The last time Ontario went on a serious waterpower building spree, Indigenous communities were largely consulted parties. Today, waterpower developers are increasingly asking: Who is connected to this hydro site, and who should share in the benefits of developing it?

To understand how we got here, we need to take an honest look at where we came from.

In the past, Ontario’s waterpower development plan was based on the feed-in tariff (FIT) model, which focused on guaranteed grid access, long-term contracts and pricing models, all designed to encourage renewable-energy project development. 

Indigenous inclusion in the FIT era was, at best, a policy garnish. Proponents could qualify for a few extra cents per kilowatt-hour if they brought an Indigenous community along for the ride. It was transactional, optional and structured in a way that made Indigenous participation a consideration, not a requirement.

Early renewable-energy proponents viewed partnerships as consultation requirements, employment commitments or limited economic benefits. Indigenous communities were often consulted later in the process, selected for convenience rather than territorial connection, and handed promises of jobs and contracts.

The Crown’s duty to consult existed but, in practice, it operated as a legal hurdle to clear, not a relationship to build. Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) held the keys to Crown land, and hydro development was largely structured around the developer, with Indigenous interests receiving limited consideration.

A new procurement process is changing everything.

Beyond symbolic inclusion

Ontario’s new long lead time (LLT) hydro procurement is estimated to add 200 megawatts of new capacity, mostly small greenfield projects in the North. What’s different about LLT procurement is that........

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