Ontario

== Economy ==
{{Main|Economy of Ontario}}
Ontario is Canada's leading manufacturing province, accounting for 52% of the total national manufacturing shipments in 2004.<ref>{{cite web|last=Government of Ontario|title= Ontario Facts: Overview|url=http://www.2ontario.com/facts/fact01.asp|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070129072416/http://www.2ontario.com/facts/fact01.asp|archive-date=January 29, 2007|access-date=January 5, 2007}}</ref> Ontario's largest trading partner is the American state of [[Michigan]]. {{As of |2012 |April}}, [[Moody's Corporation|Moody's]] bond-rating agency rated [[Canadian public debt|Ontario debt]] at AA2/stable,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/moody-s-downgrades-ontario-credit-rating-1.1287800|title=Moody's downgrades Ontario credit rating|date=April 26, 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140406203839/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/moody-s-downgrades-ontario-credit-rating-1.1287800|archive-date=April 6, 2014}}</ref> while [[S&P]] rated it AA−.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2012/04/25/sp_downgrades_ontarios_credit_outlook.html |date = April 25, 2012 |work = Toronto Star |title = S&P downgrades Ontario's credit outlook |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010154246/https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2012/04/25/sp_downgrades_ontarios_credit_outlook.html |archive-date = October 10, 2017 |df = mdy-all }}</ref> [[Dominion Bond Rating Service]] rated it AA(low) in January 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://metronews.ca/news/toronto/509176/credit-agency-praises-ontario-government/|title=Credit agency praises Ontario but holds back on rating boost|date=January 14, 2013|work=metronews.ca|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203022433/http://metronews.ca/news/toronto/509176/credit-agency-praises-ontario-government/|archive-date=December 3, 2013|access-date=November 25, 2013}}</ref> Long known as a bastion of Canadian manufacturing and financial solvency, Ontario's public [[debt-to-GDP ratio]] is projected to be 38.4% in [[fiscal year]] 2023–2024.<ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://www.rbc.com/economics/economic-reports/pdf/canadian-fiscal/prov_fiscal.pdf
 |title = Canadian Federal and Provincial Fiscal Tables
 |date = January 14, 2020
|website = Economic Forecasts & Special Reports
 |publisher = Royal Bank of Canada
 |access-date = January 18, 2020
|archive-date = February 5, 2020
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200205160447/http://www.rbc.com/economics/economic-reports/pdf/canadian-fiscal/prov_fiscal.pdf
 |url-status = live
 }}</ref>
[[File:2007 Ontario Sault Ste. Marie Algoma Steel.jpg|left|thumb|Container ship at [[Algoma Steel]]. The [[Great Lakes]] provide ocean access for industries in the province's interior.]]
Mining and the forest products industry, notably [[pulp and paper industry in Canada|pulp and paper]], are vital to the economy of Northern Ontario. As of 2011, roughly 200,000 ha are [[clearcut]] each year; [[herbicides]] for [[hardwood]] suppression are applied to a third of the total.<ref>{{cite book |title=Frontline Forestry Research Applications – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) On the Use of Herbicides in Canadian Forestry – Technical Note #112 |date=2011 |publisher=Natural Resources Canada – Canadian Forestry Service |url=http://www.cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/pubwarehouse/pdfs/32344.pdf |access-date=July 4, 2019 |archive-date=January 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210121050711/https://cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/pubwarehouse/pdfs/32344.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> There has been controversy over the [[Northern Ontario Ring of Fire|Ring of Fire]] mineral deposit, and whether the province can afford to spend CAD$2.25&nbsp;billion on a road from the [[Trans-Canada Highway]] near [[Kenora]] to the deposit, currently valued at CAD$60 billion.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/industry-news/energy-and-resources/ontario-disappointed-as-mining-firm-suspends-project-in-ring-of-fire/article15547837/|title=Cliffs' pullout forces Ontario action in Ring of Fire mining area|work=The Globe and Mail|date=November 21, 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160701000107/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/industry-news/energy-and-resources/ontario-disappointed-as-mining-firm-suspends-project-in-ring-of-fire/article15547837/|archive-date=July 1, 2016|last1=Morrow|first1=Adrian|last2=Atkins|first2=Eric}}</ref>

An abundance of [[natural resource]]s, excellent transportation links to the North American heartland and the inland Great Lakes making ocean access possible via [[container ship]]s, have all contributed to making manufacturing the principal industry of the province, found mainly in the Golden Horseshoe region, which is the largest industrialized area in Canada, the southern end of the region being part of the North American [[Rust Belt]]. Important products include motor vehicles, iron, steel, food, electrical appliances, machinery, chemicals, and paper.

