Milton Hydro Honored with Provincial Industry Award for Operational Innovation
Milton Hydro has been recognized with the Electricity Distributors Association (EDA) Innovation Excellence Award for its forward-thinking approach to modernizing utility scheduling. The award was presented at the 2026 EDA Awards Gala in Toronto, highlighting the company's commitment to enhancing operational efficiency through digital transformation.
Transforming Scheduling Practices
The award celebrates Milton Hydro's digital initiative, which replaced outdated manual and disconnected scheduling methods with a centralized, automated platform. This innovative system is designed to streamline how work is planned, shared, and executed across the utility, fostering better coordination between departments and improving visibility into field operations.
Troy Hare, President and CEO of Milton Hydro, emphasized the project's core objective: "This initiative started with a simple goal: make it easier for our people to do their work well, so we can serve our customers even better. The Innovation Excellence Award recognizes the thoughtful effort our team put into building a solution that improves day-to-day operations while realizing cost-saving efficiencies and setting us up to adapt as our system and community continue to grow."
Key Features and Benefits
Implemented by Milton Hydro's operations team, the modernized platform automates routine scheduling and centralizes communication, effectively eliminating information silos. Departments now benefit from real-time insights into priorities, timelines, and resource requirements, while senior leadership gains clearer operational visibility for data-informed decision-making.
The scheduling modernization includes several key features:
- A centralized, automated scheduling platform that replaces manual and disconnected processes
- Real-time visibility into work priorities, timelines, and resource requirements across departments
- Workflow automation that reduces administrative effort and improves overall efficiency
- Enhanced coordination of crews, vehicles, and specialized equipment
- Improved tracking to support proactive equipment maintenance and reduce downtime
- A scalable design that has expanded beyond operations to support engineering, stores, and administrative functions
Impact on Efficiency and Collaboration
The impact of this initiative extends beyond mere efficiency gains. Improved access to schedules and advanced planning tools enables more efficient deployment of staff, vehicles, and specialized equipment. Enhanced tracking also supports proactive maintenance scheduling, helping to reduce downtime and extend the lifespan of critical assets.
In addition to efficiency and cost benefits, the project has driven stronger interdepartmental collaboration, creating a more unified support structure around Milton Hydro's frontline workforce. Designed with flexibility in mind, the platform has expanded beyond core scheduling functions to accommodate additional departments and evolving business needs.
Sharing Insights and Future Outlook
Milton Hydro recently shared insights from the project at the 2026 EDIST Conference, where team members Adam Charlebois and Dave Belluz presented the organization's approach to practical, operations-driven digital change and its measurable results. This recognition underscores Milton Hydro's ongoing focus on operational excellence, resilient systems, and reliable service for the Milton community.
As a local distribution company serving over 45,000 business and residential customers in the Town of Milton and surrounding areas, Milton Hydro continues to prioritize safe, reliable, and affordable electricity service. The company's efforts in enabling the 'electrification of everything' aim to keep customers powered for generations to come.
