Latest news with #TorontoHydro
CTV News
08-07-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Toronto almost lost $2.5 million in electricity fraud involving retired city worker's credentials
Toronto almost lost $2.5 million in an attempted electricity fraud involving a retired city worker's credentials, which were used to fraudulently sign contracts with third-party energy companies, according to the auditor general. In a report dated June 21, the city's watchdog said it began investigating after Toronto's Corporate Real Estate Management identified 'unusual invoices' as part of their routine account review in Oct. 2019. It was discovered that the electricity accounts for 14 City of Toronto properties had been switched from Toronto Hydro in July 2019 to two different third-party energy retailers without the city's knowledge. The contracts held an estimated value of $4.2 million, and the report noted that $2.5 million of that total represented 'what would have been lost' had the unusual invoices not been identified. 'This estimated potential loss was based on the difference between what the City would have paid Toronto Hydro versus what would have been paid to the energy retailers over the contract term,' the AG said. The report found that the contracts were signed after the employee retired and that they did not have the authority to sign contracts of this value. According to the AG, the city directed the energy retailers to revert the accounts back to Toronto Hydro and the payments made to the retailers under the void contracts were returned to the city. The investigation found that over the five months when the contract was active, the city paid roughly $250,000 to the two retailers from the start of the agreement in 2019 to Jan. 2020, when it was terminated. While all of the electricity in Toronto is physically distributed by Toronto Hydro, the report highlighted, Ontario has an energy market where consumers can purchase their electricity from the city utility or a licensed energy retailer. 'In some cases, energy retailers pay commissions to consulting firms that bring in new contracts to them. The consulting firms act as intermediaries between the energy retailers and consumers. It appears that the commissions received by the consultants was the motivation to enter the City into these contracts,' the report read. The consulting firms were not named in the report. Following the investigation, the AG found that the retired employee did not sign the contracts, and the consulting firm owners 'appeared' to have some involvement in setting up the new contracts, although that could not be substantiated. It also found that retired employees' credentials were fraudulently used to set up the contracts. The AG added it was unable to identify if a city employee was involved in this case. The AG said the matter has been referred to Toronto police to assess whether criminal charges should be laid. In the meantime, the AG is recommending that the city manager forward the investigation to other agencies in Toronto 'to encourage diligence in reviewing and approving invoices, with emphasis to those Agencies and Corporations that are responsible for reviewing their own electricity invoices.' The report will go before the audit committee on Friday.
Cision Canada
08-07-2025
- Business
- Cision Canada
Toronto Hydro and OPEN Technologies to offer AI-powered decarbonization planning tool for building owners
TORONTO, July 8, 2025 /CNW/ - Toronto Hydro and OPEN Technologies are pleased to announce that they will work together to help enable building owners to plan energy-efficient retrofits using OPEN Technologies' Virtual Decarbonization Planning tool. Through this initiative, Toronto Hydro is expected to offer virtual building audits or virtual decarbonization plans to eligible customers at no cost. OPEN Technologies' tool uses artificial intelligence (AI) to help building owners and managers understand their current energy use and the specific retrofits that they can implement to help lower greenhouse gas emissions and reduce energy costs. This collaboration underscores Toronto Hydro's commitment to reducing emissions in Toronto by helping to enable electrification and promoting the adoption of energy-efficient technologies such as heat pumps, electric vehicle charging, hot water heating, solar, and battery energy storage. "We're always looking for ways to support our customers on their electrification journey," said Jana Mosley, CEO of Toronto Hydro. "By working with OPEN Technologies, we're harnessing the power of AI provide building owners with ways to advance their energy efficiency and decarbonization efforts." OPEN Technologies, a leading climate technology company with offices in Vancouver and Toronto, specializes in using surrogate modelling and market leading expertise in deep energy retrofits to help accelerate decarbonization efforts. The Virtual Decarbonization Planning tool helps building owners quickly and accurately assess the best retrofit strategies for their properties, leveraging advanced modelling to optimize energy savings and emissions reductions. By making it easier for customers to access this technology, Toronto Hydro is seeking to allow more building owners to take advantage of the benefits of smart energy planning. "This relationship is a huge step forward in providing Toronto building owners with the tools and information they need to make deep energy retrofits more accessible and scalable," said Donovan Woollard, CEO of OPEN Technologies. "Our AI-powered platform is designed to empower building owners with accurate, data-driven insights that make it easier to plan and implement high-impact retrofits. We are excited to work with Toronto Hydro to bring this technology