Category: News Alerts

OSHAWA-Support for the local community is part of Oshawa Power’s core values and commitment to the way they do business. Oshawa Power dedicates time and resources to help the community where they need it most.

Oshawa Power believes investing time in their community, will also help strengthen it; evident by the many charitable initiatives they embrace through out the year. Oshawa Power employees volunteer their time fundraising and sitting on a variety of boards, community agencies and neighbourhood groups.

“Oshawa Power is dedicated to this community. We do not simply write cheques. Employees and managers alike roll up their sleeves and become involved because we care about the community where we live and work,” says President and CEO Ivano Labricciosa.

Recently Oshawa Power challenged their customers to participate in a charitable opportunity with them. The ask was for customers to help Oshawa Power in their support for three local charities:

Durham Outlook for the Needy – a volunteer run organization consisting of a soup kitchen (St. Vincent’s Kitchen) and food bank.

Simcoe Hall Settlement House – started in 1935 dedicated to helping improve the lives of less advantaged children, families and vulnerable adults.

YWCA Durham – for over 70 years the YWCA has provided emergency shelter, longer-term housing, counselling, and resources for women and children experiencing domestic violence.

Oshawa Power had an amazing response from their customers and would like to thank everyone who took the time to participate and helped them help the Oshawa community.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 12, 2019

PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP TO YIELD SIGNIFICANT GHG REDUCTIONS FROM ORGANIC WASTE DIVERSION IN GTA EAST

TORONTO, Ontario – Senior officials are gathering to celebrate a newly inked strategic partnership that will make significant Greenhouse Gas (GHG) reductions a reality at the Toronto Zoo. ZooShare, a renewable energy cooperative with over 600 members and Oshawa PUC Energy Services (OPUCES), a municipally-owned sustainable energy corporation have joined forces to complete the final milestone of the Toronto Zoo Biogas Project. This unique collaboration also includes the federal government’s Low Carbon Economy Fund, which will contribute $2.7 million over this phase and a planned expansion of the facility.

The contributions of ZooShare, OPUCES, the Toronto Zoo and the federal government will yield GHG reductions of about 20,000 tonnes of CO2e/ year and offset the equivalent of 1/3 of the Zoo’s electricity demand. “This first-of-its-kind project is symbolic of Canada’s newly emerging green economy, where structurally different organizations interplay in unique ways to generate sustainable bottom lines for all involved” says Ivano Labricciosa, President and CEO at OPUCES. “Our team is proud to bring our expertise in low carbon, distributed energy forward to enable this remarkable initiative”.

This project also shows what is possible when waste is reframed as a valuable resource containing energy and nutrients that can be used to grow more food and continue the cycle. It is a prime example of the circular economy in action. “ZooShare is extremely pleased to have OPUCES as a partner,” says Daniel Bida, Executive Director of ZooShare. “This investment will enable the project to reach commercial operations next year and OPUCES’ expertise will enable it to outperform expectations in the years to come.”

“The Toronto Zoo is committed to energy efficient operations, environmental sustainability, and renewable energy initiatives. From our perspective, the biogas facility is a fine example of community partnerships in action to develop renewable energy,” says Dolf DeJong, Chief Executive Officer, Toronto Zoo. “We are excited that ZooShare has secured a strong project and operational partner in Oshawa PUC Energy Services, effectively making the ZooShare vision a reality.”

OPUCES_Zooshare_Toronto Zoo_Press Release 

OPUCES Zooshare Media Advisory and Backgrounder

OPUCES_Zooshare_Toronto Zoo_Media Event Agenda

About ZooShare

ZooShare Biogas Co-operative Inc. is a non-profit renewable energy co-operative with 692 members across Ontario. Its mandate is to partner to develop an innovative zoo-based biogas plant that transforms zoo manure and local food waste into renewable power for the Ontario grid, and a nutrient-rich agricultural fertilizer.

About Oshawa PUC Energy Services

Oshawa PUC Energy Services Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Oshawa Power and Utilities Corporation. OPUCES partners with proven solution providers to deliver tailored energy solutions and meet the needs of each individual customer, including low carbon distributed generation technologies such as CHP, wind, solar, and biogas. Oshawa PUC Energy Services’ portfolio is expected to have more than 30 projects in operation across the GTHA by the end of 2020.

About the Toronto Zoo

The Toronto Zoo is Canada’s premier zoo and a national leader in saving wildlife to ensure the rich diversity of nature for future generations. More than a tourist attraction, the Toronto Zoo boasts a number of leading programs for helping wildlife and their natural habitats – from species reintroduction to reproductive research. A world-class educational centre for people of all ages, the Toronto Zoo is open every day except December 25 and attracts approximately 1.3 million visitors each year. Toronto Zoo is accredited by CAZA (Canada’s Accredited Zoos and Aquariums) and AZA (Association of Zoos and Aquariums). Look for these logos whenever you visit a Canadian zoo as your assurance that you are supporting a facility dedicated to providing excellent care for animals, a great experience for you, and a better future for all living things. For more information, visit caza.ca and aza.org.