[[Hamilton, Ontario|Hamilton]] is the largest steel manufacturing city in Canada followed closely by [[Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario|Sault Ste. Marie]], and [[Sarnia]] is the centre for [[petrochemical]] production. Construction employed more than 6.5% of the province's work force in June 2011.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120226183736/http://www40.statcan.ca/l01/cst01/labr67g-eng.htm "Employment by major industry groups, seasonally adjusted, by province (monthly) – (Ontario)", June 2011], Statistics Canada</ref> Ontario's steel industry was once centred in [[Hamilton, Ontario|Hamilton]]. Hamilton harbour, which can be seen from the [[QEW]] Skyway bridge, is an industrial wasteland; [[U.S. Steel]]-owned [[Stelco]] announced in the autumn of 2013 that it would close in 2014, with the loss of 875 jobs. The move flummoxed a union representative, who seemed puzzled why a plant with capacity of 2 million tonnes per annum would be shut while Canada imported 8&nbsp;million tonnes of steel the previous year.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/us-steel-to-shut-down-hamilton-works-ceo-says/article15142440/|title=U.S. Steel ends an era in Hamilton|work=The Globe and Mail|date=October 29, 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170516010222/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/us-steel-to-shut-down-hamilton-works-ceo-says/article15142440/|archive-date=May 16, 2017|last1=Keenan|first1=Greg}}</ref> [[Algoma Steel]] maintains a plant in [[Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario|Sault Ste Marie]].
[[File:Oakville Assembly.jpg|thumb|A worker at the [[Oakville Assembly]] installs a battery in an automobile. The automotive industry is a contributor to the [[economy of Ontario]].]]
Ontario surpassed Michigan in car production, assembling more than 2,696,000 vehicles in 2004. Ontario has [[Chrysler]] plants in [[Windsor, Ontario|Windsor]] and Bramalea, two [[General Motors|GM]] plants in Oshawa and one in Ingersoll, a [[Honda]] assembly plant in [[Alliston]], [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]] plants in Oakville and St. Thomas and [[Toyota]] assembly plants in Cambridge and Woodstock. However, as a result of steeply declining sales, in 2005, [[General Motors]] announced massive layoffs at production facilities across North America, including two large GM plants in [[Oshawa]] and a [[Powertrain|drive train]] facility in [[St. Catharines]], that resulted in 8,000 job losses in Ontario alone. In 2006, [[Ford Motor Company]] announced between 25,000 and 30,000 layoffs phased until 2012; Ontario was spared the worst, but job losses were announced for the [[St. Thomas, Ontario|St Thomas]] facility and the [[Windsor Casting]] plant. However, these losses will be offset by Ford's recent announcement of a [[hybrid vehicle]] facility slated to begin production in 2007 at its [[Oakville, Ontario|Oakville]] plant and GM's re-introduction of the [[Chevrolet Camaro|Camaro]] which will be produced in Oshawa. On December 4, 2008, [[Toyota]] announced the grand opening of the [[Toyota RAV4|RAV4]] plant in [[Woodstock, Ontario|Woodstock]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.woodstocksentinelreview.com/2008/12/15/toyotas-opening-a-new-chapter-in-woodstocks-industrial-history |title=Toyota's opening a new chapter in Woodstock's industrial history |publisher=Woodstocksentinelreview.com |access-date=October 17, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120611011528/http://www.woodstocksentinelreview.com/2008/12/15/toyotas-opening-a-new-chapter-in-woodstocks-industrial-history |archive-date=June 11, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and [[Honda]] also plans to add an engine plant at its facility in Alliston. Despite these new plants coming online, Ontario has not yet fully recovered following massive layoffs caused by the [[Financial crisis of 2007–2010|global recession]]; its unemployment rate was 7.3% in May 2013,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www40.statcan.gc.ca/l01/cst01/indi02g-eng.htm |title=Economic indicators, by province and territory (monthly and quarterly) (Ontario) |publisher=Statistics Canada |access-date=July 18, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111107075127/http://www40.statcan.gc.ca/l01/cst01/indi02g-eng.htm |archive-date=November 7, 2011 }}</ref> compared to 8.7 percent in January 2010<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www40.statcan.gc.ca/l01/cst01/LABOR07b-eng.htm |title=Labour force, employed and unemployed, numbers and rates, by province (Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba) |publisher=Statistics Canada |access-date=July 18, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706182156/http://www40.statcan.gc.ca/l01/cst01/labor07b-eng.htm |archive-date=July 6, 2011 }}</ref> and approximately 6% in 2007. In September 2013, the Ontario government committed CAD$70.9&nbsp;million to the Ford plant in [[Oakville, Ontario|Oakville]], while the federal government committed CAD$71.1mn, to secure 2,800 jobs.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.torontosun.com/2013/09/19/feds-ontario-give-1425m-to-ford-motor-company|title=Feds, Ontario invest $142M in Oakville Ford plant|website=Torontosun.com|access-date=June 7, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160713204649/http://www.torontosun.com/2013/09/19/feds-ontario-give-1425m-to-ford-motor-company|archive-date=July 13, 2016}}</ref> The province has lost 300,000 manufacturing jobs in the decade from 2003, and the Bank of Canada noted that "while the energy and mining industries have benefitted from these movements, the pressure on the manufacturing sector has intensified, since many firms in this sector were already dealing with growing competition from low-cost economies such as China."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorialopinion/2012/02/20/ontario_has_to_learn_to_live_with_high_dollar.html|title=Ontario has to learn to live with high dollar|author=David Crane|date=February 20, 2012|work=thestar.com|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010215237/https://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorialopinion/2012/02/20/ontario_has_to_learn_to_live_with_high_dollar.html|archive-date=October 10, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/insight/2013/11/23/fergus_plant_closing_shows_ontarios_decline.html | date = November 24, 2013 | work = Toronto Star | title = Fergus plant closing shows Ontario's decline | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010224057/https://www.thestar.com/news/insight/2013/11/23/fergus_plant_closing_shows_ontarios_decline.html | archive-date = October 10, 2017 | df = mdy-all }}</ref>
[[File:Toronto from cn tower.jpg|thumb|Toronto's [[Financial District, Toronto|Financial District]] serves as the centre for Canada's financial services.]]
[[Toronto]], the capital of Ontario, is the centre of Canada's [[financial services]] and banking industry. Neighbouring cities are home to product distribution, IT centres, and manufacturing industries. Canada's Federal Government is the largest single employer in the [[National Capital Region (Canada)|National Capital Region]], which centres on the border cities of Ontario's Ottawa and Quebec's [[Gatineau]].<ref>[http://www40.statcan.gc.ca/l01/cst01/govt58a-eng.htm "Federal government employment, wages and salaries, by census metropolitan area – (Employment)", 2006–2010] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111025125335/http://www40.statcan.gc.ca/l01/cst01/govt58a-eng.htm |date=October 25, 2011 }}, Statistics Canada</ref><ref>[http://www40.statcan.gc.ca/l01/cst01/lfss04d-eng.htm "Labour force characteristics, unadjusted, by census metropolitan area (3 month moving average) – (Ottawa-Gatineau (Ont.-Que.), Ottawa (Ont.)-Gatineau (Que.), Ontario part, Ottawa (Ont.)-Gatineau (Que.), Quebec part)", 2010/2011] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111107094449/http://www40.statcan.gc.ca/l01/cst01/lfss04d-eng.htm |date=November 7, 2011 }}, Statistics Canada</ref>

