March 16, 2023 – The Transition Accelerator—a “pan-Canadian charity that creates positive, transformational system changes that solve societal challenges”—has launched an initiative “to expedite end-use electrification and the build-out of decarbonized electricity systems”.

“Developing a consistent forum for information sharing and collaboration will bring us closer to overcoming the barriers to building a future-ready electricity system,” said the Accelerator’s Moe Kabbara.

The initiative—Electrifying Canada—is bringing together organizations from finance, industry, labour, Indigenous communities, and civil society to foster dialogue between partners on the supply, demand, and finance sides of the electricity sector, thereby positioning Canada “to compete in the net-zero economy”.

“Electrification presents incredible opportunities for Canada, particularly to attract new businesses and international investment,” said Francis Bradley, Electricity Canada. “For Canada to stay competitive in a low-carbon economy, we need to effectively build more non-emitting electricity resources, faster—and we need to grow a skilled workforce to achieve that.”

“Right now, technology is not the biggest barrier to meeting our net-zero goals,” said Dr. Bruce Lourie, president of the Ivey Foundation, one of the Accelerator’s major funders. “To build a right-sized clean grid we need exactly the kind of cross-sector coordination and collaboration Electrifying Canada will undertake.”

Some of the Electrifying Canada members include: Cameco, Canadian Nuclear Association, Canadian Renewable Energy Association, Electricity Canada, Electricity Human Resources Canada, First Nations Major Projects Coalition, Hydro One, IBEW Canada, Marine Renewables Canada, Ontario Power Generation, QUEST Canada, Rio Tinto, Waterpower Canada.