Utility regulators renew commitment to ministers to improve regulation

The leadership of the Canadian Association of Members of Public Utility Tribunals Sept. 24 offered Canada’s Energy and Mines ministers a renewed commitment from energy regulators to work with policymakers to improve energy regulation in Canada. The ministers accepted.

“Through collaboration, Canada, the provinces and the territories will benefit from improved efficiency and effectiveness in energy regulation,” said Jean-Paul Theoret, CAMPUT’s policy chairman. Theoret and CAMPUT Chairman Gaetan Caron spoke to the ministers on key utility challenges facing regulators and policymakers during the annual Energy and Mines Ministers’ Conference in Whistler, British Columbia. It was the first time that the leadership of CAMPUT addressed all of Canada’s federal, provincial, and territorial ministers of Energy and Mines.

“Much more needs to be done, and can be done, for Canada to remain competitive in the world,” Theoret said of the future of utility regulation.

For utility regulation to remain effective, he added, policymakers and regulators need to improve the coordination of environmental assessments with regulatory reviews, consult with aboriginal peoples, and reduce the time taken to make regulatory decisions.

—Ray Tyson