Toronto knows how to bring the energy – on and off the field. But instead of helping our world-class city hit a home run, Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) has struck out with its latest plan for the city’s energy future.
Released just as Jays mania hit its peak, the IESO’s Integrated Regional Resource Plan (IRRP) for Toronto is a dropped ball. It ignores Toronto City Council’s clear direction to phase-out the Portlands gas plant by 2035 and ditches the city’s climate goals entirely.
Instead of embracing the chance to hit a home run with affordable, renewable energy and efficiency, the IESO doubles down on the same tired playbook: more costly nuclear reactors — including new U.S. designs that will rely on imported enriched uranium — and more American gas burning in a city already struggling with air pollution. That’s like tearing down the Rogers Dome to rebuild Exhibition Stadium — an expensive throwback no one asked for.
The result? Toronto will be stuck in the minor leagues — with skyrocketing hydro bills, dirtier air, and a growing climate crisis — while other cities hit grand slams with wind, solar, storage, and energy efficiency.
Mayor Chow and City Council can’t let this one slide. It’s time to call in a relief pitcher. Toronto Hydro should be ordered to create a “Power to Go Green” plan — one that follows Council’s direction, expands local renewables, and finally retires the city’s biggest air polluter by 2035.
Tell Mayor Chow and Toronto Councillors: it’s time for a pitching change. Let’s put a clean-energy team on the mound that can actually see the strike zone.
P.S. Read the News Release: 26 Groups Call on Toronto to Ditch the Province’s Dirty Energy Plan