On May 7th, CAFES delivered two public delegations to the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee (ARAC), both focused on energy as a key lever for a greener, more resilient rural Ottawa.
Delegation 1: Energy as a Driver of Rural Economic Development (Agenda Item 4.1)
Executive Director Angela Keller-Herzog presented on behalf of CAFES in support of the Economic Development Rural Plan, while flagging one significant gap: energy.
CAFES commended staff on the Rural Plan overall, but noted that although the Plan’s own consultation summary identifies energy as an emerging opportunity for the rural economy, the recommendations do not yet act on it. Our delegation made the case that energy is both a major cost pressure for rural households and businesses, and the largest incoming investment opportunity for rural Ottawa and that an economic development plan should engage with both.
The energy transition is not a future prospect for rural Ottawa — it is already here:
- $1 billion in two Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) projects contracted in Wards 5 and 21 through the IESO LT1 procurement, with 50% Indigenous equity ownership
- $1.2 billion in Hydro Ottawa grid investment planned over 2026–2030 in substations, transmission, and distribution, including rural service areas
- 210–260 MW of solar projects already approved through Council Municipal Support Resolutions in the IESO LT2 pipeline, including projects by Hydro Ottawa’s Portage Power
CAFES posed two concrete questions to staff and Committee on the Plan as currently drafted:
- Will the Rural Business Liaison conduct proactive outreach to the energy development sector, including future rounds of IESO LT2 and the IESO Local Generation Program launching in 2027?
- Will Recommendation 10 of the Economic Development Rural Plan — the baseline study of Ottawa’s rural economy — include energy-sector investment, both grid-connected assets and behind-the-meter distributed energy resources?
You can download the full presentation below.
Delegation 2: A More Resilient, Green Ottawa – Rural Home Infrastructure Upgrade Financing (Agenda Item 8.1 – Councillor Skalski Motion)
Energy Program Strategist Aaron Kelly presented CAFES’ position on Councillor Skalski’s motion regarding Rural Home Infrastructure Upgrade Financing — offering our support with a proposed amendment.
CAFES agreed strongly with the motion’s goal: resilience to droughts, extreme rainfall events, and power outages are important policy objectives that help safeguard Ottawa residents. However, we raised a concern about one element of the motion as drafted: the use of public financing for permanent standby generators.
Financing fossil-fuel standby generators with public dollars exacerbates the climate change that is driving the very extreme weather events the motion aims to address. Meanwhile, non-emitting alternatives are available today that can pay for themselves over time.CAFES highlighted residential battery storage as a superior alternative.
In addition, CAFES recommended that the Better Homes Ottawa program review should consider adding a rural outreach and education component to raise awareness for options for residents to save on energy costs, particularly targetting propane and oil heated residences with possible savings by switching to heat pumps.
We are delighted to report that in response to CAFES input, Councillor Skalski moved to amend her motion, making it both more ‘technology neutral’ and including the CAFES suggestion for rural outreach to help rural households save on energy costs and unnecessary emissions.
You can download the full presentation below.
Both delegations reflect CAFES’ ongoing work to ensure that Ottawa’s rural communities are positioned to benefit from and not be left behind by the energy transition. We will continue to follow these items as they move forward and keep our network updated.