Letter to the Editor
The Editor,
The September 22, 2016 issue of The Independent, on the Opinion Page, has an interview with MPP Walker.
I do not know who interviewed him, or if the part written up in the paper is the complete interview. Based on the information provided, Mr. Walker informs us about all the shortcomings and misdeeds of the ruling Liberals at Queen’s Park on the Ontario Hydro issue.
He is right in most of what he says, and could even go further in exposing the corruption involved. However, there is not a single comment on what he, and his Conservative Party, would do different IF elected in 2018. Tearing something down, necessitates building something new.
Permit me to introduce an historical perspective.
In the early 1900s, then Ontario Premier J. P. Whitney realized the importance of electric power for Ontario’s economy. He was a Conservative and appointed another Conservative, Adam Beck, then mayor of London, as the first chairman of the HEPC (Hydro Electric Power Commission), the forerunner of Ontario Hydro. Both the Premier and Adam Beck were firm believers in providing electricity to Ontarians at cost, through a PUBLIC UTILITY. In the years following 1906, when HEPC was created and the first Niagara power generator came on line, there was constant struggle to keep private operators out of the electricity game. But, HEPC remained a public utility under Chairman Beck. In 1913 King George V knighted Adam Beck for his efforts. He became Sir Adam Beck.
In the years since then, while remaining a public utility until recent times, politicians of all stripes tried and DID use the HEPC and later Ontario Hydro as a vehicle for political manipulations in trying to win elections with varying success. In 1993, when Ontario Hydro was still owned by the Ontario government, Hydro debt became an issue in the federal election. The Liberals won the election, and if you believe the hype, Prime Minister Martin saved Canada from bankruptcy by brutal cutbacks in his first budget in 1994.
It might be of interest to hear what the CEO of Moody’s Credit Rating Agency, a Mr. Vincent Truglia , had to say in 1994 about Hydro debt as a public company, quote: “The hydros are profitable entities which can service their debt from their own generation of revenue. These companies are not a drain on provincial budgets.” end quote.
The rumble you are hearing is NOT an earthquake. It is Sir Adam Beck turning in his grave at what present day politicians are doing to his Public Utility, Ontario Hydro.
Again, I ask Mr. Walker to be credible, to give us his, and/or his Party’s take on the Hydro issue and how they would change this mess for the better.
Sincerely,
Karl Braeker, Meaford
