TORONTO – A government-appointed panel says Ontario’s energy regulator is in need of an overhaul to better respond to customer needs and adapt to technological change.
In a report today to Energy Minister Greg Rickford, the three-person panel recommends giving the Ontario Energy Board more independence by appointing its own board of directors.
The group also suggests the OEB – which sets rules for energy companies and establishes rates that consumers pay – streamline its review of rate change applications.
The panel further recommends the board develop a plan to address the energy sector’s needs as technological change continues.
It also says the board should change its name to the Ontario Energy Regulator.
A spokesman for the minister says Rickford is carefully considering all of the recommendations in the report.