Toronto If the Ontario government wants to have an adequate, reliable, safe and affordable electricity supply, it must rebuild public power, representatives of CUPE told the legislative committee looking at Bill 100, the Electricity Restructuring Act.
CUPE Ontario Secretary-Treasurer Brian OKeefe and CUPE Local 1 President Bruno Silano called on the province to:
- close the market and re-regulate the sale of electricity in Ontario
- address supply issues first through investment in conservation and energy efficiency measures
- invest public funds in the creation of new generation, with the emphasis on local distribution companies and clean, renewable sources
- move forward rapidly on the development of a Canadian east-west grid. As the blackout of 2003 showed, east-west electricity cooperation is far preferable to north-south integration for greater reliability of power and accessibility.
