• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
EnergyRates.ca

EnergyRates.ca

Compare and Find the Lowest Energy Rates

Get a free quote call1-855-635-9608
  • Alberta
    • Regional Energy Services
      • City of Calgary
      • City of Edmonton
      • Fort McMurray
      • Grande Prairie
      • Medicine Hat
      • Red Deer
      • Crowsnest Pass
      • Cardston
      • Fort Macleod
      • Ponoka
      • Fort Saskatchewan
      • Cold Lake
    • Rates & Information
      • Alberta Carbon Tax and Rebates
      • Regulated Services
      • Regulated Rate Option (RRO)
      • Utilities Consumer Advocate and UCA Helps
      • Cutting Your Farm’s Energy Costs
      • Breaking Down Your Alberta Electricity and Natural Gas Bills
      • Obtaining Financial Assistance
      • Energy Disconnection and AUC Winter Reconnection Program
      • Electricity and Natural Gas Mediation
      • Electricity Services for Rental Properties
      • Who is my Energy Provider?
      • Micro-Generation in Alberta
      • Green Energy Credits
    • Electricity and Natural Gas Companies
      • AltaGas
      • ATCO Power
      • ATCOenergy
      • Direct Energy
      • ENMAX Energy
      • Hudson Energy
      • Just Energy
      • Link Energy
      • Superior Energy
      • TransAlta
      • Spot Power
      • UTILITYnet
      • ACE Energy
      • Sponsor Energy
      • Burst Energy
      • Echo Energy
      • Get Energy
      • Campus Energy
      • Solarmax Power
      • Ambit Energy
      • Adagio Energy
      • Camrose Energy
      • XOOM Energy
      • Vector Energy
      • Peace Power
      • Bow Valley Power
      • Fluent Utilities
      • Mountain View Power
      • Ridge Utilities
      • Sandstone Energy
      • Access Energy
    • Regulated Rate Providers – Natural Gas and Electricity
      • AltaGas Utilities
      • City of Lethbridge Electric Utility
      • Direct Energy Regulated Services
      • ENMAX Power Corporation
      • EPCOR Energy Alberta GP Inc
    • Small Commercial Fixed Rate Providers
      • EasyMax
      • Encor by EPCOR
    • Wire Service Providers
      • AltaGas Utilities
      • ATCO Gas
      • City of Lethbridge Electric Utility
      • ENMAX Power Corporation
      • EPCOR Distribution & Transmission Inc
      • FortisAlberta
    • Energy Efficiency Alberta Programs
      • Residential No-Charge Energy Savings Program
      • Business, Non-Profit, and Institutional Energy Savings Program
      • Residential Retail Products Program
      • Residential and Commercial Solar Program
  • BC
    • Regional Energy Services
      • Vancouver, BC Electricity Retailers and Natural Gas Providers
      • Surrey Electricity Providers and Natural Gas Services
      • Burnaby Electricity Providers and Natural Gas Services
      • Victoria, BC Electricity Retailers and Natural Gas Providers
    • Rates & Information
      • Breaking Down Your British Columbia Electricity & Natural Gas Bills
      • Explaining Your British Columbia Electricity & Natural Gas Rates
      • How to Read Your British Columbia Electricity & Natural Gas Meters
      • Why the British Columbia Energy Market is Regulated
      • How to Start, Transfer, or Change Your Electricity and Natural Gas Services in British Columbia
    • Residential Natural Gas Retailers
      • FortisBC & Tarasen Gas
      • Access Gas Services
      • Planet Energy British Columbia
      • Direct Energy British Columbia
      • Just Energy British Columbia
      • Summitt Energy British Columbia
    • Commercial Natural Gas Retailers
      • Access Gas Services
      • Bluestream Energy
      • AltaGas British Columbia
      • Direct Energy British Columbia
      • Just Energy British Columbia
      • Planet Energy British Columbia
      • Summitt Energy British Columbia
    • Regulated Energy Providers
      • BC Hydro
      • FortisBC & Tarasen Gas
    • Home Renovation and Appliance Rebates
  • Manitoba
    • Regional Energy Services
      • Winnipeg
      • Brandon
      • Steinbach
    • Rates & Information
      • Breaking Down Your Manitoba Electricity & Natural Gas Bills
      • Explaining Your Manitoba Electricity & Natural Gas Rates
      • How to Read Your Manitoba Electricity & Natural Gas Meters
      • How to Start, Transfer, or Change Your Electricity and Natural Gas Services in Manitoba
      • Why the Manitoba Electricity Market is Regulated
    • Residential Natural Gas Retailers