The [[information technology]] sector is important, particularly in the ''[[Silicon Valley North]]'' section of [[Ottawa]], home to Canada's largest technology park.<ref>[https://thewedge.live/2017/02/08/canadas-largest-tech-park-kanata-north-about-to-roar/ "ECanada's largest tech park, Kanata North, about to roar", Feb 2017] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190517192429/https://thewedge.live/2017/02/08/canadas-largest-tech-park-kanata-north-about-to-roar/ |date=May 17, 2019 }}, The Wedge</ref> IT is also important in the [[Regional Municipality of Waterloo|Waterloo Region]], where the headquarters of [[BlackBerry]] is located.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/12/07/the-quantum-computing-revolution-blackberry-billionaire-mike-lazaridis-is-betting-on-tech-that-hasnt-been-invented-yet/|title=The quantum computing revolution: BlackBerry billionaire Mike Lazaridis is betting on tech that hasn't been invented ... yet|author=Joseph Brean|date=December 7, 2013|work=National Post|url-status=live|archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20131215012710/http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/12/07/the%2Dquantum%2Dcomputing%2Drevolution%2Dblackberry%2Dbillionaire%2Dmike%2Dlazaridis%2Dis%2Dbetting%2Don%2Dtech%2Dthat%2Dhasnt%2Dbeen%2Dinvented%2Dyet/|archive-date=December 15, 2013}}</ref>

