The House of Commons Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities (the Committee) held two meetings to conduct a study on the Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB)’s involvement in the Lake Erie Connector project, a proposed underwater transmission line that would connect Ontario’s electricity grid with the PJM Interconnection in the United States.

Some witnesses discussed the reasons behind the project’s suspension in 2022 and its purchase, in January 2024, by NextEra Energy Transmission, a large U.S.-based utility company. Committee members also heard different perspectives on the question of Ontario’s ability to export clean energy to the United States over the short, medium, and long terms.

The Committee heard primarily from senior officials from the Canada Infrastructure Bank, Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator and from NextEra Energy Transmission. While the Committee invited the Minister of Infrastructure, Housing and Communities as part of its study motion, the Minister did not appear.

Some witnesses also discussed the CIB’s due diligence process as well as the higher-than-average legal fees in the case of this project.