New records show the Doug Ford government and Enbridge were in regular contact as the provincial energy regulator considered the role of natural gas in a future shaped by climate change. Internal records released through freedom of information legislation to the advocacy group Environmental Defence show that the government was more concerned about how the OEB ruling would add “substantial” costs to Enbridge than helping people save money. The end result of this collusion was the passing of Bill 165, Keeping Energy Costs Down Act, 2024.

This Narwhal story recounts how Enbridge worked with senior ministry officials on the government’s decision to overturn an Ontario Energy Board (OEB) ruling that the cost of new fossil gas hookups should be paid up-front by developers, instead of being passed onto homeowners on their monthly gas bills. (The ruling was made in acknowledgment of the fact that fossil gas is becoming a stranded asset as cleaner, cheaper technologies like heat pumps enter the market.)