Massive 19th-century Montreal building to be turned into housing
The province has owned the former Institute for the Deaf and Mute building for decades but has no longer found a use for it. It's now selling the building to a private company that plans to turn it into a giant housing complex.
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Globe and Mail
20 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
Why Canada's largest battery project is an energy gamechanger
While you may expect to hear humming, there's almost no sound coming from the site of the recently-opened Oneida Energy Storage project – a plot of land filled with 278 lithium-ion batteries, each one about the size of a tractor trailer – producing 250 megawatts (MW) of electricity. Located on 10 acres in Haldimand County, Ont., the Oneida project is among the five largest battery storage facilities in the world, producing enough electricity to power a city of 200,000. 'It's a beautiful facility. I had more decibel readings from the birds chirping in the trees than I had from the batteries,' says Christine Healy, president and chief executive officer of Toronto-based global power producer Northland Power. 'It provides a necessary service right where we need it the most.' Serving the entire province, the batteries pull electricity from the Ontario power grid, holding it in times of surplus and releasing it in times of need. Over its operating life, the facility is estimated to reduce greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions by between 1.2 and 4.1 million tonnes – the equivalent of removing approximately 40,000 cars from the roads. The Oneida project comes as battery storage is transforming how we manage energy usage, making it cleaner and more reliable by reducing reliance on fossil fuels and strengthening the power grid during times of peak demand. These types of facilities also help contribute to lowering emissions – something relevant to Canada, which has pledged to reduce its GHGs by 45 to 50 per cent by 2035. The Oneida project more than doubles Ontario's current energy storage resources from 225 MW to 475 MW – a boost that comes amid a broader push to expand energy storage across the province. In 2024, the Ontario government and Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO), the non-profit overseeing the province's grid, announced they procured an additional 2,195 MW of electricity generation and battery capacity – enough to power 2.2 million homes during periods of peak demand. This includes 1,784 MW of battery energy storage from 10 different projects. It also means that Ontario should have close to 3 gigawatts (GW) of energy storage capacity by 2028, exceeding the government's initial target of 2.5 GW. Battery storage provides a number of services to the grid, helping to balance electricity supply and demand and ensuring grid reliability and resilience. 'Being able to move energy from times of surplus to times of need is a real asset,' says Vittoria Bellissimo, president and CEO of the Canadian Renewable Energy Association. 'What you need to run a reliable, clean, affordable electricity system is a diversified set of supply resources but also demand resources.' The Oneida Energy Storage Limited Partnership (Oneida LP) is composed of government, public and private groups that help govern the project – including Northland Power Inc., which holds a 70-per-cent stake, economic group the Six Nations of the Grand River Development Corporation (SNGRDC), energy storage developer NRStor Inc., developer Aecon Concessions and the Mississaugas of the Credit Business Corporation. Oneida LP works with the Ontario government through IESO and Haldimand County at the municipal level, says Matt Jamieson, CEO and president of the SNGRDC. 'It's a great example of multiple layers of government and organizations working together.' The SNGRDC and NRStor first formulated the idea for an energy storage facility in 2018 before bringing it to Northland Power, which helped secure financing through the Canada Infrastructure Bank, Mr. Jamieson says. Natural Resources Canada also added a $50-million grant. According to Northland, the project opened in May and came in ahead of schedule and under budget at $700-million, rather than the $800-million projected in 2023. Located near the Six Nations of the Grand River reserve, which has a population of nearly 30,000, construction employed 180 Indigenous and Ontario workers at its peak, including 40 from the SNGRDC's construction partner, Aecon Six Nations. Since its inception, the SNGRDC has invested in renewable energy projects, deploying more than $50-million of equity capital into utility-scale wind, solar and battery projects. 'We always want to stay true to our values as Indigenous people,' Mr. Jamieson says. 'We viewed renewable energy as an opportunity for us to get involved in something that has a net-positive environmental result. You build these assets, and really you're harnessing the power of Mother Earth, the wind and the sun.' Mr. Jamieson connected Oneida LP with Aecon Six Nations to subcontract much of the site's construction. 'That translates into paychecks, which float back into our community's economy,' he says. 'But even more important, the construction of Oneida really built capacity in our work force. We now have that skill set to be competitive in the market.' Northland Power CEO Ms. Healy says working with Indigenous partners helped move the project forward and bolster the local economy through employment. 'That level of alignment is the special sauce to make these projects work.' The SNGRDC currently holds 2.5 GW of electrical capacity through its involvement in 25 renewable energy holdings and has plans to expand. In December, the SNGRDC and Quebec-based renewable energy company Boralex Inc. announced $538-million for a 300 MW battery storage facility in Hagersville, Ont. It will surpass Oneida as Canada's largest. Northland Power also just began building Jurassic Solar+, an 80 MW battery storage and solar generation project in Alberta, while Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan have also heavily invested in energy storage. Now that Oneida is up and running, time is of the essence when it comes to moving forward with Ontario's procured energy storage projects. 'Pace matters. We have to keep developing projects,' says Ms. Healy. 'Capital fundamentally goes where it's treated best and it's a global competition. Canada needs to make sure that we are at the top of everybody's list for where they want to deploy their capital.'
