The extremes of climate change are reported to be a high risk in all regions of Ontario, and this Report outlines the linkages between climate risks and energy security. Climate change will present several risks to provincial energy systems, including hydroelectric, where water availability is crucial.
Of course, policies, programs and regulations aimed at protecting water supply and quality such as the Environmental Protection Act (1990), the Electricity Act, Ontario Water Resources Act (1990), provincial land use planning statutes including the Planning Act (1990), Ontario’s Clean Water Act (2006) are all in the process of being exempted/ gutted by the province, with the intent of cutting red tape, excluding the public and Indigenous communities from consultation and engagement in what is left of the environmental assessment and permitting processes.