Category: News Alerts

Oshawa, Ontario – Local dignitaries and leaders from within the business community are joining today to celebrate the launch of Durham Broadband, a new kind of high speed internet service that focuses on Durham’s economic development and is owned by Oshawa Power and Utilities Corporation (a municipal corporation of the City of Oshawa).

Durham Broadband was established in 2002 under the banner Oshawa PUC Services and quickly became the Region’s largest fibre optic infrastructure supplier. The company’s re-launch and updated strategic vision come in recognition of the increasing need for high speed internet to support evolving business practices, innovation and smarter cities. Durham Broadband is being made available to the broader business sector to spur-on socio-economic outcomes across the Region and put its eight local communities at the forefront of Canada’s economic modernization.
To effectively support economic development, Durham Broadband has a mandate to target priority areas and offer highly competitive solutions including:

• Price match guarantees;
• Superior speeds to any other local supplier;
• Flexible service levels and packages;
• No contracts; and,
• A unique dual-homed network that creates 100% system redundancy.

The brand is also pursuing an aggressive 5 year, multi-million dollar expansion plan that will see underserved areas connected. It is projected that this initiative will bring government investment in broadband via shared grant applications at the federal and provincial levels. Securing such grants would mean that Durham Broadband and its collaborative partner, the Regional Municipality of Durham, would be able to stretch high speed internet farther, sooner and for less cost.

“Oshawa has a need for high-speed reliable internet solutions, and with our extensive network of dark fibre this was the logical next step,” stated Matt Strecker, VP of Engineering & Operations, and the Divisional Lead for Durham Broadband. “Local business told us they need better network coverage, reliability, redundancy and capacity, married with excellent customer service. By focusing our attention locally, and building the networks our Region demands, we can provide service that is unmatched,” continued Strecker.

For a limited time only, businesses wishing to sign-on will receive deep discounts and special signing bonuses. Businesses should visit www.durhambroadband.ca for more information today.

Oshawa Power & EnerFORGE join Electricity Human Resources Canada Leadership Accord, commit to building diverse and inclusive workplace

Oshawa, Ontario – Oshawa Power and their affiliated low-carbon energy services provider, EnerFORGE, are proud to announce their signing of the Electricity Human Resources Canada (EHRC) Leadership Accord on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (“the Accord”). In signing the Accord, Oshawa Power and EnerFORGE are joining together with a growing number of industry leading companies in making a commitment to help build a strong culture of diversity and inclusion throughout the Canadian electrical industry.

“We’re proud to solidify our commitment together as a team by signing the Leadership Accord. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are the foundation to innovation, community leadership, and living our corporate values. We acknowledge the importance of continuous improvement as we work to build a culture of respect and inclusion at Oshawa Power & EnerFORGE.”

– Ivano Labricciosa, President & CEO

Oshawa Power and EnerFORGE have pledged to implement a set of clearly benchmarked initiatives developed by the EHRC and intended to foster an inclusive workplace culture. The commitment includes a two-year review to examine the organizations’ progress and develop a refreshed strategic pathway to meeting the aforementioned benchmarks.

“Our operations extend into growing and diverse communities. We recognize the tremendous opportunity this means for our organization with respect to leveraging a broad base of talent that is both representative of our customers and key to future success.”

– Nancy Brandon, Director, People & Business Services

Operating in the heart of the Durham Region and throughout the Greater Toronto-Hamilton Area, Oshawa Power and EnerFORGE are headquartered in one of Canada’s most culturally diverse areas. Building a culture of diversity and inclusion is an important step in the organizations’ approach to better understanding the needs of each customer group in order to deliver exceptional services across their territory.

Media Contact
Josh McCulloch
jmcculloch@opuc.on.ca
905-242-3186

Late last night, May 26, 2021, Oshawa Power customers experienced a widespread power outage that affected more than 12,000 customers, or approximately 20% of our customer base. The outage was a result of a power supply interruption to Hydro One’s Thornton Transformer Station which supplies Oshawa Power. Scheduled Hydro One maintenance, in combination with an equipment failure outside of Oshawa Power’s service territory, knocked out the primary power supply to our substations in the affected areas. Impacts of the event spread from areas east in Northumberland County, through the Durham Region, and west into the City of Pickering.

