A bill to amend the Energy Efficiency Act passed second reading and entered committee consideration in the Senate. Sarah Riddell, Senior Policy Research Associate, shared Efficiency Canada’s recommendations to strengthen Bill S-4 during her expert testimony to the Senate.
Ottawa’s Spring Economic Update 2026 included energy efficiency-related updates on Build Canada Homes, National Model Codes and a skilled trades program. However, the government has yet to deploy energy efficiency as a nation-building project.
Improving Canada’s energy efficiency contains all the elements of a promising nation-building project. Efficiency Canada’s five recommendations for Budget 2026 cover strategies that support both quickly achievable energy savings and transformative change.
[Energy Mix] Make Energy Efficiency a Nation-Building Priority During This Term of Government, Analyst Tells Ottawa: During its recent convention, the Liberal Party adopted a resolution declaring energy efficiency as a nation-building project. “Energy efficiency is a project that can start to deliver results in months,” said Brendan Haley, Efficiency Canada’s senior director of policy strategy. “I’m hoping it triggers the existing government to consider energy efficiency as a timely and beneficial project.”
[Energy Mix] Global Energy Shock Highlights Canada’s Need for Long-Term Energy Planning: Canadian households are experiencing rising costs due to disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz. To improve resilience, Canada must commit to a long-term mission to upgrade the housing stock, double energy productivity and eliminate energy poverty, said Haley.
[Nature] Building energy retrofits in Canada under government fiscal constraints: Moderate rebates, low-interest loans, and targeted energy taxes are sufficient to enable widespread retrofit adoption while balancing fiscal constraints in Canada, according to a new study that cites Efficiency Canada data. Optimized retrofit strategies can also significantly reduce households’ energy burden and contribute to alleviating energy poverty.
[CBC News] P.E.I. government’s latest budget signals less focus on climate action, energy savings: expert: The new P.E.I. budget has cut or paused several green incentive programs. Though this appears to signal less focus on climate action and energy savings, continued funding for home insulation rebates and other support programs could still help Islanders, said Brendan Haley.
[CBC Radio] A reward system that makes power utilities more attentive to customers’ needs?: After Nova Scotia Power fell short on performance targets in 2025, political figures are proposing linking utility performance to revenue. Haley said utilities are incentivized “to build more and spend more.” He added: “The main thing we want utilities to do is optimize the existing system, coordinate it and manage it more efficiently and affordably in a way that meets societal goals.”