Tourism contributes heavily to the economy of Central Ontario, peaking during the summer months owing to the abundance of fresh water recreation and wilderness found there in reasonable proximity to the major urban centres. At other times of the year, [[hunting]], [[skiing]] and [[snowmobile|snowmobiling]] are popular. This region has some of the most vibrant fall colour displays anywhere on the continent, and tours directed at overseas visitors are organized to see them. Tourism also plays a key role in border cities with large casinos, among them Windsor, [[Cornwall, Ontario|Cornwall]], Sarnia and [[Niagara Falls, Ontario|Niagara Falls]], the latter of which attracts millions of US and other international visitors.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ontario|publisher=Ministry of Economic Development and Trade|access-date=November 29, 2006|url=http://www.2ontario.com/welcome/oo_000.asp|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061024224855/http://www.2ontario.com/welcome/oo_000.asp|archive-date=October 24, 2006}}</ref>

=== Agriculture ===
[[File:Waterloo, Canada (Unsplash v1ar8e1dOjg).jpg|thumb|Aerial view of farms in [[Waterloo, Ontario|Waterloo]]. A significant portion of the land in [[Southern Ontario]] is used as farmland.]]
Once the dominant industry, agriculture now uses a small percentage of the workforce. However, much of the land in southern Ontario is given over to agriculture. As the following table shows, while the number of individual farms has steadily decreased and their overall size has shrunk at a lower rate, greater mechanization has supported increased supply to satisfy the ever-increasing demands of a growing population base; this has also meant a gradual increase in the total amount of land used for growing crops.
{{Ontario Farming Stats}}
[[File:Vineyard-Waupoos-Ontario.jpg|thumb|left|Grapevines growing in [[Prince Edward County, Ontario|Prince Edward County]], a wine-growing region]]
Common types of farms reported in the 2001 census include those for cattle, small grains and dairy. The fruit- and [[Ontario wine|wine industry]] is primarily on the [[Niagara Peninsula]], [[Prince Edward County Wine|Prince Edward County]], and along the northern shore of Lake Erie, where [[tobacco]] farms are also situated. Market vegetables grow in the rich soils of the [[Holland Marsh]] near [[Newmarket, Ontario|Newmarket]]. The area near [[Windsor, Ontario|Windsor]] is also very fertile. The Heinz plant in [[Leamington, Ontario|Leamington]] was taken over in these autumn of 2013 by [[Warren Buffett]] and a Brazilian partner, following which it put 740 people out of work.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/heinz-closes-leamington-plant-740-people-out-of-work-1.2426608|title=Heinz closes Leamington plant, 740 people out of work|date=November 15, 2013|work=cbc.ca|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131124111530/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/heinz-closes-leamington-plant-740-people-out-of-work-1.2426608|archive-date=November 24, 2013}}</ref> Government subsidies followed shortly; Premier [[Kathleen Wynne]] offered CAD$200,000 to cushion the blow, and promised that another processed-food operator would soon be found.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://toronto.ctvnews.ca/wynne-offers-200k-to-help-leamington-in-wake-of-heinz-closure-1.1556263|title=Wynne offers $200K to help Leamington in wake of Heinz closure|work=Toronto|date=November 22, 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131125201806/http://toronto.ctvnews.ca/wynne-offers-200k-to-help-leamington-in-wake-of-heinz-closure-1.1556263|archive-date=November 25, 2013}}</ref> On December 10, 2013, [[Kellogg's]] announced layoffs for more than 509 workers at a cereal manufacture plant in [[London, Ontario|London]].<ref name=gmkellogs>{{cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/kellogg-to-close-london-ont-plant-next-year/article15840106/|title=Kellogg's Ontario plant closing a casualty of changing tastes|work=The Globe and Mail|date=December 10, 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170220205948/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/kellogg-to-close-london-ont-plant-next-year/article15840106/|archive-date=February 20, 2017|last1=Atkins|first1=Eric|last2=Grant|first2=Tavia}}</ref>