On call crews were activated and ready to begin the restoration process within 20 minutes of the event. Our team worked diligently to reroute power supply to the affected areas within our territory through our designated secondary supply at two other local Hydro One Transformer Stations. Ultimately, all Oshawa Power customers had their power restored within 54 minutes.

“Hydro One scheduled maintenance combined with an unforeseen equipment failure outside of Oshawa Power territory knocked out the supply to our substations. Crews were dispatched and did a great job “switching” or rerouting power through other stations and transformers to restore as many customers as possible until Hydro One was able to fix equipment and restore power supply to the affected areas within the Oshawa Power grid,” said Ivano Labricciosa, President and CEO of Oshawa Power. “Our Emergency Preparedness team acted quickly to get the word out to customers and crews quickly responded with a contingency plan to quickly restore power. We thank our customers for their understanding and patience as we worked to safely restore power to everyone,” continued Labricciosa.

Oshawa Power has detailed plans and procedures in place to respond swiftly to all emergency events, including last night’s situation. Our goal in these situations is to safely restore service to all affected customers as soon as we possibly can.

We appreciate your patience as we worked to restore power to our customers and are dedicated to understanding, and learning from, all outages, small and large, so that we can continue to provide the highest quality service at the lowest possible rates.

Oshawa Power would like to extend our gratitude to our crews who worked to have service restored swiftly and safely, the Durham Regional Police Services who activated to ensure local motorists could remain safe on our local roadways, and the local media, including Colin Williamson, for helping keep our customers informed and up-to-date as the situation unfolded late into the evening.

Today, the Ontario Energy Board (OEB) announced new electricity prices for households and small businesses, effective November 1, under the Regulated Price Plan (RPP).

The winter Time-of-Use (TOU) hours and the winter Tier threshold for residential customers, which were maintained for the summer 2020 period, will remain in effect until November 1.

The total bill for a typical residential customer who uses 700 kWh per month will increase by about $2.24 or 1.97%, after accounting for the bill relief provided by the Ontario Electricity Rebate (OER), a total (pre-tax) bill credit that appears at the bottom of electricity bills. The Ontario government has increased that rebate from 31.8% to 33.2% effective November 1, 2020.

The Ontario Energy Board is also introducing new Pricing Plan Choices for customers. Effective November 1, 2020 customers can now choose between paying Time of Use rates or Tiered Pricing rates.

Learn more about the new choices and how to change between plans here.

Read the Ontario Energy Board announcement here

About Time-of-Use (TOU) rates

Under Time-of-Use (TOU) pricing, customers are charged according to the day of the week and time of day that they use electricity. This gives customers the option to shift higher electricity-use activities — such as laundry or running the dishwasher — to off-peak periods, which are charged at a lower rate.

There are three different TOU price periods: on-peak, mid-peak and off-peak.

TOU rates and price periods typically change twice a year (May 1 and November 1). Both the rates and price periods are set by the Ontario Energy Board (OEB).

November 1, 2020 Time of Use Rates:

On Peak – 21.7 ¢/kWh
Mid Peak – 15.0 ¢/kWh
Off – Peak – 10.5 ¢/kWh

Note: Currently, all TOU customers are paying the COVID-19 Recovery Rate of 12.8¢/kWh for all price periods. Please note that winter TOU rates will come into effect on November 1, 2020, and will be updated below once rates are announced by the OEB.

Winter pricing periods


To learn more about TOU rates, visit our Time of Use page.

About Tiered rates

Tiered pricing separates electricity consumption into two price tiers. Customers are charged one rate for electricity usage up to a certain amount of consumption (or threshold) per month, and a higher rate for electricity used above that amount.

The price threshold (the amount of electricity consumption that is charged at the lower price) is set by the Ontario Energy Board (OEB) and will typically change twice a year for residential customers.

Note: Updated Tiered rates as of November 1, 2020.

