George Vegh is the head of McCarthy Tétrault's Toronto energy regulation practice, where he provides advocacy and advisory services to private and public sector clients.
Prior to joining McCarthy Tétrault, George was General Counsel of the Ontario Energy Board.
George is a leader in the energy sector, having served as Chair of the Ontario Energy Association and the IESO Market Forum. He also led a number of industry initiatives, including Task Forces on Distribution Rate Regulation, Infrastructure Renewal, Distributed Generation, and Transmission Connection for Renewable Generation.
George is an Adjunct Professor of Energy Law at the University of Toronto Law School and at Osgoode Hall Law School, where he is also the Program Director for the Masters Program in Energy and Infrastructure Law. He also serves on the Advisory Council for the Extractive Sector Management Program, Ted Rogers School of Management, Ryerson University.
George's distinctions include:
· One of the Best Lawyers in Canada - National Post
· Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada - American Lawyer
· Frequently Recommended (Highest Ranking) - Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory
· A leading lawyer in the area of energy regulation - Chambers Global: The World's Leading Lawyers for Business. Selected Appearances and Publications
· Reconnecting Supply and Demand: How Improving Electricity Pricing Can Help Integrate a Changing Supply Mix, Increase Efficiency, and Empower Customers: Report of the Chair of the Electricity Market Forum, December 2011
· The Rate Payer Versus the Tax Payer Versus the Investor, Ontario Energy Association, December, 2011
· The Current State of Conservation, Connections Energy Symposium, December, 2011
· Chair, Industry Leaders' Panel, Association of Major Power Consumers, November, 2011
· Canadian Urban Leadership Seminar on Energy Infrastructure, March 25, 2011
· Advanced Roundtable on Environmental Law: Approvals under the Green Energy and Green Economy Act, October 17, 2010
· "Relationship Building for Tomorrow: Understanding Consumer Preferences in Energy Efficiency", Toronto Board of Trade, September 22, 2010
· "A Blueprint for Energy Policy in Ontario: Institutions and Governance", Ontario Energy Association, Annual Meeting, September 21, 2010
· "Transmission Expansion and Siting", Canadian Association of Members of Public Utility Tribunals Energy Regulation Course, July, 2010
· Faculty Chair, "Understanding the Green Energy and Green Economy Act & Regulations: The Legal Platform for New Rules Impacting Green Power Developers" Osgoode Hall Law School Professional Development, April 7-8, 2010
· "How Energy Institutions Set the Price for Electricity," in Doug Reeve, Donald Dewees & Bryan Karney, Current Affairs - Perspectives on Electricity Policy for Ontario (University of Toronto Press, 2010), 142
· New Approaches to Energy Regulation, Association of Power Producers of Ontario Annual Conference, November 18, 2009
· Faculty Chair, The Green Energy Act: Legal and Practical Implications, Osgoode Hall School Professional Development Course, June 15, 2009
· The Green Energy Act and the OEB: Four Challenges. CD Howe Institute "Energy Pricing and Regulation" Conference, March 3, 2009
· The Green Energy and Economy Act: Green Energy Unbounded, University of Toronto Law Faculty Blog, February 25, 2009
· Where is Public Utility Regulation Going?" IPPSO FACTO, January, 2009 (Reprinted In Daily Law Times, February, 2009)
· "Connectivity and Cyber Security in the Smart Grid," Smart Energy Conference, February 25, 2009
· Case Comment: "Advocacy Centre for Tenants - Ontario v. Ontario Energy Board: Public Utility Rate-Rate-Making: Economic Regulation or Taxation? " (2008), 87 Canadian Bar Review, 549
· "The Past, Present and Future of Electricity Regulation in Ontario" Association of Power Producers of Ontario Annual Conference, November 18, 2008
· "Role of Counsel in Regulatory Proceedings: An Experiment," Society of Ontario Adjudicators and Regulators, November 6, 2008
· "Expansion of Transmission and Distribution Networks," Queens and Waterloo Universities' Distributed Generation Program, October 27, 2008
· "Transmission Expansion and Siting Issues," Canadian Association of Members of Public Utility Tribunals Energy Regulation Course, July 4, 2008
· "The Role of Electricity Price Signals in Regulating Carbon," University of Toronto School of Public Policy & Governance, Current Affairs - Perspectives on Electricity Policy for Ontario Workshop, June 5, 2008
· "Cost Allocation for Industrial Customers," Association of Major Power Consumers in Ontario, May 1, 2008
· "Funding Enabler Transmission Lines" American Wind Energy Association/Canadian Wind Energy Association Transmission Workshop (Detroit), March 18, 2008
· "Industry Panel on OPA Procurement," OPA Procurement Conference, March 6, 2008
· "Smart Metering Integration," Metering Canada Smart Metering Conference, February 27, 2008.
