Manitoba Hydro seeks U.S. export permit

Summary#

• Manitoba Hydro asked the Canada Energy Regulator for permission to export electricity to the United States for five years, and the regulator is asking the public for comments.
• The same Gazette page also lists two proposed charity revocations under the Income Tax Act and several procurement complaints that the Canadian International Trade Tribunal has decided to investigate.

What it does#

• Electricity export application
  • Manitoba Hydro applied (dated June 21, 2024) for an export permit to sell power to Minnkota Power Cooperative, Inc. in the U.S. as a border accommodation.
  • The requested export period is January 1, 2025 to December 31, 2029.
  • The application seeks authorization for up to 3,000 kW of power and 26,352 MWh of firm energy per year.
  • The Commission of the Canada Energy Regulator is asking for written comments by July 22, 2024, and allows the applicant to respond to submissions by August 6, 2024. The application is available on the CER website or on request by email to aupenner@hydro.mb.ca.
• Charity revocations
  • The Canada Revenue Agency published proposed revocations of registered charity status for:
    • ENGELKING FOUNDATION (business number 850838301RR0001) — notice cites failures under the Income Tax Act.
    • SOCIÉTÉ QUÉBÉCOISE DE LA TRISOMIE-21 (business number 857763577RR0001) — notice cites failures under the Income Tax Act.
  • The notices say the revocations are effective on the date of publication (June 22, 2024).
• Procurement complaints and inquiries
  • The Canadian International Trade Tribunal will hold inquiries into several procurement complaints, including:
    • SPX Aids to Navigation LLC vs. a Fisheries and Oceans procurement for rotating beacons (decision to inquire June 7, 2024).
    • Oracle Canada ULC vs. Shared Services Canada over cloud services procurement (decision June 6, 2024).
    • C-CORE vs. Natural Resources Canada over geospatial software work (decision May 27, 2024).
    • Great Lakes Maskwa Aviation General Partner Corp. vs. Public Works and Government Services Canada on air charter services (decision June 10, 2024).
    • Dave Stewart vs. the Canadian Tourism Commission on video/photo production procurement (decision June 12, 2024).

Who's affected#

• The export application mainly affects:
  • Manitoba Hydro, Minnkota Power Cooperative, Inc., and potentially electricity buyers and grid operators in Manitoba and neighbouring provinces/states.
  • People or organizations in Canada who sell or buy electricity and who want to comment on cross‑border sales.
• The charity revocations affect:
  • Donors, clients, and staff of ENGELKING FOUNDATION and SOCIÉTÉ QUÉBÉCOISE DE LA TRISOMIE-21.
• The tribunal inquiries affect:
  • The bidders and government departments named (SPX, Oracle, C-CORE, Great Lakes Maskwa Aviation, Dave Stewart, PWGSC, Shared Services Canada, NRCan, CTC).
  • Other firms that follow federal procurement practices, because outcomes can influence how future procurements are run.

Why it matters#

• Cross‑border electricity exports can affect local supply, prices, and how utilities plan for demand. The CER is asking for input so stakeholders can raise any impacts on Canadian customers or provinces.
• Revoking a charity’s registration can change tax benefits for donors and affect funding or services provided by that charity.
• Procurement inquiries can change which supplier wins a contract or lead to changes in how government buys goods and services. That can affect competition, contract awards, and taxpayer value.