IESO is gaining ground in its “trust” ratings, ISO officials say.
The ISO’s 2024 stakeholder and community engagement survey saw “across the board improvement” over 2023, Marko Cirovic, director of sector engagement, told the Strategic Advisory Committee at its July 16 meeting.
“Every key metric in the survey improved versus the previous year,” Cirovic said. “Notably, 82% of stakeholders and communities said that our engagements met or exceeded expectations. This is a 6% increase from last year. This is not only the highest score in six years, but it is also the largest year-over-year gain since we started tracking this measure. And this really tells me one thing: Our efforts to listen, to learn and to collaborate are resonating across the sector.”
IESO solicited responses from individuals who participated in engagements and conferences such as the First Nations Energy Symposium, along with those who worked on initiatives such as procurements and system planning. Respondents included distribution and transmission companies, generators and storage facilities, large consumers, municipal officials and Indigenous communities.
IESO described the results in a memo and appendix but declined RTO Insider’s request to release the full survey results.
The only negative cited in the ISO’s presentation of survey results: “Confidence in the IESO slightly decreased this year, with about one-quarter (26%) of respondents indicating that they would speak highly of the organization in comparison to one-third (34%) in 2023.”
The ISO noted that the 2024 question was updated from six answer options to four.
10-Point Scale
Some questions, including those measuring the trust respondents have in the ISO’s ability to deliver on its three core strategies, used a 10-point rating scale, with 1 being very negative and 10 being most positive.
Asked “how much do you trust the IESO” to “drive and guide the sector,” 73% ranked the ISO between 6 and 10, up 10 percentage points from 2023.
The ISO also reported gains in trust for “ensuring system reliability while supporting cost-effectiveness,” with 78% giving “top 5” ratings, up from 70%, and 65% giving top 5 ratings for trust in the ISO’s ability to “drive business transformation,” up from 55% in 2023.
Shifting Priorities
Cirovic said the survey also indicated a shift in respondents’ priorities.
“In 2023, sustainability was top of mind. In 2024, the focus has moved to future planning [cited by 51% of respondents], to affordability [also cited by 51% of respondents] and to reliability [cited by 46%],” Cirovic said. “This signals a growing emphasis on long-term resilience and growth.”
Sustainability/clean energy ranked as the third most pressing issue in 2023, following planning/design for the future and cost/price/affordability, respectively.
Factors Influencing Trust
The ISO said the five factors with the greatest influence on respondents’ trust in the IESO are: (1) transparency/information sharing; (2) long-term planning; (3) a track record of performance delivering reliable, affordable, sustainable electricity; (4) knowledgeable staff; and (5) communication and listening.
“There was also a positive correlation between the number of interactions with the IESO and respondents’ trust in the organization,” Cirovic said.
Almost nine in 10 respondents (89%) engaged with the IESO over the past year: 39% had between five and 25 interactions; 36% engaged fewer than five times; and 14% more than 25 times.
What’s Next?
The 2025 engagement survey will open in August. Respondents can opt in at engagement@ieso.ca.