      • Just Energy
      • Planet Energy
    • Commercial Natural Gas Retailers
      • ECNG Energy
    • Regulated Energy Providers
      • Manitoba Hydro
    • Manitoba Energy Efficiency Programs
  • Ontario
    • Regional Energy Services
      • Ottawa
      • Mississauga
      • Toronto
      • Brampton
      • Hamilton
      • London
      • Markham
      • Kitchener
      • Windsor
      • Burlington
      • Sudbury
      • Oshawa
      • Barrie
      • Guelph
      • Oakville
    • Rates & Information
      • Why the Ontario Energy Market is Regulated
      • Explaining Your Ontario Electricity Rates
      • Explaining Your Ontario Natural Gas Rates
      • Breaking Down Your Ontario Electricity Bill
      • Breaking Down Your Ontario Natural Gas Bill
      • What is the Global Adjustment?
      • How to Set Up Your Utility Service When You Move in Ontario
      • Does Your Ontario Energy Provider Require a Security Deposit?
      • How to Renew Your Energy Contract
      • How to Start Natural Gas Service for the First Time
      • Canceling an Ontario Energy Contract
      • How to Read Your Ontario Gas Meter
      • Ontario Electricity Support Program (OESP)
      • Save On Energy
      • Green Energy in Ontario
    • Ontario Retail Electricity & Natural Gas Companies
      • Just Energy
      • MyRate Energy
      • Planet Energy
      • RiteRate Energy
      • Summitt Energy
    • Ontario Regulated Price Plan Providers
      • Hydro One
      • Enbridge Gas Distribution
      • Union Gas
  • Saskatchewan
    • Regional Energy Services
      • Saskatoon
      • Regina
      • Prince Albert
    • Rates & Information
      • Breaking Down Your Saskatchewan Electricity and Natural Gas Bill
      • Explaining Your Saskatchewan Electricity & Natural Gas Rates
      • How to Read Your Saskatchewan Electricity and Natural Gas Meters
      • How to Update Your Saskatchewan Energy Services
      • Why the Saskatchewan Electricity Market is Regulated
    • Residential Natural Gas Retailers
      • Future Now Energy
      • Just Energy
    • Commercial Natural Gas Retailers
      • Connect Energy
      • Hudson Energy
      • Peak Energy
    • Regulated Energy Providers
      • Saskatoon Light & Power
      • SaskEnergy
      • SaskPower
      • Swift Current Electricity Services
    • Commercial Energy Efficiency Programs
  • Québec
    • Regional Energy Services
      • Montréal
      • Québec City
      • Sherbrooke
      • Gatineau
      • Laval
      • Coaticook
      • Westmount
      • Lévis
      • Saguenay
      • Baie-Comeau
      • Longueuil
      • Trois-Rivières
      • Magog
      • Alma
      • Saint-Jean-Baptiste
      • Joliette
      • Amos
    • Rates & Information
      • Breaking Down Your Québec Electricity and Natural Gas Bills
      • Explaining Your Québec Electricity and Natural Gas Rates
      • How to Start, Transfer, or Change Your Electricity and Natural Gas Services in Québec
    • Residential Natural Gas Retailers
      • Just Energy
    • Commercial Natural Gas Retailers
      • Just Energy
      • Access Gas
      • Summit Energy
      • Hudson Energy
      • Active Energy
      • Direct Energy
      • Comsatec
    • Regulated Elecricity & Natural Gas Retailers
      • Énergir
      • Gazifère
      • Hydro-Québec 
    • Energy Efficiency Programs and Rebates in Québec
  • Plans/Products
    • Plans
      • Fixed Rate Plans
      • Floating Rate Plans
      • Variable Rate Plans
      • Regulated Rate Plans
      • Block Pricing Plans
      • Load Following Plans
    • Products
      • Residential Electricity and Natural Gas Plans
      • Small Business Electricity and Natural Gas Plans
      • Small Commercial Electricity and Natural Gas Plans
      • Large Commercial Electricity and Natural Gas Plans
      • Industrial Electricity and Natural Gas Plans
      • Farming Electricity and Natural Gas Plans
  • Tips
    • Electricity Rates – Tips for Keeping Your Energy Costs Low
    • Natural Gas Rates – Tips for Lowering Your Bills
    • Energy Rates Blog
    •  FAQ
    • Disclaimer
  • Product Reviews
  • Green Energy
    • Green Energy Rates & Renewable Energy Solutions
    • RECs, Carbon Offsets & Green Building Certification
  • EN
    • FR

Why the Manitoba Energy Market is Regulated

Looking for cheaper electricity or natural gas? Find a better rate with Canada’s top energy comparison site.

