Common shares	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2015
Common shares.
Common shares	18. Common shares Stock Repurchase Program In December 2015, our Board of Directors approved an NCIB for each series of our convertible unsecured subordinated debentures, our common shares and for each series of the preferred shares of Atlantic Power Preferred Equity Ltd (“APPEL”), our wholly-owned subsidiary. The Board authorization permits the Company to repurchase stock through open market repurchases. The NCIB will expire on December 28, 2016 or such earlier date as the Company and/or APPEL complete their respective purchases pursuant to the NCIB. During the year ended December 31, 2015, we repurchased 47,300 common shares under the NCIB at a total cost of $0.1 million and through March 3, 2016, we repurchased a cumulative 575,553 common shares at a total cost of $1.0 million. Common Share Dividends We paid dividends of Cdn$0.03 per outstanding share to our common stockholders during the first, second, third and fourth quarters of 2015. On February 9, 2016, we announced the elimination of our common stock dividend, effective immediately. In conjunction with the elimination of the common stock dividend, our dividend reinvestment plan (the “Plan”) also was eliminated. We filed a post-effective amendment to our registration statement on Form S-3 (Registration No. 333-194204) to deregister all of the Company’s common shares that remain unissued under the Plan.

18. Common shares

Stock Repurchase Program

In December 2015, our Board of Directors approved an NCIB for each series of our convertible unsecured subordinated debentures, our common shares and for each series of the preferred shares of Atlantic Power Preferred Equity Ltd (“APPEL”), our wholly-owned subsidiary. The Board authorization permits the Company to repurchase stock through open market repurchases. The NCIB will expire on December 28, 2016 or such earlier date as the Company and/or APPEL complete their respective purchases pursuant to the NCIB. During the year ended December 31, 2015, we repurchased 47,300 common shares under the NCIB at a total cost of $0.1 million and through March 3, 2016, we repurchased a cumulative 575,553 common shares at a total cost of $1.0 million.

Common Share Dividends

We paid dividends of Cdn$0.03 per outstanding share to our common stockholders during the first, second, third and fourth quarters of 2015.

On February 9, 2016, we announced the elimination of our common stock dividend, effective immediately. In conjunction with the elimination of the common stock dividend, our dividend reinvestment plan (the “Plan”) also was eliminated. We filed a post-effective amendment to our registration statement on Form S-3 (Registration No. 333-194204) to deregister all of the Company’s common shares that remain unissued under the Plan.