The newly created stakeholdering body established by the Ontario Power Authority appears to have begun its life with a significant attempt at transparency. Even before the first meeting took place, the OPA announced that its Stakeholder Advisory Committee would be operating under an Open Meeting Policy, which provides, among other things, for meetings being open to the public, with live broadcasts over the internet.
Established in response to a directive from Minister Chiarelli, the Committee is a forum for its members to be informed of OPA activities and “to provide timely policy level advice directly to the OPA Board and Executive on material matters relating to the design, delivery, funding and evaluation of conservation programs, the planning of the power system, the competitive procurement of generation resources and the ongoing management of these contracts, the structure of the electricity market and other issues related to OPA’s mandate.”
The OPA notes that it will continue to use other ongoing and ad hoc OPA stakeholder engagement mechanisms and processes to seek advice from stakeholders and Aboriginal communities on a range of issues related to the OPA’s mandate.
The first meeting of Ontario Power Authority’s Stakeholder Advisory Committee was held on January 7, 2014.
For meeting materials and more information on the Stakeholder Advisory Committee, readers may visit the website at powerauthority.on.ca/stakeholder-engagement/stakeholder-advisory-committee/meeting-jan-7-2014.
Specific terms of the Open Meeting Policy include the following:
• Meetings of the Ontario Power Authority’s Stakeholder Advisory Committee are open to the public and the media.
• Meeting notices, including webinar information, agendas, and materials will be posted at least two weeks in advance of the meetings on the OPA website. A dedicated web page will be established for the committee.
• Time will be allocated on meeting agendas so that public attendees have the opportunity to comment and ask questions about issues discussed at the meeting.
• Public attendees can also submit a written request to the chair to address the committee. The request must be received at least seven business days in advance of the Committee meeting by mail, email or fax. Contact information will be available on the OPA website. The length of time available to address the committee will be determined by the chair.
• Written submissions to the committee are welcome. They must be sent to the chair at least seven business days in advance of the committee meeting by mail, email or fax. Contact information will be available on the OPA website.
In keeping with committee’s open meeting policy, written submissions will be considered public documents and may be posted on the OPA website for information.
• Meetings will be broadcast live via webinar where participants will be able to listen and ask questions via the telephone. A webinar archive will be posted to the OPA website following each meeting.
Members of the Committee consist of:
• 1 person who is the chair of the Committee
• 5 persons representing the constituency of generators of electricity
• 2 persons representing the constituency of distributors of electricity
• 1 person representing the constituency of transmitters of electricity
• 2 persons representing the constituency of consumers of electricity
• 1 person representing the constituency of municipalities
• 1 person representing the constituency of gas utilities
• 1 person representing the constituency of Aboriginal communities
• 1 person representing the constituency of environmental sustainability advocates
• 1 person who is a member of the OPA’s Advisory Committee on Conservation
At its discretion, the Board may amend the sector representation of the Advisory Committee and may also appoint one or more ad hoc members for specified terms. Ad hoc members will sit as non-voting members of the Committee.
The committee will build on existing OPA outreach activities, including the Advisory Council on Conservation and the First Nation and Métis Advisory Group.
The OPA’s Board of Directors appointed the members of the committee. They are:
• Brian Bentz, CEO of PowerStream and Chair of the Committee
• Steve Baker (president, Union Gas Limited)
• John Beaucage (principal, Counsel Public Affairs)
• Bryce Conrad (president and CEO, Hydro Ottawa)
• Laura Cooke (vice-president, Corporate Relations, Hydro One Networks Inc.)
• Jared Donald (president, Coenergy Canada)
• Julie Girvan (independent consultant/consumer advocate)
• Valerie Helbronner (partner, Torys LLP)
• Tim Gray (executive director, Environmental Defence)
• Kristin Jenkins (vice-president, Communications, OPA)
• Geoff Lupton (director, energy, fleet and traffic, City of Hamilton)
• Brenda Marshall (vice-president, marketing, TransAlta)
• Rob Mace (president and CEO, Thunder Bay Hydro Electricity Distribution Inc.)
• Ian Rowlands (professor, environment and resource studies, and associate
• director, Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy, University of Waterloo)
• James Scongack (vice-president, corporate affairs, Bruce Power)
• David Timm (vice-president, strategic affairs, GDF SUEZ Canada Ltd.)
• Adam White (president, AMPCO)
The committee has six meetings planned for 2014: January 7, March 11, May 13, June 24, September 8 and November 25.
More information is available here: http://powerauthority.on.ca/stakeholder-engagement/stakeholder-advisory-committee