An electric vehicle charger is seen in Ottawa on June 27, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
The federal government is looking to increase the number of electric vehicle chargers across the country as part of its new automotive strategy, but is still well short of the number it was advised is necessary to support the transition to battery-powered cars.
Energy Minister Tim Hodson on Tuesday said Ottawa is planning to spend more than $84 million to add 8,000 electric vehicle charging ports to Canada’s existing stock of more than 30,000 chargers.
The announcement did not cite a timeline for getting the charging ports in place.
In a 2021 analysis commissioned by Natural Resources Canada, Montreal-based consultancy Dunsky Energy and Climate estimated Canada would need 52,000 chargers by the end of 2025.
Natural Resources Canada data show there are more than 38,000 public chargers now, in almost 14,500 different locations across the country.
The rollout of EV charging ports slowed last year, when only 6,170 ports were built — down from more than 7,000 in both 2024 and 2023.
- 0113 Miller Epic Cinematic Hollywood trailer0113 Miller Epic Cinematic Hollywood trailer
- 0112 SASPO-2896_Right of Way_Awareness_20250112 SASPO-2896_Right of Way_Awareness_2025
- 0111 2026 SK Oil Show booth promo 010111 2026 SK Oil Show booth promo 01
- 0085 Turnbull snow removal call office0085 Turnbull snow removal call office
- 0110 SaskEnergy SEI_Network_Members_Burn_Brighter0110 SaskEnergy SEI_Network_Members_Burn_Brighter
- 0105 SaskEnergy Commitment to Safety0105 SaskEnergy Commitment to Safety
- 0102 Lori Carr Coal Extended0102 Lori Carr Coal Extended
- 0100 Turnbull Project Manager0100 Turnbull Project Manager
- 0099 Mryglod Steel 1080p0099 Mryglod Steel 1080p
- 0097 Eagle Sky Ventures LTD0097 Eagle Sky Ventures LTD
- 0095 Fast Trucking nearly 70 years good at it0095 Fast Trucking nearly 70 years good at it
- 0092 Turnbull projects big and small0092 Turnbull projects big and small
- 0046 City of Estevan This is Estevan Teaser0046 City of Estevan This is Estevan Teaser
- 0077 Caprice Resources Stand Up For Free Speech0077 Caprice Resources Stand Up For Free Speech
- 0061 SIMSA 2024 For Sask Buy Sask0061 SIMSA 2024 For Sask Buy Sask
- 0051 JML Hiring Pumpjack assembly0051 JML Hiring Pumpjack assembly
- 0049 Scotsburn Dental soft guitar0049 Scotsburn Dental soft guitar
- 0041 DEEP Since 2018 now we are going to build0041 DEEP Since 2018 now we are going to build
- 0032 IWS Summer hiring rock trailer music
- 0022 Grimes winter hiring
- 0021 OSY Rentals S8 Promo
- 0018 IWS Hiring Royal Summer
- 0013 Panther Drilling PO ad 03 top drive rigs
- 0002 gilliss casing services0002 gilliss casing services
- 9002 Pipeline Online 30 sec EBEX9002 Pipeline Online 30 sec EBEX
- 9001
Most of Canada’s charging infrastructure is concentrated in Ontario and Quebec, which together account for 67 per cent of all charging ports across the country.
B.C. has another 20 per cent share, while Alberta is home to 5 per cent of all charging ports.
Prime Minister Mark Carney said last week Ottawa would spend $1.5 billion on EV infrastructure as part of a suite of changes to the federal auto strategy.
That announcement included the return of an EV rebate program offering Canadians up to $5,000 toward the cost of an eligible fully electric vehicle and $2,500 toward plug-in hybrids, with diminishing rebates every year until 2030.
Carney also announced the end of the EV sales mandate in favour of stricter emissions standards for the auto sector.
The federal government is committing $5.7 million to help companies transition their fleets to more fuel efficient options and $7.2 million to help educate Canadians about electric vehicles and clean fuels.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 10, 2026.
- 0113 Miller Epic Cinematic Hollywood trailer0113 Miller Epic Cinematic Hollywood trailer
- 0112 SASPO-2896_Right of Way_Awareness_20250112 SASPO-2896_Right of Way_Awareness_2025
- 0111 2026 SK Oil Show booth promo 010111 2026 SK Oil Show booth promo 01
- 0085 Turnbull snow removal call office0085 Turnbull snow removal call office
- 0110 SaskEnergy SEI_Network_Members_Burn_Brighter0110 SaskEnergy SEI_Network_Members_Burn_Brighter
- 0105 SaskEnergy Commitment to Safety0105 SaskEnergy Commitment to Safety
- 0102 Lori Carr Coal Extended0102 Lori Carr Coal Extended
- 0100 Turnbull Project Manager0100 Turnbull Project Manager
- 0099 Mryglod Steel 1080p0099 Mryglod Steel 1080p
- 0097 Eagle Sky Ventures LTD0097 Eagle Sky Ventures LTD
- 0095 Fast Trucking nearly 70 years good at it0095 Fast Trucking nearly 70 years good at it
- 0092 Turnbull projects big and small0092 Turnbull projects big and small
- 0046 City of Estevan This is Estevan Teaser0046 City of Estevan This is Estevan Teaser
- 0077 Caprice Resources Stand Up For Free Speech0077 Caprice Resources Stand Up For Free Speech
- 0061 SIMSA 2024 For Sask Buy Sask0061 SIMSA 2024 For Sask Buy Sask
- 0051 JML Hiring Pumpjack assembly0051 JML Hiring Pumpjack assembly
- 0049 Scotsburn Dental soft guitar0049 Scotsburn Dental soft guitar
- 0041 DEEP Since 2018 now we are going to build0041 DEEP Since 2018 now we are going to build
- 0032 IWS Summer hiring rock trailer music
- 0022 Grimes winter hiring
- 0021 OSY Rentals S8 Promo
- 0018 IWS Hiring Royal Summer
- 0013 Panther Drilling PO ad 03 top drive rigs
- 0002 gilliss casing services0002 gilliss casing services
- 9002 Pipeline Online 30 sec EBEX9002 Pipeline Online 30 sec EBEX
- 9001