Westario Power about to be sold to ERTH Power Corporation

Huron-Bruce utility company Westario is being sold to ERTH Power Corporation.

Westario Power could be sold by the end of the year.

The Board of Directors for the Midwestern Ontario power utility company is recommending Westario Power be sold to ERTH Power Corporation.

“We had the opportunity to take our time and carefully consider many options, and with the support of a steering committee and expert working groups to hear from many interested buyers before determining that a sale to ERTH would be the right choice for our staff, customers and shareholders,” said Westario Board Chair, Luke Charbonneau.

Westario, based in Walkerton, manages electricity distribution to several communities in Midwestern Ontario, including Port Elgin, Kincardine, and Wingham. ERTH Power Corporation is based in Southern Ontario, managing electricity for communities in Ingersoll, Mitchell and Goderich, amongst others.

“We did not make this decision lightly,” said Walter Malcolm, Westario’s President and CEO.

“We had some non-negotiables in terms of a sale. We had to be sure that customer rates would be kept at existing levels and that our high level of service would be maintained. One thing was critical, we needed to protect the jobs of our highly-skilled Westario staff,” he continued.

The sale is expected to be approved by Westario shareholders in the next few weeks, but would still require approval from the Ontario Energy Board.