Energy Procurements and AMO Community and Supportive Housing Event

Ontario Launches Next Round of Energy Procurements 

On August 28, 2024, the province announced the next round of long-term energy procurements (called “LT2”) under which Ontario will see 5,000 megawatts of additional energy added to the electrical grid – crucial to power houses and businesses as our province grows. AMO president, Robin Jones, attended the announcement, thanking the province for investing in clean, reliable, affordable energy. 

The ministry has asked the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) to report back on the design of the LT2 procurement by September 20, 2024, and to include the following considerations   

• Only moving forward with projects where municipalities have indicated they are willing hosts through a municipal support resolution 
• Adopting a technology agnostic approach that includes all types of generation and storage, including natural gas 
• Incentivizing projects in Northern Ontario and that avoid prime agricultural lands  
• Creating a plan to “unlock Crown lands” for renewable energy 
• Finalizing the completion of LT2 procurements by February 28, 2026.  

This approach responds to AMO advocacy regarding the need to protect agricultural lands by: 1) banning ground-mounted solar projects in specialty crop areas and 2) requiring companies proposing projects on prime farmland to prepare and secure municipal approval on an agricultural impact assessment (AIA).  

AMO has been working with municipalities, IESO and the province to ensure that the lessons learned from previous long-term energy procurements are incorporated into LT2 and future procurement processes.  AMO is working with IESO and the Ministry of Energy to put new supports in place for municipal governments to help them make informed energy decisions that benefit their communities.  AMO is urging the IESO and the Ministry to put new supports are in place by winter 2025 to maximize their usefulness to municipalities.   

As energy partners pursue new projects, clear provincial guidelines and municipal-specific resources are essential to enable municipalities to play their leadership role in shaping the future of energy in Ontario. 

AMO Knowledge Exchange on Community and Supportive Housing – Program Now Available 

October 1-2, 2024  

AMO is excited to convene elected officials, municipal staff, federal and provincial representatives, academics, Indigenous partners, and other sector partners for networking, knowledge sharing, and collaboration on how we can collectively advance community and supportive housing solutions in communities across Ontario. The event will showcase what municipalities are and could be doing to find solutions to the housing and homelessness challenges in our communities, including innovative financing solutions, how to engage with community members to overcome NIMBYism, other tangible take-aways.    

Register today and look forward to discussions on the following topics and others:  

• How municipal governments are using solutions across the housing spectrum to address homelessness  
• Innovative approaches to funding and financing community and social housing outside the traditional government grant and loan programs  
• How to leverage municipal tools to encourage and enable affordable housing development in your community  
• Overcoming barriers, including NIMBYism, to expand supportive housing  

Please see the AMO website for the full program, location information, and to register.