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Order in Council 369/2026

On the recommendation of the undersigned, the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, by and with the advice and concurrence of the Executive Council of Ontario, orders that:

Whereas Ontario considers it critical to expand Ontario’s transmission system to provide a reliable and adequate supply of electricity to Northern Ontario to support economic growth in the regions, including the rapidly growing mining sector and the future and potential growth in the hydroelectric generation sector;

And

whereas Ontario considers the expansion of the electricity network in northwestern Ontario to support economic growth to be a priority;

And

whereas the Independent Electricity System Operator, the organization responsible for ensuring the reliability of Ontario’s electricity grid, has issued the Northwest Region Integrated Regional Resource Plan Addendum for the North of Dryden Sub-Region, which identified an urgent need for new transmission infrastructure in the Red Lake area to address imminent capacity constraints, ensure regional system reliability, and support critical mining projects in the region;

And

whereas the Ministry of Energy and Mines has published its Integrated Energy Plan, Energy for Generations: Ontario’s Integrated Plan to Power the Strongest Economy in the G7, dated June 12, 2025, in which the Government identified the Red Lake area in northwestern Ontario as a key region for Ontario’s Critical Minerals Strategy, with several mining projects that will create large electricity demands on short timelines, and signaled its plan to take actions designed to support a transmission system that is flexible, reliable, and ready to scale;

And

whereas the Lieutenant Governor in Council may make an order under

section 96.1 of the Ontario Energy Board Act, 1998 (the “Act”) declaring that the construction, expansion or reinforcement of an electricity transmission line specified in the order is needed as a priority project;

And

whereas an order under

section 96.1 of the Act requires the Ontario Energy Board, in considering an application under

section 92 of the Act in respect of an electricity transmission line specified in the order, to accept that the construction, expansion or reinforcement is needed when forming its opinion under

section 96 of the Act;

Now therefore it is hereby declared pursuant to

section 96.1 of the Act that the construction, expansion or reinforcement of the following electricity transmission lines are needed as priority projects:

A new double-circuit 230 kilovolt transmission line from Dryden Transformer Station to Ear Falls Transformer Station, and associated station facilities; and,

A new double-circuit 230 kilovolt transmission line from Ear Falls Transformer Station to Red Lake Switching Station, and associated station facilities.

Ministry of Energy and Mines

Approved and Ordered:

March 12, 2026

Updated: May 07, 2026

Published: May 07, 2026