The area defined as the [[Corn Belt]] covers much of the southwestern area of the province, extending as far north as close to Goderich, but corn and soy are grown throughout the southern portion of the province. Apple orchards are a common sight along the southern shore of [[Nottawasaga Bay]] (part of Georgian Bay) near Collingwood and along the northern shore of Lake Ontario near Cobourg. Tobacco production, centred in [[Norfolk County, Ontario|Norfolk County]], has decreased, allowing an increase in alternative crops such as [[Corylus avellana|hazelnuts]] and [[ginseng]]. The Ontario origins of [[Massey Ferguson]], once one of the largest [[Agricultural machinery|farm-implement]] manufacturers in the world, indicate the importance agriculture once{{citation needed|date=September 2015}} had to the Canadian economy.
[[File:Greenbelt Ottawa.jpg|thumb|A sign marking the [[Greenbelt (Ottawa)|Ottawa Greenbelt]], an initiative to protect farmland and limit urban sprawl]]
[[Southern Ontario]]'s limited supply of agricultural land is going out of production at an increasing rate. [[Urban sprawl]] and farmland [[Severance (land)|severances]] contribute to the loss of thousands of acres of productive agricultural land in Ontario each year. Over 2,000 farms and {{convert|150000|acre|abbr=on}} of farmland in the GTA alone were lost to production in the two decades between 1976 and 1996. This loss represented approximately 18%". of Ontario's Class 1 farmland being converted to urban purposes. In addition, increasing rural severances provide ever-greater interference with agricultural production.<ref>{{cite news |title=New bill could open Greenbelt to development, critics say |url=https://toronto.citynews.ca/2018/12/07/ontario-greenbelt-development/ |access-date=September 14, 2019 |work=CityNews |publisher=Rogers Digital Media |date=December 7, 2018 |archive-date=May 22, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200522192113/https://toronto.citynews.ca/2018/12/07/ontario-greenbelt-development/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In an effort to protect the farmland and green spaces of the National Capital Region, and Greater Toronto Area, the Federal<ref>{{cite web |title=Ottawa's Greenbelt Master Plan |url=https://www.ucalgary.ca/ev/designresearch/projects/2001/CEDRO/cedro/cip_acupp_css/pdf/ottawa.pdf |publisher=Faculty of Environmental Design The University of Calgary |access-date=September 15, 2019 |date=September 15, 2019 |archive-date=October 23, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201023062624/https://www.ucalgary.ca/EV/designresearch/projects/2001/CEDRO/cedro/cip_acupp_css/pdf/ottawa.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> and Provincial Governments introduced [[green belt#Canada|greenbelts]] around [[Ottawa]]<ref>{{cite web |title=120 years of Capital building |url=http://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/120-years-of-capital-building |publisher=National Capital Commission |access-date=September 14, 2019 |date=2019 |archive-date=July 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220716185008/https://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/120-years-of-capital-building |url-status=live }}</ref> and the [[Golden Horseshoe]], limiting urban development in these areas.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ontario's Greenbelt |url=https://www.ontario.ca/page/ontarios-greenbelt |publisher=Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Government of Ontario |access-date=September 14, 2019 |date=August 27, 2019 |archive-date=May 22, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200522153945/https://www.ontario.ca/page/ontarios-greenbelt |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Energy ===
{{See also|Energy policy of Canada|Renewable energy in Canada|Smart grid}}
Ontario's rivers make it rich in hydroelectric energy.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.2ontario.com/welcome/oout_508.asp|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070218231700/http://www.2ontario.com/welcome/oout_508.asp|archive-date= February 18, 2007|title= Ontario is rich in hydroelectricity, especially areas near the Niagara River|work= Ontario Facts|access-date= February 2, 2007}}</ref> In 2009, [[Ontario Power Generation]] generated 70 percent of the province's electricity, of which 51 percent is [[nuclear power|nuclear]], 39% is [[hydroelectricity|hydroelectric]] and 10% is [[fossil-fuel]] derived.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.opg.com/power/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110226225341/http://www.opg.com/power/|archive-date=February 26, 2011 |title=Ontario Power Generation: Power Generation |publisher=Opg.com |access-date=February 23, 2011}}</ref> By 2025, nuclear power is projected to supply 42%, while fossil-fuel-derived generation is projected to decrease slightly over the next 20 years.<ref name=gm2dec/> Much of the newer power generation coming online in the last few years is natural gas or combined-cycle natural gas plants. OPG is not, however, responsible for the transmission of power, which is under the control of [[Hydro One]].
[[File:Frenchman's Bay and the Pickering Nuclear Plant -a.jpg|thumb|The [[Pickering Nuclear Generating Station]] is one of three [[nuclear power plant|nuclear power stations]] in Ontario.]]