Tiered rates pricing – per 30 days (residential customers)
Price tier Description Price
Tier 1 Up to 1,000 kWh/month 12.6¢ per kWh
Tier 2 More than 1,000 kWh/month 14.6¢ per kWh

Tiered rates pricing – per 30 days (non-residential customers)
Price tier Description Price
Tier 1 Up to 750 kWh/month 12.6¢ per kWh
Tier 2 More than 750 kWh/month 14.6¢ per kWh

September 22, 2020 – We have received reports from small commercial customers that there are callers impersonating Hydro One calling Oshawa businesses and demanding payment by midnight and threatening disconnection.

Let us confirm that Hydro One does not operate in Oshawa and would not be calling our customers to demand payment. The phone number they are calling from is 1-800-581-4814.

Please do not engage with these callers and call Durham Regional Police to report at 905-579-1520.

If you have questions about your account please call our office at 905-723-4623 or email contactus@opuc.on.ca.

Oshawa PUC Networks Inc. has applied to the Ontario Energy Board to increase our electricity distribution rates. Please review the Ontario Energy Board’s Notice of Hearing to learn more and to find out how you can participate in the Ontario Energy Board’s hearing.

Notice of Hearing

To view a full version of the 2021-2025 Rate Application please visit the link below:

Oshawa Power 2021-2025 Application

August 5, 2020

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

OSHAWA – Oshawa hydro customers receive a new upgrade to their online customer account portal. On July 29, 2020 Oshawa Power launched their new interface MyOshawaPower. The new portal is intuitive, easy to use and provides customers a host of new data that was not available in the previous portal.

MyOshawaPower, powered by Silverblaze, allows customers to compare their usage against the weather, the previous month, the previous year and their neighbourhood.  Customers have more control over the administration of their accounts with the ability to grant permission to others to access their account and they can set usage threshold and power outage alerts that can be delivered by email, text or phone.

“We are committed to improving our customers’ experience. With the launch of this new tool, we are providing our customers with useful information not previously available.  Through this self service portal, customers can access their account and usage information easily and at their own convenience. Being new to Oshawa Power I am very excited to be a part of this evolution in our customer service capabilities,” states Susanna Beckstead, Vice President, Finance, Corporate and Business Services.

“Upgrading our portal was long overdue. MyOshawaPower advances the services we provide and enhances our future relationships with our customers,” says Ivano Labricciosa, President and CEO, Oshawa Power. “We’re proud that we have the ability to improve services and maintain low rates. Migrating to the new portal helps move our customer service to the next level. Customers don’t want to have to call in every time they have a question, they want to be able to have the answer available and easy to find whenever they need it, and this new portal does that,” continues Labricciosa.

“We are really excited to see OPUC launch their new Customer Service Portal! It has been a pleasure working with their talented team to deliver a great tool for their customer community”, commented the Silverblaze team.

To log in or register for MyOshawaPower you can visit myaccount.opuc.on.ca. The portal is available 24 hours a day.

PDF – Utility launches MyOshawaPower customer information portal

About Oshawa Power:

Oshawa Power and award-winning electrical utility that has more than 130 years’ experience of delivering services and bringing Oshawa forward through innovation and technology. Oshawa Power prides themselves on delivering ratepayers safe, reliable service to over 60,000 customers at the lowest rates in Durham Region.

About Silverblaze:

SilverBlaze is an award-winning software innovation, development, and consulting firm. Founded in 1999, SilverBlaze offers comprehensive software solutions for utilities – the SilverBlaze Customer Portal, and SilverBlaze Smart Forms and Workflows.

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Media Contact

Sheila Risorto

Marketing and Communications

905-439-1930

srisorto@opuc.on.ca

COVID-19 ENERGY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM APPLICATIONS START TODAY

Applications for the Province of Ontario’s new COVID-19 Energy Assistance Program (CEAP) are available now. The Government of Ontario is providing $9 million to support residential customers struggling to pay their energy bills as a result of COVID-19.

CEAP is a one time, on-bill credit for eligible residential electricity and natural gas customers to help them catch up on their energy bills and resume regular payments.

CEAP funding is limited. Oshawa Power will process applications in the order in which they are received. Submitting an application for CEAP to Oshawa Power does not guarantee funding. To see if you qualify or to apply for funding please visit www.oshawapower.ca/need-help-paying-electricity-bill

The Province of Ontario’s current moratorium on disconnections for non-payment is scheduled to end July, 31, 2020. In light of the government extension ending in July Oshawa Power is being proactive and working with customers to help ease the burden.  Oshawa Power is offering assistance to their customers to help them navigate through this next transition.