· "A Watch Dog's Limits" Editorial, Globe & Mail, January 30, 2008
· "Commentary on Agency Review Panel Report," Northwinds Energy Conference, January, 2008
· "Is there a Doctrine of Canadian Public Utility Law?" (2007), 86 Can. Bar Rev. 319
· "The Ontario Electricity Regulation Experiment," Ontario Bar Association, December 4, 2007
· "How the Supply Mix Directive Changes Everything," Association of Power Producers of Ontario Annual Conference, November 16, 2007
· "Current Issues in the Ontario Energy Sector," (Calgary) Energy Contracting Conference, October, 2007
· "Is the Ontario Energy Sector Over-Regulated?" Ontario Energy Association, Annual Meeting, September, 2007
· "Canadian Doctrine of Public Utility Law" Canadian Energy Law Forum, May, 2007
· "Theory and Practice of Energy Regulation in Ontario" Queen's University School of Policy Studies, May, 2007
· "State of the Ontario Energy Sector," Insight Energy Contracting Conference (Co-Chair), March, 2007
· "Regulatory Treatment of Distributor Consolidation," EDA Annual Conference, March, 2007
· "Streamlining of Infrastructure Approval," Platts' Energy Forum, February, 2007
· "Regulatory Treatment of Smart Metering," Metering Canada Smart Meter Conference, February, 2007
· "Transmission Infrastructure Challenges" and "Natural Gas and Electricity Integration", Association of Power Producers of Ontario Annual Conference, November, 2006
· "Regulation on the Ontario Energy Sector," Queen's University, Graduate Program in Public Policy, July, 2006
· "Regulatory Innovation: Lessons Learned," CAMPUT Regulation Course, July, 2006
· "The Role of Regulation in Facilitating Infrastructure," Industry Leaders' Roundtable, Ontario Energy Networks, April, 2006
· "Inter-jurisdictional Supply Options," Platts' Energy Forum, March, 2006
· "Regulation of Public Energy Agencies" Northwinds Electricity Invitational Forum, February, 2006
· "Peer to Peer Thought Leadership Roundtable: The Energy Industry", October, 2005
· "Advocacy before Policy Tribunals," National Forum on New Directions in Administrative Law & Practice", September 5, 2005
· "Practice and Procedure Innovation at the Ontario Energy Board," Queen's University, Graduate Program in Public Policy, July, 2005
· "Rules, Policies and Guidelines: New Approaches at the Ontario Energy Board," CAMPUT Regulation Course, July, 2005
· "Identifying the Boundaries of Monopoly and Competitive Activities in the Energy Sector," Conference Board of Canada session on Best Practices in Electricity Market Design, January 28, 2003
· "Integrated Regulatory Treatment of Interprovincial and International Energy Issues," 2000 Canadian Association of Members of Public Utilities Tribunals
· "Electricity Competition in Ontario" (1998), 16 Journal of Energy & Natural Resources Law 114
· "Cost Awards at the OEB: Access to Justice in Administrative Law," Osgoode Hall Law School Graduate Programme, February 25, 2006
· "Maintaining the Hybrid Market," GasFair PowerFair Conference, May, 2005
· "Energy Law Update," Canadian Association of Corporate Counsel, April, 2005
· "Ontario Energy Restructuring," American Bar Association, April, 2005
· "Regulatory Policy Making," Presentation to Osgoode Hall Law School Graduate Programme, April 5, 2005
· "Regulatory Innovations at the OEB" Enercom Conference and Exposition, March, 2005
· "Regulatory Issues for the Hybrid Market OEB," Ontario Energy Contracts Conference, January, 2005
· "The Role of the OEB in the Ontario Energy Market," APPrO Annual Conference, November, 2004
· "New Regulatory Approaches at the OEB," EDA Annual Meeting, October, 2004
· "The Heart of Ontario's Power Woes," Editorial, National Post, January 7, 2004
· "Time For A New Supply Scenario: Ontario Liberals Have Models to Choose From in Limiting OPG," Editorial, National Post, December 6, 2003
· "What is the State of the Market?" Industry Leaders' Panel; and "Distributed Generation: Is a Break Through Imminent?" Annual IPPSO Conference, November 26, 2003
· "Five Key Energy Policy Decisions," Editorial, National Post, October 20, 2003
· "Regulatory Barriers to Distributed Generation," Annual Meeting of Ontario Energy Association, September 25, 2003
· "Keep These Facts in Mind About the Blackout," Editorial, National Post, August 25, 2003
· "The Changing Role of Market Power Mitigation Agreement Rebates," IPPSO FACTO, June 2003
· "Break Up the Ontario Generation Monopoly," Editorial, National Post, December 3, 2002
· "Why the Price of Power in Ontario is not too High," November 15, 2002 Editorial, Globe & Mail
· "Limits to Contracting Around Electricity Risk Management," 2002 Annual IPPSO Conference
· "Assessing the Impact of Enron on the Energy Market," 2002 Canadian Institute Seminar on Credit Risk in the Energy Sector
· "Transmission Governance: Ensuring a Level Playing Field," Presentation to 2001 Infocast Conference on Canadian Transmission Restructuring
· "Navigating your way through Legislation, Codes and Licences to the Retail Energy Customer," 2001 Institute for International Research Conference on Competitive Business and Marketing Strategies for Utilities
· "The Characterization of Barriers to Interprovincial Trade under the Canadian Constitution," (1996), 34 Osgoode Hall Law School 355
· Student Companion to Administrative Law (Toronto: Butterworths, 1996).