here.
  • The Electricity Distributors Association (EDA) released a new paper as part of their Power to Connect Series. The paper focuses on a number of topics related to Distributed Energy Resources (DER), including: the interaction required to manage conflicting local distribution level and bulks system level needs; the regulatory flexibility that will be needed from the Ontario Energy Board to make the necessary investments to achieve decarbonization objectives; and points to consider as part of the Independent Electricity System Operator’s (IESO) DER Roadmap. A free account must be created to download the paper here.
  • The EDA released its second Electrification Position Paper. The paper discusses current federal and provincial targets on Electric Vehicle (EV) implementation and the critical role LDCs will have to play in order for the country and province to meet the set targets. The EDA provides reasons why system upgrades related to enabling electrification should be covered by an LDC’s rate base, the role that LDCs should have in outreach and education, and justification for an EV specific TOU rate. A free account must be created to download the paper here.
  • Ministerial Directive on Lake Erie Connector Project: The Minister of Energy sent a directive to the IESO that instructs the organization to continue examining a potential Joint Operating Agreement with PJM Interconnection on a potential Lake Erie Connector (LEC). The LEC is a proposed 117 kilometer underwater electricity transmission line that would deliver 1,000 MW of power bi-directionally between Ontario and the largest electrical market in the world – 13 U.S. Midwestern and Mid-Atlantic states.
Industry News

Corporate Social Responsibility

CORPORATE GIVING PROGRAM UPDATE:

  • 2022 Budget: $91,503
  • Amount spent to date: $14,445

RECENT CORPORATE GIVING RECIPIENTS:

  • Autism Home Base Durham
  • Cultural Expressions Art Gallery Inc.
  • Grandview Kids
  • Ontario Shores for Mental Health
  • Ontario Tech
Corporate Social Responsibility

"Grandview Kids Foundation is honoured to be part of Elexicon Energy's Corporate Giving Program which is helping to make so much possible for local charities. Our partnership with Elexicon Energy helps to provide programs and services to children and youth with physical, communication and developmental needs to live their best life. Together, we are working on building a brighter future for our community.”

– Brandy Reid, Community Engagement & Donor Relations Officer

Grandview Kids Foundation

“Thank you so much to Elexicon Energy for their support of the Ontario Tech 3MT competition in March. This competition has challenged me to explain my research and its impact in three minutes or less in an interesting and accessible way to a wide, general audience. The other competitors are experts in their field and presented some really groundbreaking research. I feel very proud that the research I am doing is seen as just as important and am honoured to have won both our Ontario Tech competition and Regionals. I look forward to competing at Nationals in November and hope to continue to represent Ontario Tech with passion and grace.”

– Emmeline Meens Miller, 2022 Ontario 3MT champion

Ontario Tech University