Find a cheaper rate

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, forward-thinking visionaries who dreamed of a modern Manitoba were faced with two serious problems. First, the province had a very small population. Canada as a whole had five million citizens by 1900, but even by the standards of the country as a whole, Manitoba’s population was sparse, numbering only a quarter million people.

This leads to the second significant problem. Aside from large settlements in Winnipeg and Brandon, the population was spread out. Even today, Manitoba has a population density of only 2.2 people per square kilometer, less than half that of Alberta, and little more than one-seventh the population density of Ontario.

With businesses unable to profitably provide energy to such a widespread population, the government of Manitoba turned to regulatory solutions.

Bringing electricity and natural gas to such a spread-out population posed serious difficulties which outstripped the financial means of even the largest private companies. Private enterprises were capable of supplying power to larger cities and towns, but what about the rest of Manitoba?

This is why, in 1916, the province founded the Manitoba Power Commission, tasking it with the responsibility of supply power to people outside the bounds of Winnipeg. Slowly, the MPC expanded the reach of the provincial electricity grid, even as the Manitoba Hydro Electric Board did the same. It wasn’t until the mid 1950s that the process of electrifying Manitoba was largely complete.

In subsequent years, the MPC was renamed Manitoba Hydro, and gradually absorbed the few remaining commercial companies and local utilities. Since 1961, Manitoba Hydro has been Manitoba’s sole supplier of electricity. In addition, it is the province’s regulated distributor and supplier of natural gas, though retail companies are also allowed to sell natural gas directly to residents and businesses.

As the regulated supplier of electricity and natural gas, Manitoba Hydro provides all electricity consumers in Manitoba with the electricity services they require at a rate that is regulated by the provincial government. They achieve this by focusing on the continued improvement of the infrastructure necessary to supply customers with electricity and natural gas. This infrastructure allows Manitoba Hydro to lower costs through innovative procurement and operation of energy production and transmission.

As the above should make clear, the reason for Manitoba’s regulated natural gas and electricity markets stems from the history of the province’s development.

But things are changing, as evidenced by the fact that there is now a retail market for natural gas. It is highly likely that in the future, regulations will continue to loosen, and consumers will gradually gain more options for procuring electricity and natural gas.

Natural gas deregulation in Manitoba

In Manitoba, only natural gas is deregulated – the electricity market is mostly controlled by Manitoba Hydro, though consumers residing in Manitoba can also opt to obtain their natural gas from Manitoba Hydro.

Historically, Manitoba had a sparse and spread out population, so electricity and natural gas were regulated in order to bring power to all parts of Manitoba. In 1985, the Canadian federal government began to work on the deregulation of energy markets in each province, which eventually lead to the deregulation of natural gas in Manitoba.

Deregulation of the natural gas market means that consumers in the province can purchase natural gas from a variety of retailers and thus have a better chance of finding a natural gas plan that will suit their specific needs.

At EnergyRates.ca, you can learn more about the history of the electricity and natural gas market in Manitoba, as well as other useful information such as what commercial and residential natural gas retailers are currently available in the province.

Primary Sidebar

  • Manitoba
    • Regional Energy Services
      • Winnipeg
      • Brandon
      • Steinbach
    • Rates & Information
      • Breaking Down Your Manitoba Electricity & Natural Gas Bills
      • Explaining Your Manitoba Electricity & Natural Gas Rates
      • How to Read Your Manitoba Electricity & Natural Gas Meters
      • How to Start, Transfer, or Change Your Electricity and Natural Gas Services in Manitoba
      • Why the Manitoba Energy Market is Regulated
      • Manitoba Energy Efficiency Programs
    • Residential Natural Gas Retailers
      • Just Energy
      • Planet Energy
    • Commercial Natural Gas Retailers
      • ECNG Energy
    • Regulated Energy Providers
      • Manitoba Hydro
Get a quick quote 1-855-635-9608

Footer

EnmaxEpcorJust EnergyEncorDirect EnergyRite Rate

EasyMaxEncorSpot PowerHudson EnergySummitt EnergyEncor

 

Alberta fair competition statement:

Customers are free to purchase natural gas services or electricity services from a retailer of their choice. For a list of retailers, visit www.ucahelps.gov.ab.ca or call 310-4822 (toll free in Alberta).

  • Scholarship Information
  • Press Room
  • About Us
  • Contact

Copyright © 2021 ENERGYRATES.CA