{{short description, Former municipal commission in Brantford, Ontario, Canada
The Brantford Public Utilities Commission was the municipal
public utilities commission
A public utilities commission is a quasi-governmental body that provides oversight and/or regulation of public utility, public utilities in a particular area (locality, municipality, or Administrative division, subnational division), especially in ...
for
Brantford
Brantford ( 2021 population: 104,688) is a city in Ontario, Canada, founded on the Grand River in Southwestern Ontario. It is surrounded by Brant County but is politically separate with a municipal government of its own that is fully indep ...
,
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
, Canada. Once a powerful body in the city, it was dismantled in 1996 and eliminated entirely in 2001.
The commission oversaw hydro and water services, and after 1935 it also looked after the city's public transportation system. It was overseen for many years by a team of elected commissioners, who represented different wards in the city.
The
Brantford City Council
The Brantford City Council is the governing body of Brantford, Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territo ...
passed a by-law in 1996 that dismembered the commission. After heated discussions and a series of lawsuits, the city took over water and transit services directly and set up the Brantford Hydro-Electric Commission to oversee hydro services.
City council shut down the latter commission in 2001, two years after the provincial government of
Mike Harris
Michael Deane Harris (born January 23, 1945) is a retired Canadian politician who served as the 22nd premier of Ontario from 1995 to 2002 and leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario (PC Party) from 1990 to 2002. Taking the PC ...
changed the oversight of public utilities to encourage deregulation and privatization. Brantford originally planned to sell the service outright, but instead set up Brantford Power and related corporations to run it. City councillor Richard Carpenter criticized this decision, saying that it could result in private-sector control and higher rates without proper oversight.Michael-Allan Marion, "Former PUC dies quiet death," ''Brantford Expositor'', 28 March 2001, A3.