Four Ontario Electric Utilities Pursue Merger

Four of Ontario’s largest local electricity distribution companies are working together to form a new utility that would serve almost a million customers in York Region, Simcoe County, Peel Region, Hamilton and St. Catharines.

A proposed merger between Enersource Corporation, Horizon Utilities Corporation, Hydro One Brampton Inc. and PowerStream Inc. would allow a new, larger company to use its collective resources to deliver a favourable impact on distribution rates, more efficient services and innovative technologies for customers.This action flows from recommendations made by the Premier’s Advisory Council on Government Assets and is in line with recommendations made in the 2012 Ontario Distribution Sector Review Panel Report. The proposed merger will require negotiation of a definitive agreement that must be approved by all shareholders and will be subject to regulatory approvals.

About the Utilities:

Enersource Corporation serves over 200,000 residential and commercial customers across Mississauga. It is a diversified energy and technologies company that serves customers through the distribution of electricity and the delivery of services related to the design, operation and maintenance of electrical systems. Ninety percent of Enersource Corporation is owned by the City of Mississauga, and 10 percent is owned by BPC Energy Corporation (Borealis), which is part of the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System (OMERS).

Horizon Utilities Corporation provides electricity and related utility services to 240,000 customers in Hamilton and St. Catharines. Horizon Utilities is wholly owned by Horizon Holdings Inc., a company jointly owned by the cities of Hamilton and St. Catharines through their holding companies Hamilton Utilities Corporation and St. Catharines Hydro Inc.

Hydro One Brampton Networks Inc. was acquired by Hydro One from the City of Brampton in 2001. It has 150,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers and serves an area of 300 square kilometers. To meet the growth of the community and needs of its customers, Hydro One Brampton works with the City of Brampton and other organizations to improve Brampton’s infrastructure and distribution system.

PowerStream Holdings Inc. is a municipally-owned energy company providing power and related services to 375,000 customers in communities immediately north of Toronto and in Central Ontario. It is jointly owned by the Cities of Barrie, Markham and Vaughan.

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Sonepar Canada Launches Three New eCommerce Mobile Applications

Sonepar Sonepar Canada has announced the launch of new mobile applications for Gescan Vallen, Sesco and Lumen.

The mobile apps were officially released as of June of this year and features barcode scanning, access to pricing, product availability, store locator and much more – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The new mobile app is changing the way customers can interact with the Operating Companies within Sonepar Canada. The barcode scanning functionality is a popular feature amongst customers allowing them to scan an item easily and add it to their cart.

Grid Reliability to Be Improved with New Transmission Line in Fredericton Region

Fredericton Transmission Line NB Power recenly announced it will seek approval to build a new transmission line in the Fredericton area, which will improve the reliability of the power grid in the region for approximately 25, 000 customers.

The new proposed 15-kilometre transmission line will run from the Rainsford Substation, in Fredericton, to the Mactaquac Terminal.

“NB Power strives to offer its customer a reliable power grid that meets or exceeds all utility standards,” said NB Power’s President and CEO, Gaëtan Thomas. “This will increase transmission reliability for customers in the Fredericton region with fewer interruptions that can be restored within minutes rather than hours or days.”

Emergency Lighting Principles: Safety and Security on the Path of Egress

By Kevin Smee, Vice President Sales at AimLite

Most of us take light for granted. It has become so ubiquitous and cheap to use that we don’t really stop to think about emergencies. Thankfully most buildings are required by law since 1974 to be equipped with emergency lighting that automatically activates during power failures to facilitate our exit.

Emergency lighting is only one component of a building’s life safety systems, but perhaps one of the most important.

Finding the Answer

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