Toronto Municipal Election 2026

Overview

Overview

The Government of Ontario is planning to meet Toronto’s electricity needs by building new high-cost nuclear reactors and ramping up the output of the Portlands gas plant on our waterfront.

This will lead to higher electricity rates and more pollution.

Fortunately, we can lower our electricity bills and clear the air by investing in much lower cost wind and solar energy.

OCAA asked candidates these two questions:

1. Should the City of Toronto and Toronto Hydro develop a plan to increase local solar electricity generation by 2.8 billion kWh per year by 2030 (the equivalent of what the Portlands gas plant produced in 2024)? This could be achieved by installing more solar panels on City-owned buildings and parking lots and by encouraging local residents, big box stores and other commercial, institutional and industrial buildings to install solar.

2. Should Toronto Hydro undertake a preliminary feasibility study on the potential locations (near shore and far offshore) and costs and benefits of a Lake Ontario offshore wind farm?

BONUS: Environmental Defence’s Renewables-Ready Toronto pledge calls on municipal candidates to champion local renewable energy, like rooftop solar and battery storage, while reducing Toronto’s reliance on polluting gas-fired electricity. See which candidates have signed the pledge and committed to a cleaner, more affordable energy future for Toronto by scrolling down the page.

Responses Overview

Eglinton-Lawrence Candidate Responses

Enzo Torrone

1. Question 1 (solar electricity): Yes

2. Question 2 (offshore wind): Yes

Renewables-Ready Toronto: This candidate has signed Environmental Defence’s pledge to advance local renewable energy and reduce reliance on gas-fired electricity.

Additional comments

I fully support directing Toronto Hydro to do a preliminary feasibility study on a Lake Ontario offshore wind farm.To be absolutely clear, approving a study carries no risk, no construction, and no financial burden for taxpayers. A study is simply a fact-finding mission. It does not greenlight building anything, and it does not disrupt our waterfront or lake ecology.For Toronto, looking into this option has major benefits:It gives us fresh, modern data on clean energy costs and potential locations.It looks at how we can hook up to the province’s planned underwater power lines.It keeps Toronto ahead of the game so we are ready if provincial energy policies change.As a candidate for council, I believe in making decisions based on facts and evidence. Gathering information costs us nothing in terms of environmental impact, but it ensures we are doing our due diligence. We need to explore every option to secure a clean, affordable energy future for Toronto, and this study is a smart, zero-risk way to start.

Jason McDonald

1. Question 1 (solar electricity): Yes

2. Question 2 (offshore wind): Yes

Additional comments

Toronto has spent 25 years talking about climate action while doing almost nothing to generate its own clean power. The city declares emergencies and passes resolutions. It does not build. That is the difference between the incumbent approach and what I am proposing.

The answer to both survey questions is yes. Toronto should plan to increase local solar electricity generation by 2.8 billion kWh per year by 2030. Toronto Hydro should study the feasibility of a Lake Ontario offshore wind farm. Both positions are correct. But correctness is cheap. The question that matters is whether the councillor you elect will actually do the work to make them happen, or whether they will vote for a study, issue a press release, and wait four years to do it again.

I want to be direct about what a city councillor can and cannot do in this space. The provincial government sets the electricity framework. The Independent Electricity System Operator runs the grid. Toronto Hydro is a municipally owned corporation with its own board and regulatory obligations under the Ontario Energy Board. No single councillor can order solar panels onto rooftops or turbines into the lake. Anyone who tells you otherwise is lying to get your vote.

What a councillor can do — and what I will do — is use the tools of the office to direct, require, and negotiate.