Globe and Mail
20 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
Trump says EU isn't offering a fair trade deal, Japan being ‘tough' in talks, too
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had stayed at the G7 meeting in Alberta, and suggested Japan was being 'tough' in trade talks and the European Union had not yet offered what he considered a fair deal. Trump left the G7 meeting early to deal with developments in the Middle East from the White House. Speaking to reporters on the trip back on Air Force One, the President said the 27-nation EU had been tough over the years with the United States. 'We're talking, but I don't feel that they're offering a fair deal yet,' Trump said. 'They're either going to make a good deal or they'll just pay whatever we say they have to pay.' Trump also said there was a chance of a trade deal between Washington and Japan. Campbell Clark: Even when he's smiling, Trump stands apart 'They're tough, the Japanese are tough, but ultimately you have to understand we're just going to send a letter saying 'this is what you're going to pay, otherwise you don't have to do business with us'. But there's a chance,' he said. Trump also said pharmaceutical tariffs were coming very soon. 'We're going to be doing pharmaceuticals very soon. That's going to bring all the companies back into America,' he said. 'It's going to bring most of them back into, at least partially back in.' Trump also said Canada would pay to be part of his 'Golden Dome' missile shield project.
CTV News
20 minutes ago
- CTV News
F1 Grand Prix run extended in Montreal until 2035
Mercedes driver George Russell, of the United Kingdom, reacts after winning the Formula One auto racing Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal, Sunday, June 15, 2025. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes) The Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix is here to stay until 2035. The news was confirmed Tuesday morning by the event's partners, the City of Montreal, the governments of Quebec and Canada, Tourism Montreal, the Société du Parc Jean-Drapeau and the Grand Prix's private partners. 'Eagerly awaited year after year, F1 kicks off the summer season and embodies the excitement that so well defines our city,' said Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante. 'The extension of this agreement demonstrates Montreal's ability to host major international events and our commitment to offering visitors and Montrealers alike an exceptional experience, while strengthening the city's reputation.' The officials say the agreement is the result of 'significant collective efforts to consolidate this event and ensure its continued presence in Montreal.' 'There is something unique about the atmosphere of the Grand Prix in Quebec,' said Caroline Proulx, Quebec's minister of tourism. 'There's a connection between the drivers and the public, a fervour that you can feel on the track, in the city, and among those who, carried away by this energy, then choose to discover other parts of the province.' Stakes were high for the Canadian Grand Prix's 2025 edition, with the previous year's event hijacked by heavy congestion, flooding at the race site and fire inspectors abruptly shutting down four restaurant terraces in downtown Montreal over safety concerns. At the time, Plante said the incidents had damaged the city's international reputation. This year, the event's organizers promised they would do better. A public transit strike threatened to throw a wrench in the plans, but the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) managed to come to an agreement with its maintenance workers to ensure that bus and Metro services would be 'complete and regular' during the Grand Prix, both for safety and traffic flow reasons. READ MORE: Montreal hopes to repair damaged reputation during Grand Prix weekend Tuesday, the Société du parc Jean-Drapeau confirmed it has also established a new fund, financed by royalties, to enhance the site at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve. 'We were confident that this adventure would continue, and we are very proud to welcome the extension of the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Montreal until 2035,' said Yves Lalumière, president and CEO of Tourisme Montréal. 'F1 loves Montreal, and Montreal loves F1. It's an exceptional relationship that has lasted for 47 years, making Montreal a historic partner of the F1.' Starting in 2026, the race is slated to be held from May 22 to 24, with officials explaining this would 'allow us to kick off the summer tourist season with a bang' while better aligning with the F1's international calendar. Officials say this change will also contribute to achieving the goal of carbon neutrality by 2030.
