Saint John Energy says Modernizing Legislation would Protect Affordability, Unlock New Opportunity
August 12, 2026
Annual Community Meeting highlights how a model already used in Oakville, Ont., could let Saint John Energy grow while keeping rates low
Saint John Energy says modernizing the century-old provincial legislation that governs the utility would help protect affordability for customers and create new opportunities for the community, pointing to a model already used by other Canadian municipalities.
The topic was a key focus of Saint John Energy’s 2025-26 Annual Community Meeting, where President and CEO Ryan Mitchell pointed to Oakville, Ont., as an example of what’s possible under a modernized governance structure.
“The legislation governing Saint John Energy hasn’t changed in more than 100 years,” Mitchell said. “The energy sector has changed dramatically since then. We need a structure that enables us, not shackles us.”
As part of the meeting, Mitchell was joined by Oakville Mayor Rob Burton, who built a holding company, Oakville Enterprises Corp. (OEC), around its municipal utility, Oakville Hydro, nearly two decades ago.
Oakville Hydro itself stayed exactly as it was – roughly 150 employees, with the same strong reliability record – while OEC grew above it, and now holds stakes in two dozen companies, employs nearly 3,000 people and pays the town a $12.5-million annual dividend, with $20 million on the horizon.
“I thought it would be a virtue to develop non-tax revenues,” Burton said of the original idea. Those dividends now help fund parks, arenas and other infrastructure for his community.
Mitchell said the same model could help safeguard the rate advantage Saint John Energy customers already enjoy. As with OEC, much of whose dividend growth has come from business done across Canada and beyond, a modernized Saint John Energy would look to build new revenue from outside the community.
“Our customers continue to pay among the lowest electricity rates in Atlantic Canada,” he said. “A modern structure would allow us to earn revenue beyond Saint John – revenue that helps protect that advantage while providing additional benefits to the people of Saint John.”
Mitchell emphasized that any change to Saint John Energy’s governing legislation would not affect its local ownership or accountability to customers.
“This isn’t about changing who we are,” he said. “It’s about giving Saint John Energy the flexibility to build on its strengths and create new value for this community over the long term.”
The annual community meeting also recapped a year of progress on Saint John Energy’s Zero30 clean energy roadmap, which earned a national 2026 Clean50 Top Project Award; Grid Forward Saint John, a $19.5-million grid modernization project; and Plug-In Labs, a first-of-its-kind platform giving outside researchers access to the utility’s smart grid data.
“We know what Saint John Energy is capable of,” Mitchell said. “Modernizing the legislation that governs us would allow us to create jobs, generate new revenue, support economic growth and help protect affordability for customers. That’s a tremendous opportunity not only for Saint John but for the province.”