If you have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and are having difficulty paying your bill there is help available for you. There are programs designed to help for both short term and long term needs; please visit www.oshawapower.ca/need-help-paying-electricity-bill to see what program best suits your situation or to determine if you qualify for CEAP.

Oshawa Power is working with customers and offering payment extensions to assist customers during this time. You can request a payment extension here and a customer service representative will contact you.

Oshawa Power working with customers as the moratorium ends

The Province of Ontario’s current moratorium on disconnections for non-payment is scheduled to end July, 31, 2020. In light of the government extension ending in July Oshawa Power is being proactive and working with customers to help ease the burden.  Oshawa Power is offering assistance to their customers to help them navigate through this next transition.

If you have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and are having difficulty paying your bill there is help available for you. There are programs designed to help for both short term and long term needs; please visit www.oshawapower.ca/need-help-paying-electricity-bill to see what program best suits your situation. Oshawa Power is working with customers and offering payment extensions to assist customers during this time. You can request a payment extension here and a customer service representative will contact you.

“Disconnecting an account for non-payment is a last resort, it is an option that we would prefer not to use. It is far more productive and less costly to work with our customers to find assistance or arrangements that work for them,” says Ivano Labricciosa, President and CEO, Oshawa Power.

“We are here to assist our customers and we want to remove the unnecessary stress of having to worry about how they are going to pay their bill. I encourage anybody who has fallen behind or struggling to make payments to reach out to our team. We will find a solution. By working together, we can make paying your Hydro bill one less thing to worry about,” continues Labricciosa.

Oshawa Power would like customers who require financial assistance, arrangements or advice on their hydro accounts to contact the Customer Service department through email at contactus@opuc.on.ca or use their online form at www.oshawapower.ca/contact-us. Together with the customer, Oshawa Power will review the account and help develop a workable plan that best meets their situation. Oshawa Power is encouraging customers to contact them to start the dialogue on finding the solution that works.

The current rate of 12.8¢/kWh, 24 hours/day has been set until October 31, 2020. Beginning November 1, 2020 customers will have the choice between the current Time-of-Use plan and the regulated tiered pricing plan. More details will come about those options as the date draws nearer.

Still have questions? Visit our frequently asked questions regarding COVID-19.

Province announces new COVID-19 Recovery Rate, COVID Energy Assistance Programs and New Customer Choice Initiative

OSHAWA – Ontario announces new energy assistance available for residential and small commercial customers. The province previously announced a disconnection ban in place for residential and small commercial customers.

Announced this past weekend, consumption used as of June 1, 2020, the new COVID-19 Recovery Rate of 12.8¢/kWh is in effect, 24 hours a day until October 31, 2020. No action by the customer is required for this rate to take effect.

The province has also announced that as of July residential and small commercial can apply for the COVID-19 Energy Assistance Program (CEAP) to receive a one-time payment assistance for customers struggling to pay their bill. Oshawa Power will share more information about this upcoming program when it becomes available.

Starting November 1, 2020 Ontario hydro users will have the choice between paying the regulated Time-Of-Use rates or pay the regulated Tiered Pricing Plan. As more information is released about this new option Oshawa Power will share.

See the Province’s announcement.

Please be assured that Oshawa Power is ready to support their customers through these new changes. As more information becomes available Oshawa Power will share on their website and social media channels. You can stay current by visiting our COVID-19 information page, visiting our COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions page  or you can contact our Customer Service Department at 905-723-4623 or contact us

What is the impact to my bill?

The Government of Ontario introduced a fixed electricity price, known as the COVID-19 Recovery Rate, of 12.8 cents per kWh, which will be automatically applied to all time-of-use customers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This fixed electricity price will be in place from June 1 – October 31, 2020.

With this, Oshawa Time of Use (TOU) consumers will not be subject to TOU rates and will be paying the rate of 12.8¢ per kWh during this period. Customers will receive crossover bills showing a consumption used prior to June 1, 2020 and after June 1, 2020. As a result, customer will see six line items representing their monthly consumption. See Sample below:

Bill Sample