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Contacts

Daniel Bida
Executive Director
240-401 Richmond St. W., Toronto, ON, M5V 2A8
647-704-6078
daniel@zooshare.ca

Janet Taylor
Manager, Sustainability and Business Advocacy
100 Simcoe St. S., Oshawa, ON L1H 7M7
905-723-4626 ext 5249
JTaylor@opuc.on.ca

Katie Gray
Strategic Communications Manager
361A Old Finch Avenue, Scarborough, ON M1B 5K7
416-392-5941
kgray@torontozoo.ca

For Immediate Release

October 2, 2019

Oshawa, ON – On the heels of winning the Electrical Safety Authority’s (ESA) Worker Safety Award last week Oshawa Power was presented the Recognition of Performance Achievement milestone award from Infrastructure Health and Safety Association (IHSA) for achieving over 500,000 no lost time hours.

Described on the IHSA website this award program recognizes IHSA member firms that have achieved a specific number of work hours (based on their firm size) without a lost-time injury (LTI). In addition, Oshawa Power has achieved and maintained their Certificate of Recognition (COR™) status with IHSA for 5 years running. COR™ is a national standard for recognizing a well-functioning health and safety management system.

“At Oshawa Power we have a very strong safety culture. We continuously go above and beyond industry standards and pride ourselves on being leaders. There is nothing more important than ensuring our crews get home to their families safely every day. We work safe to keep our community safe.” says Ivano Labricciosa, President and CEO, Oshawa Power.

Oshawa Power will be at community events to help educate the public about powerline safety. Their next public safety awareness event is November 21, 2019 -their annual Contractor Safety Day. If you are a contractor and would like to participate in this event please email communications@opuc.on.ca .

About Oshawa Power
Oshawa Power provides safe, reliable and efficient electricity distribution services to over 59,000 customers in the City of Oshawa. For more information visit www.oshawapower.ca

Media Contact

Sheila Risorto
Marketing and Communications Analyst
srisorto@opuc.on.ca
905-723-4626 ext 5243
905-439-1930

For Immediate Release

September 27, 2019

Oshawa, ON – Yesterday, the Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) held its Annual Meeting and Ontario Electrical Safety Awards celebrating achievements in electrical safety. Awards were presented in the categories of Worker Safety, Consumer and Home Safety and Powerline Safety. Award recipients illustrated that electrical safety is a shared responsibility, touching all individuals and organizations across the province.

“At ESA we recognize the role continued education plays in increasing awareness and prevention of electrical safety hazards,” says Dr. Joel Moody, Chief Public Safety Officer, ESA. “The safety leaders we honoured today have demonstrated that training can have far-reaching effects on the public at large for many generations to come. We share their remarkable accomplishments with the hope that others will strive to make their own contribution to making a safer Ontario.”

Oshawa Power was proud to accept the 2019 Worker Safety Award. Oshawa Power’s commitment to safety is demonstrated through efforts brought not only to their staff internally, but contractors outside of Oshawa Power.

Oshawa Power offers continuous safety training and resources to our staff, resulting in a safety record that boasts over 500, 000 hours with no lost time injuries. In addition to a Joint Health and Safety Committee, there is an executive sponsored Ergonomic Change Team and a Wellness Committee in place.

Oshawa Power reaches beyond their own employee group to ensure public safety.   Contractors performing work for or with Oshawa Power must attend a Health and Safety orientation before they can begin work, ensuring our contractors are working to our high safety standards.

Oshawa Power also reaches out to the contractor community through their Contractor Safety Day. Contractor Safety Day brings together local contractors and businesses for a half day to review the dangers of working around powerlines and when to engage the utility for assistance when completing their work.

“Worker safety is paramount in every task we do because of the level of danger our team is exposed to everyday. We go above and beyond the standards for our staff to ensure the public is safe and our crews go home safely everyday to their families. I am extremely proud of our team for fostering a safety culture that is second to none.” says Ivano Labricciosa, CEO Oshawa Power.

Look for Oshawa Power at community events helping to educate the public about powerline safety. Their next public safety awareness event is November 21, 2019 for their annual Contractor Safety Day. If you would like to participate in this event please email communications@opuc.on.ca .

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 5, 2019

OSHAWA POWER AT AUTOFEST FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLE EDUCATION

OSHAWA, ONTARIO– In August 2018, Oshawa Power introduced their E-Mission Project to the residents of Oshawa at Autofest. This Electric Vehicle (EV) Strategy is aimed at preparing our infrastructure, community, and customers for the electrification of transport.

As a kick off to the E-Mission strategy in 2018, Oshawa Power gathered and analyzed local EV usage and adoption data. Residents of Oshawa who owned an EV were encouraged to share their data and given a $25 credit on their Utility bill, (the average cost of charging an EV for one month), for participating in an online survey. 100% of EV owners surveyed by Oshawa Power reported that they would buy an EV again for their next vehicle purchase.

After 2 years at Autofest, Oshawa Power has been able to personally engage our community and gain valuable information for use in the planning of public charging and infrastructure planning.

By partnering with the EV Society, Oshawa Power was able to give residents an up-close look at several different makes and models of modern EVs. eCAMION Inc. provided an example of a charger by loaning us their newest “Jule” fast charging station for display. Volunteers from Oshawa Power and the EV Society were on hand to answer any questions about EV ownership and any potential impact to our power grid.

Oshawa Power volunteer, Lori Dafoe said, “Autofest has been a great venue for Oshawa Power to meet with car enthusiasts and educate them about electric vehicles. Many people are very surprised at the variety of EVs available in today’s market, everything from a small compact to a large SUV.”
Ministry of Transportation data indicates that electric vehicle purchases in Oshawa are growing substantially – almost tripling in the pasts 18 months!
To learn more about EVs, or to fill out the Oshawa Power survey visit: www.oshawapower.ca/e-mission today.

Autofest Press Release