Fragmentation hindering Canada’s electricity market

Poor integration and lack of political collaboration are preventing the Canadian electricity markets from achieving full efficiency, Gillian Carr reports

The Canadian electricity market is being held back by a dearth of political co-operation and a lack of integration between provincial markets, which is preventing efficiency in generation and supply, as well as slowing the development of low-carbon electricity, finds a recent study by the University of Montreal.

Under Canada’s constitution, the development of natural resources, including electricity, falls under the responsibility of each province. Electricity in Canadian markets can be divided