What Hydro One Remote Communities actually does
Most of Ontario's electricity grid is one big interconnected machine operated by the IESO. Hydro One Remote Communities Inc. is what happens at the edges of that machine, in places where the high-voltage transmission system never reached. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hydro One Limited, distinct from Hydro One Networks (the mainland distributor), and it exists to keep the lights on in approximately 21 isolated First Nations and Metis communities in the Far North. In 12 of those communities, that means owning and operating the diesel generators themselves. In the rest, it means running the wires that connect the community to the IESO grid through transmission lines such as Wataynikaneyap Power.
Hydro One Remotes wears the same two hats as most Ontario LDCs: it is the distributor (it owns the poles, transformers and meters) AND the default supplier (it bills you for the electricity). The single bill that arrives at your home covers both jobs. Unlike a mainland LDC, however, Hydro One Remotes also faces the cost of producing the power locally, which is several times more expensive than buying it from the IESO grid. That gap is bridged not by the customer but by the OEB's Rural or Remote Rate Protection (RRRP) mechanism, funded by a small charge on every Ontario electricity bill.
- Owns the wires, transformers and meters in each community
- Operates 12 diesel generating stations in off-grid communities
- Sends the monthly bill at the OEB-approved rate
- Break-even, cost-recovery business — no profit
- Two small run-of-river hydroelectric plants
- 22+ customer- and community-owned solar installations
- Wataynikaneyap Power transmission line is connecting more communities to the IESO grid each year
- Diesel fuel is the single largest direct operating cost
Hydro One Remote Communities is a separate corporation with its own OEB licence, its own rate schedule and its own scorecard. It shares only the parent company. Cat Lake First Nation, for historical reasons, sits with Hydro One Networks rather than Hydro One Remotes; everyone else in the Far North isolated footprint is here.
Where Hydro One Remotes delivers power
In plain words: in the licensed footprint, approximately 21 First Nations and Metis communities in Ontario's Far North, mostly accessible only by air for much of the year. Twelve of those communities are entirely off-grid and depend on Hydro One Remotes' own diesel generating stations; the other communities are now grid-connected through transmission lines such as Wataynikaneyap Power, which has progressively been bringing IESO-grid electricity to remote First Nations since the early 2020s.
- •Off-grid diesel communities such as Deer Lake, Pikangikum, Sandy Lake, Bearskin Lake, Fort Severn and Marten Falls
- •Recently grid-connected communities served through the Wataynikaneyap Power transmission line
- •Residential, commercial, school, nursing-station and band-office loads inside each community
- •Cat Lake First Nation → Hydro One Networks (Cat Lake) under a separate interim licence
- •Sioux Lookout, Dryden, Red Lake and the rural Far North mainland → Hydro One Networks mainland licence
- •Thunder Bay → Synergy North
Not sure which one applies to your address? Check your most recent electricity bill: the distributor's name and OEB licence number are printed at the top of the first page.
How Hydro One Remotes' charges appear on your bill
An Ontario electricity bill is broken into a handful of distinct line items, all of which appear on the same Hydro One Remote Communities invoice. The bill structure is familiar to anyone who has lived in mainland Ontario, but the underlying cost of producing electricity is much higher because the power has to be made on site (or shipped in by transmission). The OEB's Rural or Remote Rate Protection (RRRP) charge smooths the resulting cost gap.
The per-kWh rate set by the OEB. Hydro One Remotes is on its own rate schedule, not the standard Regulated Price Plan. Residential customers see a rate broadly comparable to mainland Hydro One, even though the underlying generation is much more expensive.
The province-wide cross-subsidy that flattens the cost gap between dense urban distribution and isolated diesel grids. Not a line on YOUR bill: it appears on every other Ontario customer's bill instead, and funds Hydro One Remotes on a break-even basis.
The cost of moving electricity from the local diesel plant (or the Watay transmission line) through Hydro One Remotes' wires to your meter. Includes a fixed monthly service charge plus a per-kWh distribution rate set by the OEB.
Small line covering OEB programs and a few other system-wide charges. Set by the OEB and applied uniformly across Ontario LDCs.
A provincial credit that reduces the pre-tax subtotal by a percentage set by the government (currently around 13 %). Applied automatically to eligible residential, farm and small-business accounts.
