ABSTRACT
Electric power for Canada's diverse industries and 25 million people is supplied primarily by thirteen utilities, of which ten are publicly-owned Crown corporations and the remaining three are investor-owned. New Brunswick Power is a provincial Crown corporation which reports through a chairman to the provincial cabinet. A municipal liaison committee of 20 people, with a local non-Hydro person as chairman, was established to represent a cross-section of local interests and to act as a local sounding board. A planning committee was thus assembled to prepare for the event, which would have a workshop format to maintain informality and encourage maximum utility attendance. In 1980, legislation was introduced requiring public participation during the planning phase of projects. Hydro-Quebec feels it is to its advantage to integrate public views into the planning process and hence smooth the government approval process. Ontario Hydro's public involvement programs often include liaison committees with local representation. The Manitoba Planning Act guides land use in the province.
