Adaptation solutions for a diverse country

The good news is that our member utilities are extremely resourceful. Ten days after the derecho in eastern Ontario, the damaged grid, which harnesses and transmits electricity across vast distances, was largely restored. This was aided in part through mutual assistance, which connects utilities in need with neighbouring utilities that can spare personnel and resources. Mutual assistance has been employed for many weather emergencies during the past several years.

Reliability and resiliency are at the core of what electricity providers do. But Canada is a big, diverse country.

The impacts of climate change in Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia are radically different to those in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, or Trois-Rivières, Québec. One size will not fit all when it comes to managing extreme weather. But there are still things that we can do to ready the grid for more frequent and intense weather.

That’s why over the past decade, Electricity Canada has worked with electricity providers and experts to create A Guide to Adaptation Planning for Electricity Companies in Canada, a resource to help address the risks that electricity infrastructure faces, no matter where in Canada they may be.