Despite its diverse range of power options, problems related to increasing consumption, lack of energy efficiency and ageing nuclear reactors, Ontario has been forced in recent years to purchase power from its neighbours Quebec and Michigan to supplement its power needs during peak consumption periods. Ontario's basic domestic rate in 2010 was 11.17 cents per kWh; by contrast. Quebec's was 6.81.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://consultations.finances.gouv.qc.ca/media/pdf/le-quebec-face-a-ses-defis-fascicule-2.pdf|title=Accueil – Consultations prébudgétaires 2016–2017|work=Consultations prébudgétaires 2016–2017 – Ministère des Finances du Québec|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111229041342/http://consultations.finances.gouv.qc.ca/media/pdf/le-quebec-face-a-ses-defis-fascicule-2.pdf|archive-date=December 29, 2011}}</ref> In December 2013, the government projected a 42 percent hike by 2018, and 68 percent by 2033.<ref name=gm2dec>{{cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ontario-power-bills-expected-to-rise-14-per-month/article15717495/|title=Ontario projects steady rise in electricity costs for next 20 years|work=The Globe and Mail|date=December 2, 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170504110337/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ontario-power-bills-expected-to-rise-14-per-month/article15717495//|archive-date=May 4, 2017|last1=Morrow|first1=Adrian|last2=McCarthy|first2=Shawn}}</ref> Industrial rates are projected to rise by 33% by 2018, and 55% in 2033.<ref name=gm2dec/>

The ''Green Energy and Green Economy Act'', 2009 (GEA), takes a two-pronged approach to commercializing renewable energy; first, it aims to bring more [[Renewable resource|renewable energy sources]] to the province; and secondly, it aims to adopt more [[efficient energy use|energy-efficiency]] measures to help [[energy conservation|conserve energy]]. The bill envisaged appointing a Renewable Energy Facilitator to provide "one-window" assistance and support to project developers to facilitate project approvals.<ref name="renewableenergyworld1">
{{cite web
|url=http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2009/02/ontario-unveils-green-energy-and-green-economy-act-2009
|title = Ontario Unveils Green Energy and Green Economy Act, 2009
|publisher = Renewableenergyworld.com
|access-date = October 17, 2010
|url-status=live
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113025934/http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2009/02/ontario-unveils-green-energy-and-green-economy-act-2009
|archive-date = November 13, 2013
|df = mdy-all
}}
</ref>

The approvals process for transmission projects would also be [[wikt:streamline|streamlined]] and (for the first time in Ontario) the bill would enact standards for renewable energy projects. Homeowners would have access to incentives to develop small-scale renewables such as low- or no-interest loans to finance the capital cost of renewable energy generating facilities like solar panels.<ref name="renewableenergyworld1"/>

[[File:Adam Beck Complex.jpg|thumb|The [[Sir Adam Beck Hydroelectric Generating Stations]] are [[Hydroelectricity|hydroelectric]] plants located in [[Niagara Falls, Ontario|Niagara Falls]].]]

Ontario is home to [[Niagara Falls]], which supplies a large amount of electricity to the province. The [[Bruce Nuclear Generating Station]], the second largest operational [[nuclear power]] plant in the world, is also in Ontario and uses 8 [[CANDU reactor]]s to generate electricity for the province.

Ontario had the most [[wind energy]] capacity of the country with 4,900 MW of power (41% of Canada's capacity).<ref>{{cite web |title=Renewable energy facts |url=https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/energy/facts/renewable-energy/20069 |publisher=Canada Natural Resources |date=October 6, 2017 |access-date=October 25, 2018 |archive-date=October 22, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181022232849/https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/energy/facts/renewable-energy/20069 |url-status=live }}</ref>