Model Franchise Agreement Review

The goal of this letter is to engage with the Province of Ontario to ensure a transparent and equitable framework across different users by including a provision for municipal access fees to be paid to municipalities for use of their right of way for natural gas distribution infrastructure and other associated pipelines that use the municipal right of way. [...] The City of Ottawa supports an amendment to the Regulation 584/06(9) under the Ontario Municipal Act to remove the exemption of gas and electric utilities from municipal access or franchise fees. [...] The City Council of Ottawa endorsed staff in October 2020 to pursue the right to charge access fees to natural gas utilities for accessing the public right of way. [...] To implement changes to the Model Franchise Agreement, the Province would direct the Ontario Energy Board to review the Model Franchise Agreement. [...] ͫ For Ontario municipalities to gain the authority to charge a right-of-way fee for gas, an amendment to the Ontario Energy Board’s Model Franchise Agreement is required (through Regulation 584 of the Ontario Municipal Act and a corresponding change to the City of Toronto Act regulations).