to its customers and help accelerate the transition to a low-carbon built environment." Building owners interested in accessing the Virtual Decarbonization Planning tool can email [email protected] or visit for more details. About Toronto Hydro Toronto Hydro Corporation is a holding company which wholly owns two subsidiaries: Toronto Hydro-Electric System Limited (THESL) — distributes electricity; and Toronto Hydro Energy Services Inc. — provides streetlighting and expressway lighting services in the city of Toronto The principal business of the Corporation and its subsidiaries is the distribution of electricity by THESL, which owns and operates the electricity distribution system for Canada's largest city. Recognized as a Sustainable Electricity Leader™ by Electricity Canada, it has approximately 797,000 customers located in the city of Toronto and distributes approximately 17 per cent of the electricity consumed in Ontario. About Open Technologies OPEN Technologies is a Canadian technology company specializing in energy and decarbonization solutions. With expertise in surrogate modelling and deep energy retrofits, OPEN Technologies helps to provide cutting-edge tools that help building owners reduce emissions, lower energy costs, and accelerate the transition to zero carbon economy. SOURCE Toronto Hydro Corporation
CBC
08-07-2025
- Business
- CBC
Retired city worker's credentials used in $2.5M Toronto electricity fraud attempt: report
Social Sharing The City of Toronto was nearly swindled out of $2.5 million as a result of an electricity fraud in 2019, in which a retired city employee's credentials were used to sign contracts with third-party energy retailers instead of with Toronto Hydro, the auditor general's office says. A report from the office released June 21 found that 14 city-owned properties were switched to two different third-party energy retailers without the city's knowledge. The city's Corporate Real Estate Management Division identified that the accounts had been switched in July 2019, after it found the "unusual" invoices during a routine account review, the report says. The contracts with the third-party retailers were valued at $4.2 million, which is $2.5 million higher than what the city would pay with Toronto Hydro, the report says. The report also says that $250,000 was paid to the two energy retailers between September 2019, when the contracts began, and January 2020, when they were cancelled. The money was later recovered by the city. "Given the serious nature of the allegations and the dollar values involved, the Auditor General's Office conducted an investigation to try to identify who entered the city into these contracts and whether any wrongdoing was committed by a city employee," said the auditor general's report. WATCH | Ontario has seen fraud reports skyrocket over the last decade: The Cost of Fraud in Ontario 2 years ago Duration 5:39 In part one of CBC Toronto's investigative series, The Cost of Fraud, reporter Angelina King explains Ontario's fraud problem. Over the last decade, the province has seen fraud reports skyrocket, with just a sliver of cases leading to criminal charges, and nearly half of those dropped each year. The auditor general's investigation began in 2020 and concluded in June 2025. Unclear if any city employees involved: report The investigation found that retired city employees' identifications were "fraudulently used to set up the contracts with the energy retailers," and that the alleged city employee did not sign the contracts. The auditor general said it was "unable to identify if a city employee was involved in this case." It also found that consulting firm owners seemed to have involvement in establishing the contracts with the retailers, but that could not be substantiated due to a lack of evidence. The report says the matter has been referred to Toronto police since one of the firm owners has been involved in other allegations in the past. In an email to CBC Toronto, Toronto police said they would not provide an interview and that their review is in progress. "The matter has been referred to us for review, and we're currently assessing whether it meets the threshold for a criminal investigation. That process is still underway," said Toronto police spokesperson Stephanie Sayer on Monday. Audit committee to look at investigation The auditor general is now asking the Toronto city council to request the city manager to forward the investigation report to other departments of the city to "encourage diligence in reviewing and approving invoices." The item will be considered by the audit committee on Friday, and if passed, it will be discussed during city council later this month. The chair of the city's audit committee, Coun. Stephen Holyday, said he hopes to see a change to prevent such situations in the future. "Any lessons that come out of this that can make for a stronger process means that we've got stronger security at the city for these types of issues in the future," Holyday said. He said he is "relieved" to know that there was no financial loss to the city. "It's a lot of money. Electricity is over $200 million a year, with many electrical accounts, and so ensuring that you've got people looking at this and the automated systems in place means that we have better protections for taxpayers at the end of the day," said Holyday. Jeff Filliter, a fraud investigator at Ontario-based investigation agency Haywood Hunt and former RCMP officer, said one way to avoid such problems is a "separation of duties." "One person is responsible for each factor in each step of the process along the way, and each of those steps is checked by the next person in line, and that would potentially have avoided all of this," Filliter said.
