Coming Out with Power: Meet Q-TILITIES


Every great movement starts with a spark. For Q-TILITIES, Alberta’s first independent queer-owned energy service provider, that spark came from a simple but radical question: what if paying your utility bill could feel good? Not just “good” because the lights stayed on, but good because your bill fuels 2SLGBTQIA+ initiatives, supports queer-led programs, advances human rights, and makes pride a year-round commitment, not a seasonal stunt.

That idea became Q-TILITIES: energy, powered with pride.

Why We Exist

The world doesn’t need another bland energy retailer. Alberta already has plenty. What it does need is an energy option that’s bold enough to say profit isn’t the endgame. Q-TILITIES is built on the belief that energy can do more. When you switch to us, you get competitive rates and reliable service, backed by UTILITYnet’s 40+ years of infrastructure expertise. But unlike the big guys, we reinvest our surplus revenue into Alberta’s queer and trans communities.

Instead of your dollars disappearing into executive bonuses, corporate head offices, or the USA, they’re redirected back into the local 2SLGBTQIA+ programs and non-profits that need them most. It’s energy that feels good because it does good.

Or as Chris, our founder, likes to put it: “This is more than a business. It’s a movement.”

A Founder’s Story

Chris Cann, the founder of Q-TILITIES, has spent two decades in financial services, utilities, and social work. That background gave him a front-row seat to how funding instability can break vital community programs. Once services disappear, they’re painfully hard to rebuild.

As a proud member of the queer community, Chris saw both the need and the opportunity. He knew Alberta’s deregulated energy market left room for innovation, and he wanted to create a company where every customer choice could become an act of empowerment.

Q-TILITIES blends technical know-how with lived experience, offering something no one else in Alberta has: a queer-owned, values-first energy retailer that puts people before profit. It’s meant to be human, joyful, and unapologetically proud.

What Makes Us Different

We know you’ve heard plenty of marketing promises before. So, here’s the real talk on what sets Q-TILITIES apart:
  •  We’re a social enterprise. Surplus profits don’t line shareholder pockets; they go back into Alberta’s 2SLGBTQIA+ organizations, charities, and non-profits.
  • We’re queer-owned and community-driven. That lived experience matters. It shapes everything from our partnerships to the way we show up year-round, not just in June.
  • We’re anti–rainbow washing. Pride isn’t a seasonal campaign for us or an excuse to virtue signal. It’s a 365-day commitment to visibility, inclusion, and support.
  • We’re competitive and reliable. Backed by UTILITYnet, we deliver the same dependable service as the big retailers, without the gimmicks or hidden fees.
  • We’re fun. Energy might be serious business, but that doesn’t mean we have to sound like a boardroom memo. We’re building a brand that reflects the vibrancy of the community it serves.
Why Now

Alberta’s queer and trans communities are facing real challenges. Support for diversity and inclusion is shrinking. Anti-queer and anti-trans rhetoric is rising. At the same time, support for 2SLGBTQIA+ programs and initiatives is dwindling, leaving too many vital services at risk. And Albertans are increasingly tired of performative gestures. Rainbow logos in June don’t pay the bills for grassroots organizations in July.

Q-TILITIES exists to fill that gap with something tangible. Every switch adds dollars to the Q-MMUNITY Fund, which then flows into local organizations doing the real work on the ground. It’s practical, sustainable, and long overdue.

Your Bill, Your Impact

Here’s the best part: switching doesn’t cost you extra. The energy that flows into your home is the same. The only change is who sends you the bill and what that money accomplishes once it leaves your bank account.

Instead of vanishing into a corporate balance sheet, your dollars help invest in community services. Youth programs. Mental health supports. Safe spaces. Pride events across the province. The kinds of things that keep communities strong and connected.

Think of it like this: your power bill becomes a quiet act of activism. You needed to pay it anyway. Now it powers your home and your people.

Join Us

Q-TILITIES is coming out! We’re proud, we’re ready, and we believe this province is prepared too. Together, we can prove that an energy company can be more than wires, gas, and billing cycles. It can be a force for good.

If you’ve ever wanted to support Alberta’s queer and trans communities in a real, lasting way, this is your invitation to do so. Switching is easy and there’s no disruption to your service or any extra cost. Visit qtilities.ca to learn more and make the switch today. 

Let’s light up Alberta together.









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