Bruce Power and various community partners are expanding the infrastructure for Electric Vehicles (EVs) across southern Ontario.
Today (9/27), a public EV charging station was opened at the Maitland Valley Conservation Authority's (MVCA) Wroxeter location, as part of a Bruce Power initiative that will also see stations open locally over the coming weeks in conjunction with municipalities and post-secondary education institutions.
"By restarting four of our units from 2003 to 2012, Bruce Power played an instrumental role in helping Ontario shut down its dirty coal plants, so it's only natural we've now set our sights on the transportation sector, as we look to help Ontario further reach its climate change goals by producing 30 per cent of the province's electricity while generating virtually no carbon emissions," said James Scongack, Bruce Power's Vice President, Corporate Affairs. "In order to make EVs more practical for local families, we need to increase public infrastructure through the opening of charging stations across the region."
In the coming weeks, EV charging stations will be unveiled locally in Kincardine, Port Elgin, Southampton, Saugeen First Nation and Walkerton, as well as on the campuses of Humber College, in downtown Toronto, and the University of Waterloo.
The MVCA is a community-based organization dedicated to providing leadership to protect and enhance local water, forests and soil. In May 2016, it formed the Carbon Footprint Initiative, which is a not-for-profit alliance between public and private sector entities. The EV charging station is a reflection of MVCA's commitment to the initiative.
"We formed this initiative because we share a common interest in finding ways to reduce our carbon footprint, especially the use of fossil fuels," said Art Versteeg, Chair of the MVCA's Board of Directors. "Our focus area is to develop carbon footprint strategies and share what we have learned with other businesses, municipalities and community groups, and to encourage them to develop their own carbon footprint strategies."
The MVCA looks to reduce its carbon footprint by 7.32 tonnes of CO2 by 2020, primarily through the replacing of its three vehicles with EVs, starting in 2017.
On Sept. 20, a collaborative report was released by Bruce Power, Plug'n Drive, Pollution Probe and the University of Waterloo's Department of Chemical Engineering. It explores ways to build upon existing policy framework at the federal and provincial levels with respect to plug-in EVs. The report, titled Accelerating the Deployment of Plug-in Electric Vehicles in Canada and Ontario, also highlights opportunities to accelerate and optimize the decarbonization capability of EVs.
About Bruce Power
Bruce Power operates the world's largest operating nuclear generating facility and is the source of 30 per cent of Ontario's electricity. The company's site in Tiverton, Ontario, is home to eight CANDU reactors. Formed in 2001, Bruce Power is an all-Canadian partnership among Borealis Infrastructure Trust Management (a division of the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System), TransCanada, the Power Workers' Union and The Society of Energy Professionals. A majority of Bruce Power's employees are also owners in the business.
