Consultation Process
Community Discussions
The OEB Energy East Consultation took place in two parts. In Part One – The Impacts Important to Ontarians – the OEB hosted community discussions in 7 communities along the route of the proposed Energy East Pipeline to do two things:
- Seek the views of Ontarians on the types of impacts (both positive and negative) that are important to them;
- Share a high-level summary of the key considerations and the potential impacts of TransCanada’s Energy East Proposal in Ontario, drawing on existing documentation related to other pipeline projects and the professional expertise of a small team of technical advisors.
Participants’ views and perspectives in this part of the consultation process helped to inform the work undertaken in preparation for Part Two of the consultation process.
In Part Two of the consultation process – The OEB’s Understanding of the Impacts – the OEB hosted a second set of community discussions in 7 communities along the route of the proposed Energy East Pipeline to do two things:
- Share its preliminary understanding of the impacts, informed both by participants’ Part One feedback and by a technical assessment of the proposed Energy East Pipeline based on information that TransCanada filed with the NEB;
- Seek the views of Ontarians on the 3 most important things that the Ontario Energy Board should focus on in its report to Ontario’s Minister of Energy, based on the impacts identified during the Part One consultation and the information from the OEB’s technical advisors.
The input during this second part will assist and inform the OEB in the completion of its report to the Ministry of Energy regarding the matters outlined in the Minister of Energy’s November 2013 letter. The Government of Ontario intends to participate as an intervenor in the National Energy Board’s (NEB) review of the Energy East Pipeline project and the Minister will use the OEB’s report to help formulate the Government’s position.
First Nation & Métis Community Discussions
The Ontario Energy Board also hosted interactive discussions with First Nation and Métis communities along the route of the proposed Energy East Pipeline in 7 communities during Part One and 8 communities during Part Two.
These First Nation and Métis Community Discussions focused on issues that are of particular concern to Aboriginal communities.
Participation in the OEB community discussions did not constitute participation in the NEB process and was not a substitute for any duty to consult with First Nation and Métis communities that may rest with the federal government or others.
More information on the First Nation and Métis Community Discussions is available in the links below.
Stakeholder Forum
On January 29th and 30th, 2015 the OEB hosted a stakeholder forum in Ottawa. The purpose of this forum was to give members of the Province-wide Stakeholder Group and other organizations the opportunity to make brief presentations that specifically addressed the province-wide impacts of TransCanada’s proposed Energy East pipeline. The forum was open to public attendance.
Additional details on the consultation process are available in the OEB Energy East Consultation Plan
