Alectra Inc. powers community and sustainability

When Amber Azarcon thinks back on some of the most impactful moments to have come out of the Alectra Inc. community support program AlectraCARES, it’s difficult to narrow them down.

She remembers the joy brought to the youth from the REST Centre in Brampton, Ont. one holiday season when they opened presents from the Alectra team – some had never received a gift before.

“Some said, ‘I didn’t know anyone thought about me,’” the communications advisor recalls. “It was so nice to help them feel like somebody cares.”

Or when, during the 2024 Princess Margaret Ride to Conquer Cancer, one of Alectra’s riders was undergoing cancer treatment himself. After sharing his story, employees rallied behind him and helped raise $180,000 in donations.

“There’s a lot of heart behind what we do,” says Azarcon. “It’s not just writing a cheque – there are a lot of people in the organization that really care.”

The giving program was formally established in 2018, but supporting the communities it serves is in the DNA of one of Canada’s largest municipally-owned utilities.

From building homes with Habitat for Humanity, hunkering down for the Coldest Night of the Year homelessness fundraiser, or getting in the saddle for the Ride to Conquer Cancer, Alectra employees can be found volunteering across 17 Ontario communities from Alliston to Vaughan.

“Our employees have been there on the ground and we’re very proud of what they’ve done at the grassroots community level to make a difference,” says CEO Brian Bentz.

“We live in these communities, we’re part of these communities and when we promote volunteerism it helps employees understand the communities that own us.”

Born of a merger between five municipal utilities companies in 2017, Alectra has brought the different perspectives and organizational cultures together with excellent results. Shareholder dividends have increased by over $100-million – income that can be reinvested back into the communities – while lowering electricity rates for customers.

The customer-focused culture at Alectra spills into everything it does, from volunteerism to its approach to sustainability.

In one of the fastest growing areas in Canada, the power sector is going to have a significant impact on a low-carbon economy and a sustainable future, Bentz explains.

Electricity demand is expected to increase substantially in the next decade, and people will be relying on electricity for everything from electric vehicles to home heating and cooling.

“We have to do things differently as we move through electrification,” he says.

A greener power grid is on the horizon by integrating renewable energy sources and using intelligent technology to increase efficiency and reduce costs.

“If we can continue to innovate and focus on our customers by lowering their energy bills and carbon footprint, it will help enable the transition to a greener, more sustainable energy future.”

Alectra is also walking the walk when it comes to its own facilities, with a number of LEED Gold certified centres in its network that draw on such innovative technologies as rooftop solar power, advanced HVAC systems and even an electric bucket truck.

One agricultural community has been particularly focused on sustainability. Guelph, Ont., is the home of Alectra’s Green Energy and Technology Centre (or GRE&T Centre), a net-zero facility with the goal of advancing clean technology such as electric vehicles and energy storage.

Sustainability initiatives go hand-in-hand with community care and fall under the AlectraCARES umbrella, Azarcon explains.

“Everything we do in the company is aligned with sustainability,” she says. “We’re always asking, ‘How does this impact the community long term? How does it build up the community to create meaningful change and meaningful impact?’”

This article appeared in the magazine announcing this year's Greater Toronto’s Top Employers winners, published December 3, 2024 in The Globe and Mail. This article was prepared with the financial support of the employer, which reviewed but did not write its contents.