BARRIE, Ont. - An agreement to merge two electric utilities that provide power to some 310,000 southern Ontario homes and businesses has been completed.
The merger of Barrie Hydro Distribution Inc. and PowerStream Inc. creates the second-largest local electricity distribution company in Ontario.
The new entity, which will be called PowerStream, will serve customers in Simcoe County and York Region.
The merged company is jointly owned by the cities of Barrie and Vaughan and the Town of Markham.
It will be co-branded PowerStream Barrie Hydro Distribution in the former Barrie Hydro service area for roughly the first year.
Toronto Hydro is the province's largest local electricity distributor, with some 678,000 customers.
Hydro One is the largest electricity distribution company in Ontario, with some 1.3 million customers provincewide.
