[All] Fw: Stop Hydro 1 sale and restore common sense.

Wed Jun 10 06:06:57 EDT 2015

You know the sale of Hydro 1 concern? It's worse than I thought. Much much much worse.
Details below for your reference.  
Lulu 

    ----- Forwarded Message -----
  From: Louisette Lanteigne <butterflybluelu at rogers.com>
 To: Prime Minister/Premier Ministre <pm at pm.gc.ca>; Tom Mulcair <thomas.mulcair at parl.gc.ca>; Elizabeth May <elizabeth.may at parl.gc.ca>; "justin.trudeau at parl.gc.ca" <justin.trudeau at parl.gc.ca>; DionStéphane [NCR] <stephane.dion at parl.gc.ca>; "leona.aglukkaq at parl.gc.ca" <leona.aglukkaq at parl.gc.ca>; "premier at ontario.ca" <premier at ontario.ca>; Francis Scarpaleggia <francis.scarpaleggia at parl.gc.ca>; "linda.duncan at parl.gc.ca" <linda.duncan at parl.gc.ca>; Bob Chiarelli MPP (Constituency Office) <bchiarelli.mpp.co at liberal.ola.org>; MPP Catherine Fife (Kitchener-Waterloo) <catherinefife at on.ndp.ca>; Andrea Horwath <ahorwath-qp at ndp.on.ca>; MPP Peter Tabuns <tabunsp-qp at ndp.on.ca>; MP Peter Braid (Kitchener-Waterloo) <peter.braid at parl.gc.ca>; Gg Info <info at gg.ca> 
 Sent: Wednesday, June 10, 2015 6:04 AM
 Subject: Stop Hydro 1 sale and restore common sense.

Dear. Hon. Prime Ministers, Premier and Hon. Ministers.
For Generations Hydro 1 has raised billions in revenues for Ontario by selling and distributing clean hydroelectricity while sustaining jobs and supporting Ontario communities. 
Currently the Ontario Liberals intend to sell off 60% of Hydro 1, essentially privatizing the majority of the stocks but limiting purchase to 10% of shares.  The Liberals state they will retain a majority ownership of 40% but realistically, 40% is NOT a majority. Any grade 5 student can support that logic. 
Throughout the last election, the Liberals made no mention of this scheme. It was not published in their red book. It was not even relayed to Liberal candidates. I know because I met a man who worked on that campaign and I read the plan.
With a majority Government, the Provincial Liberals approved of Omnibus Bill C-91 which was not supported by Tories, Green or NDP.  In this bill in Schedule 3, the Auditor General's Act, it excludes Hydro 1 from being audited by the Ombudsman, the Auditor General, the Sunshine List and from Freedom of Information requests. 
This is an enormous National Security Risk and a waste of taxpayer dollars. The Canadian public are beyond jaded at the government's continual disregard for our intelligence.
It is unknown who intends to purchase Hydro 1 but it would not be a surprise if the sale were specifically designed to facilitate a source of guaranteed revenue for oil and pipeline companies or their shareholders. Recently CBC stated how it was difficult to invest in renewable energy without investing in big oil in Canada. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/difficult-to-invest-in-green-energy-in-canada-without-big-oil-1.3100233

So what happens when the titanic sinks? The end date for oil is known now. If oil invests in Hydro and oil sinks, will hydro sink with them? We're going to need hydro infrastructure well beyond 2100. Are we planning for that? I'd like to know that in writing please. 
Germany privatized their hydro power and lived to regret it to the point they bought it back 20 years later for 2.7 billion US after a plebiscite showed a majority voters wanted it back. The reason it failed was because grid operators lost the right to promote solar, wind and other renewable energy options because it was deemed "discriminatory" against other energy types. People got fed up and fought in thousands of German villages and cities and in places like Boulder Colorado US because they they wanted to take control back to better serve the will of citizens opposed to the will of distant stockbrokers. http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/Thousands-of-German-Cities-and-Villages-Looking-to-Buy-Back-Their-Power-Grihttp://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2013-09-23/hamburg-backs-eu2-billion-buyback-of-power-grids-in-plebiscite

If we privatized Hydro 1, this could end SaveONenergy programs, renovation and energy star rebates and a wide number of programs designed to educate and inform the public on energy savings and conservation.  It's the exact opposite of the goals and values traditionally held by the Liberals. So what happened?
If Hydro rates increase as a result of privatization, it bumps up the cost in our homes,  schools, transportation, municipal infrastructure and water distribution etc. What are the cumulative costs associated with the projected increases including the settlements with the existing workers. I want to see the numbers. Where can I find that? I would like to request that please. 
How will privatization impact the distribution costs for municipally owned energy suppliers like Toronto Hydro, Waterloo North Hydro, Thunder Bay Hydro among the many others across Ontario? If they take a hit, we taxpayers do too. Where is the fiscal analysis on the projected impacts for them? 
The swift timing of all this is alarming. It's like watching a farmer trying harvest a crop when the plant is half grown. What on earth is the rush?  
I don't see any demand for the public requesting that Hydro 1 be sold. For whom do you work? 
What happens to remote communities and First Nations should they be deemed to small to profit from. Will Hydro 1 simply cease to provide power because they don't generate enough revenues for shareholders?  What about people on dialysis?  We loose our moral compass when human lives become part of the costs of doing business.  At that point it's not just the lakes that are damned. 
What about the energy required for the proposed Energy East pipeline? Those costs were not included with the draft plans of TransCanada  as released to the public. Am I to assume Ontario Hydro will pick up the tab on such costs? Will the public ever have the right to even secure the paperwork to find out?
What kind of national security risks exist when we proposed to sell an Ontario/Canadian commodity and company to a multinational firm? Will they have access to billing systems, energy distribution data and private data of hydro customers? Has this proposal been reviewed by CSIS and/or FBI? These two agencies flagged acquisitions like this as a threat just prior to the sale of Nexen. http://business.financialpost.com/news/energy/csis-warning-on-china-security-threat-dogged-cnooc-nexen-debate-in-canada?__lsa=bc38-6fbe
http://www.cbc.ca/m/news/politics/prove-china-spy-allegations-or-shut-up-ambassador-says-1.1137003

Ontario lost billions selling off the 407. That is a pittance compared to what we stand to loose with this. Cumulative impacts over years means billions and billions lost in perpetuity and national security risks to boot. This makes absolutely no sense at all in my view.  None whatsoever. It is completely unreasonable. 
Keep Hydro 1. It's a made in Ontario clean energy solution and it works. Billing blips aside, the resource and services it provides are priceless and worth protecting for generations to come.
Thank you kindly for your time.
Louisette Lanteigne700 Star Flower Ave.Waterloo Ont.N2V 2L2

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