The 13 % federal-provincial sales tax applied to the post-rebate subtotal. Appears at the bottom of the bill.
Hydro One Remotes files its rates with the OEB separately from Hydro One Networks. The most recent application (EB-2024-0180, 2025 rates) preserved the break-even, cost-recovery framework. Diesel fuel is the single largest direct operating cost, with prices fluctuating based on commodity price, the delivery method (winter road, barge, air) and volume economies of scale.
A practical implication: switching to a licensed retailer for the commodity portion is theoretically possible but practically rare in remote communities. The delivery, regulatory and HST lines remain Hydro One Remotes' regardless.
A two-block residential rate broadly comparable to mainland Ontario residential rates, even though true generation cost is much higher.
Special class for federally and provincially funded buildings (school, nursing station, band office). Pays closer to the true diesel cost.
Local stores, hotels and other commercial customers. Similar block structure with a higher demand charge in larger sites.
Contact details: one toll-free number, two purposes
Hydro One Remote Communities consolidates outage and customer-service contact through a single toll-free phone tree. The 24/7 emergency line handles outages and downed-wire calls in any of the 21 communities; customer-service hours (8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET) cover billing, moves, account changes and new connections.
Outages, downed wires, safety emergencies. For a downed live wire, call 911 first.
Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET (customer service)
680 Beaverhall Place
Thunder Bay, ON P7E 6G9
1-800-465-5085
Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET
Outage hub, regulatory filings and My Account at hydrooneremotes.ca
For non-urgent questions you can also use Hydro One Remotes' online tools: the outage hub or the https://www.hydrooneremotes.ca home page. In communities where phone or internet service is intermittent, the local band office often relays messages between residents and Thunder Bay.
Report a power outage
If your power is out, call 1-888-825-8707, Hydro One Remotes' 24/7 line. You can also report and track outages on the outage hub. Restoration depends on whether the fault is in the local wires (typically minutes to hours), at the diesel generating station (longer, especially if a generator needs to be returned to service) or on a transmission line such as Watay (potentially hours to days).
Call 1-888-825-8707 or use the outage hub. Have your address and account number ready.
Operators in Thunder Bay coordinate with the on-site crew and (where applicable) the Watay transmission control room to identify the fault.
Distribution faults: minutes to hours. Generation-station faults: longer, depending on which generator is affected and whether a backup unit is available.
Power is verified at the meter. Reset clocks, check freezer contents and report any damage right away via Hydro One Remotes' claims process.
Reliability in plain words
Hydro One Remotes reports generation availability of 99.99 % at its diesel stations, placing it in the top 25 % of comparable off-grid utilities across Canada. The OEB scorecard tracks the company every year, but Far North reliability numbers cannot be read like mainland LDC numbers: storm events, fuel-delivery disruption and the sheer remoteness of equipment all mean that individual community SAIDI figures can swing significantly from year to year.
Planned outages for diesel maintenance or fuel delivery are normally posted at least 48 hours in advance via the band office and on the Hydro One Remotes outage hub. If you depend on medical equipment, register with Hydro One Remotes so you receive priority notification.
New connection or service upgrade
For a new build, a service upgrade or any work that requires changes to the physical wires or meter in one of the 21 communities, you deal with Hydro One Remote Communities. Start at https://www.hydrooneremotes.ca or call 1-888-825-8707. In a fly-in community, lead times depend heavily on materials shipping (winter road, barge or air freight) and on coordination with the local diesel plant for any additional load.
The lot description and any band council approvals required for the build inside the reserve.
A sketch showing where you want the meter, service entrance, and run-back to the nearest pole or pad.
The amperage (100 A, 200 A…) and voltage you need, signed off by your Master Electrician.
An Electrical Safety Authority permit and ESA sign-off once the in-house wiring is done. Hydro One Remotes cannot energise until ESA clears it.
Most isolated communities rely on a winter road or barge shipping window; project timelines align with that calendar.
Fixed component + per-metre charge above the contribution threshold defined in the Conditions of Service.
Once the wires are in, your account opens automatically at Hydro One Remotes' applicable rate class (residential, Standard A or general service). Customer- or community-owned solar installations can be connected to the local grid through Hydro One Remotes' microFIT-style process; ask the customer-service line for the current paperwork.