Cision Canada
26-06-2025
- Business
- Cision Canada
Corporate Knights ranks Toronto Hydro first among electricity transmission and distribution utilities in Canada
TORONTO, June 26, 2025 /CNW/ - Toronto Hydro has ranked first for corporate citizenship among electricity transmission and distribution utilities in Canada in Corporate Knights Magazine's annual ranking. Toronto Hydro also earned the sixth spot in the magazine's annual ranking of the Best 50 Corporate Citizens. For more than 20 years, Corporate Knights Inc. has published one of the world's largest circulation magazines with a specific focus on the intersection of business and sustainability. This year's ranking assessed 344 companies using a set of environmental, social and governance indicators. Each organization was evaluated against their industry peers using publicly available information. Toronto Hydro's recognition reflects its strong performance in sustainability, including its commitment to reaching net-zero direct emissions (known as scope one) and significantly reducing indirect emissions (scope two) by 2040. This recognition also highlights Toronto Hydro's ongoing efforts to enhance grid reliability and foster a diverse and inclusive workplace. To learn more about Toronto Hydro's environmental performance, please visit QUICK FACTS This is the eighth time that Toronto Hydro has been recognized for its leadership in Environmental, Social and Governance, sustainability and climate adaptation by Corporate Knights Inc.'s Best 50 Corporate Citizens in Canada list Toronto Hydro is one of only 12 electrical utilities in Canada to be designated as a Sustainable Electricity Leader™ by Electricity Canada, in recognition of its sustainability performance Toronto Hydro operates an externally certified Environmental, Health and Safety Management System in accordance with the International Organization for Standardization's (ISO) 2015 Standard for Environmental Management Systems (ISO 14001:2015) and 2018 Standard for Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems (ISO 45001:2018) Electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles account for 30 per cent of Toronto Hydro's fleet Toronto Hydro achieved a 19 per cent reduction in building emissions in 2024 compared to 2019 QUOTE "At Toronto Hydro, sustainability isn't just a goal, it's embedded in our purpose and values. Being recognized by Corporate Knights for the eighth time reflects our commitment to powering a cleaner, more resilient Toronto while supporting the city's journey to net-zero. We're proud to lead by example in building a sustainable energy future for all Torontonians." - Jana Mosley, President and CEO, Toronto Hydro ABOUT TORONTO HYDRO Toronto Hydro is a holding company which wholly owns two subsidiaries: Toronto Hydro-Electric System Limited (THESL) – distributes electricity; and Toronto Hydro Energy Services Inc. – provides streetlighting and expressway lighting services in the city of Toronto The principal business of Toronto Hydro and its subsidiaries is the distribution of electricity by THESL, which owns and operates the electricity distribution system for Canada's largest city. Recognized as a Sustainable Electricity Leader™ by Electricity Canada, it has approximately 796,000 customers located in the city of Toronto and distributes approximately 18 per cent of the electricity consumed in Ontario. SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS SOURCE Toronto Hydro Corporation
Economic Times
25-06-2025
- Climate
- Economic Times
Toronto power outage leaves thousands without power as Ontario boils in sweltering heat
TIL Creatives A Toronto power outage leaves thousands of homes and businesses across Ontario without power, with a punishing heat wave pushing temperatures and tempers to dangerous levels. Thousands of homes and businesses across Ontario are still without electricity as a punishing heat wave pushes temperatures and tempers to dangerous levels. In Toronto, widespread power outages were reported Monday afternoon, just as the city sweltered under extreme heat reaching 36°C, with humidex values making it feel closer to 46°C. Toronto Hydro's outage map showed disruptions stretching from Bloor Street West and Avenue Road all the way north to Bayview and Finch. As of 2:00 p.m. EDT, at least 2,690 customers were confirmed affected, though the real number may be higher given the dense population of the impacted area. Power is expected to be restored by 4:30 p.m., according to Toronto Hydro. Hydro One, Ontario's largest electricity provider, said the outage originated from its Bridgman Transmission Station, which disrupted the supply of power to Toronto Hydro and its customers. In a statement posted on X shortly after 1 p.m., Hydro One confirmed its teams were working in coordination with Toronto Hydro to restore power 'safely and quickly.' The broader outage extends well beyond Toronto. According to real-time data from the website PowerOutage, as of 3:17 p.m. EDT, June 23, approximately 17,500 homes and businesses were without power across central and eastern Ontario. Of those, Hydro One reported 12,314 affected customers out of its 1.46 million total. Toronto Hydro logged 2,767 outages out of 844,567 customers, Niagara Peninsula Energy had 243 without power out of 23,317, and Hydro Ottawa reported 76 outages among its 372,417 clients. Much of Ontario remains under Environment Canada heat warnings, compounding risks for residents affected by the outages. The disruption comes as Hydro One continues to address lingering issues from Saturday night's severe thunderstorms, which knocked out electricity for approximately 50,000 customers. Around 15,000 of those still remain without service.
