August 24, 2026 Red Deer, Alberta Natural Resources Canada
When it comes to electricity, Canada starts from a place of strength: an over 80 percent clean grid with the lowest residential electricity costs in the G7, the second-lowest industrial electricity costs in the G7 and the OECD, and the second-highest share of clean electricity generation in the G7. Now faced with global volatility and growing power demand from Canadian homes and industry, we are growing and modernizing our electricity grids to ensure that Canadians and Albertans can access affordable, reliable electricity for years to come.
That's why today, the Honourable Shafqat Ali, President of the Treasury Board, announced nearly $10 million in funding from Natural Resources Canada's Smart Renewables and Electrification Pathways Program (SREPs) to modernize the City of Red Deer's electricity system.
This funding will allow the city of Red Deer to replace outdated, costly and hard-to-repair technology and more efficiently use energy, through the deployment of over 45,000 smart meters, and the installation of the communications equipment needed to support the smart meter network. This will help Red Deer detect power outages faster, improve billing accuracy for families and businesses, enable real-time monitoring of the electricity system, and enhance overall grid reliability and efficiency.
As outlined in Powering Canada Strong: A National Strategy for an Electrified Canadian Economy, our upcoming national electricity strategy will feature initiatives like this, that will modernize and grow our electricity system.
The Government of Canada is building in Alberta and across the country to strengthen the local grid and support renewable energy integration while ensuring reliable and resilient power and contributing stronger, more secure energy for all.