Moving home, transferring or closing a service
In Hydro One Remotes territory, the move-in / move-out conversation starts with Hydro One Remote Communities directly. Because it is the default supplier, it closes the old billing account, sets up the new one and triggers the final meter read. Allow at least 1 to 2 business days of notice; more around the winter holiday season.
Call 1-888-825-8707 or email customer service. Give them the move date and your new address.
1 to 2 business days minimum; allow more around the holiday season. Same-day service is rare.
Hydro One Remotes records the final reading on the move-out date; in many communities this still requires an on-site visit by the local crew.
A closing bill covers the period up to the move-out date. The new address bill starts under a fresh account.
Administrative transfer only. No physical work, no service interruption. Your rate class carries over by default; ask the customer-service line if you want to change it at the new address.
Opening a fresh account is required at the new LDC. Common destinations from a Far North community include mainland Hydro One Networks territory and Thunder Bay (Synergy North).
Meters, meter reading and accuracy
Hydro One Remote Communities owns the meter at your address. The province-wide smart-meter rollout was rolled out unevenly in the Far North: many communities still rely on legacy electromechanical meters that require an on-site read by a local meter reader. Where smart meters have been installed, consumption reports back automatically and bills are issued from actual reads rather than estimates.
Newer connections and recent upgrades use smart meters with automatic reads. No action from you, no estimated bills.
Older accounts may have legacy meters with on-site reads by the local meter reader. Bills can include estimated charges between reads.
Hydro One Remotes pulls the meter and tests it on a calibrated bench against Measurement Canada's tolerance.
If the meter reads outside Measurement Canada's tolerance (typically ±2 %), the test is free and you get a billing adjustment back to the date the fault is presumed to have started. If the meter passes, the test fee is charged to you at the OEB-approved tariff rate.
What do you need to do with Hydro One Remote Communities?
Pick an action. The tool shows the right phone, the right link, and what to expect. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Note: under AUC Rule 002, Alberta distributors are not required to pay automatic compensation for outages. Damage claims are evaluated case-by-case on negligence.
Compensation and damage claims: the honest version
Ontario has no automatic, statutory compensation scheme for individual customers affected by a power outage. Unlike the UK's Ofgem Guaranteed Standards, the OEB's role is to require Hydro One Remotes to report its reliability performance every year. Penalties for under-performance flow from the regulator to the distributor; they do not arrive in your mailbox as a credit.
If your fridge or freezer contents spoiled, an appliance was damaged by a voltage surge, or you incurred a clear loss during an outage, you can file a damage claim with Hydro One Remote Communities. The claim is evaluated on negligence.
- +Equipment failure (transformer, pole, network switch)
- +Crew error during work on the local network
- +Switching incident causing voltage spike
- +Unplanned, distributor-caused service interruption
- ×Severe weather (lightning, wind, ice storms)
- ×Wildlife contact on lines
- ×Fuel-delivery disruption (delayed barge or flight)
- ×Planned outages notified in advance
Most home insurance policies cover food spoilage and surge damage at a low excess. If your loss is meaningful, the insurance route is usually faster than a denied utility claim. Keep dated receipts and photos either way; they are the only basis on which any claim can be evaluated.
Regulator and complaint escalation
If you can't resolve something directly with Hydro One Remotes, there's a clear escalation ladder in Ontario. The Ontario Energy Board sits at the top as both the economic regulator and the body that handles consumer complaints; the Electrical Safety Authority covers physical-safety issues.
Sets the Rural or Remote Rate Protection charge, approves Hydro One Remotes' distribution tariff, reviews scorecards and licence renewals. Also runs the OEB Consumer Protection Office for individual disputes.
Administers Ontario Regulation 22/04, audits Hydro One Remotes' distribution-asset safety practices and tracks the Serious Electrical Incident Index. Issues electrical permits for in-house wiring.
Most issues resolve here. Phone 1-888-825-8707 (Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET) or use the contact form on hydrooneremotes.ca.
If the front line can't fix it, request a written decision in writing. This creates the paper trail needed for the next step.
The OEB investigates complaints involving Ontario LDCs, retailers and unit sub-meter providers. The service is free.
Last resort. For tariff or licence-renewal issues you can intervene as a registered intervenor. For damage claims that are denied, civil court is the final route.