New Ontario law a ‘stealth privatization’ of Toronto Hydro, other local power utilities, critics warn

Toronto Star · Marco Chown Oved, Mahdis Habibinia · 2026-11-06 10:00 UTC

A proposed new law would bar municipal representatives from serving on the boards of Ontario's local power utilities — including Toronto Hydro, Alectra and Elixicon in the GTA.

The province is pushing ahead with legislation that opens the door to the privatization of municipal hydro utilities across the province, including Toronto Hydro.

Before councillors have had a chance to be sworn in following the municipal election, dozens of local public utilities could be forced to kick city staff and elected officials off their boards and replace them with private-sector directors, according to the proposed law being considered at Queen’s Park.

These reforms, critics say, are the first steps on a roadmap to allow institutional investors to take stakes — or even take over — Ontario’s local power companies.

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