Our Advocacy

OREC has made recommendations to the province for advancing community-owned renewable energy and storage. This post highlights ten key policy and regulatory changes needed in 2025 — from expanding net metering and community solar, to ensuring public and co-op participation in large-scale renewable projects.

A new national report just launched by the Canadian Centre for the Study of Co-operatives (CECC) offers the first-ever snapshot of how...

Hydro Ottawa’s new rate plan includes big spending—but little action on local clean energy. Despite calls to adopt a modern “DSO” model that uses solar, storage, and other community solutions to reduce costs, the utility offers few concrete plans. OREC is calling for transparency and real investment in distributed energy. Read our blog and take action to push for a smarter, more affordable grid.

Nova Scotia just approved a 2.2 MW community solar garden—exactly the kind of project we can’t do in Ontario today. Their Community Solar Program lets everyday residents subscribe to local clean energy, no rooftop needed. It’s simple, scalable, and a model we urgently need here too.

Ontario’s new Local Generation Program could be a game-changer for community power. It would extend the life of existing solar and wind projects and support new, larger-scale renewable energy—owned by communities, for communities. We’ve shared our thoughts with the IESO.

OREC's advocacy is shaping Ottawa’s energy future. Read the IESO’s response to our push for local, sustainable energy solutions.

Allowing shared solar credits across meters could cut costs for co-ops & condos. Let’s fix Ontario’s net metering regulations.

OREC advocates for community-led renewable energy, proposing policy changes to enable local, resilient energy solutions

Ontario's new energy program offers $10K for solar & batteries—but bans net-metering. A win for the grid, but a loss for homeowners. Why?

VPPs are helping communities keep the lights on and save - why not in Ontario?

Adding battery storage systems to Ontario's electricity system enables communities to be more resilient to power disruptions.

Community solar directly benefits the communities that install them. What is Community Solar? Community Solar is a gateway for homeowners...

Dear Minister, It was a pleasure to meet with you at the AMO Annual Conference where you asked me for our recommendations on DER...