VIGIL: KEEP ONTARIO ENERGY SYSTEM PUBLIC – REBUILD IT 100 % RENEWABLE & ENERGY EFFICIENT
October 27, 2008
VIGIL: PICKET THE CZARS OF FOSSIL FUEL AND RADIOACTIVE NUCLEAR ENERGY TYRANNY IN ONTARIO
WEDNESDAY NOV 19, ‘08
12Noon – 1PM…- ALL WELCOME!
Metro Toronto Convention Centre
255 Front Street West
TORONTO, ONTARIO
ENERGY CZARS HOME PAGE 
Association of (Privatizing, Fossil Fuels and Radioactive Nuclear) Power Producers in Ontario – APPrO
20/20 Vision – Maximizing shareholders’ profits tomorrow by privatizing “Ontarians’ Hydro Birthright” today
The 20th Anniversary Canadian Power Conference and Networking Centre
George Smitherman, Ontario Minister for Energy and Infrastructure – a keynote speaker
November 18 and 19, 2008
Metro Toronto Convention Centre, South Building, Toronto, Ontario
http://conference.appro.org/conference2008/
ENERGY CZARS’ AGENDA
http://conference.appro.org/conference2008/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5&Itemid=11
Dwight Duncan, Finance Minister of Ontario, previously Energy Minister declared on August 9, 2004 that “‘all new generation will be private.’” According to Ontario Electricity Coalition’s Paul Kahnert, “Duncan’s declaration is significant because most of the public generating system has to be replaced over the next 20 years. That means creeping privatiztion as public generation is replaced by private.” [Kahnert, Paul. (September 27 2008) "Parties unplug debate on privatized power system" Opinion. Toronto Star] http://www.thestar.com/OntarioElection/article/260940
In late 2007, just a month after the McGuinty government issued a legally binding regulation to phase out coal-fired plants by 2014, Mr. Duncan said that … “demand has outstripped supply, so WE NEED COAL and nuclear in our system.” (capitalization added) [Macaluso, Grace. (September 21, 2007) "Grits accused of privatizing power supply." The Windsor Star] http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/news/story.html?id=cab25af6-8347-411f-ae96-1d61da582de8
“Demand has outstripped supply“ (Ibid: Dwight Duncan, 9/21/2007 Windsor Star) in our province where according to the “Independent Electricity System Operator, which manages electricity supply and demand in the province, … consumption fell 1.7per cent in 2006 … and dropped an additional 0.5 per cent in 2007,” and is predicted to slide another 1per cent in 2009. “So far, domestic demand for the first eight months of this year is down 2.2 per cent. ‘And that was before Wall Street imploded…’” According to the president of the Association of Major Power Consumers in Ontario, “…in the past two years alone we needed 700 megawatts less than initially predicted… ‘If we don’t need it, for God’s sake let’s not build it.’” (italics, bold added) [Hamilton, Tyler. (October 8, 2008) "Ontario urged to turn down electricity expansion." Toronto Star] http://www.thestar.com/article/513660
The need to produce more energy called “demand“ has increased not because Ontarians need more energy, but because Ontario energy customer base expanded into the United States. “…[E]lectricity exports to the U.S. are up 75 per cent this year compared with 2007.” [Ibid Toronto Star10/8/08]
“Canadian electricity exports hit record levels this summer and are expected to be strong heading into the winter…The National Energy Board said … that exports in July [2008] were particularly high… Between September 2007 and August 2008 net revenue from electricity exports totalled $2.4 billion, the highest 12-month amount since the California energy crisis in 2000.” [Hamilton, Tyler. (October 31, 2008). "Revenue spikes as hydro export at record level." Toronto Star] http://santaclausfund.ca/Business/article/527823
“With each new electricity contract the McGuinty government signs, we are losing more and more control over the electricity we produce, the air we breathe and the greenhouse gases we emit. … Unless we change direction, … [multinational corporations]… will soon control our electricity, air and climate… Soon we won’t know if we are producing enough electricity to keep us warm in the winter and cool in the summer because we won’t know how much of our electricity” will be exported to the U.S. “We need to know if we are spending the money to build power plants for Ontarians or” for exports to the U.S . “We need to know if Ontarians or trade panels will decide how we make our air breathable…” [Wilson, John. (July 10, 2007). "Deep integration: hitching Ontario's electricity wagon to the U.S. market." Power Matters 2007] Power Matters articles for January to September 2007
Enron … was one of the major players in the design of Ontario’s electricity market. Why do we have an electricity market that was designed by Enron still open? [Kahnert, Paul. Return power to the people, letter to editor Jan 18, '07 Toronto Star, “New mandate for hydro utilities”] Return power to the people
Aleck Dadson – “Chief Operating Officer joined Ontario Energy Board in December 2007″. In the past … “Aleck … led government affairs in Canada for Enron Corp. and was involved in the initial restructuring of Ontario’s electricity market.” [Ontario Energy Board website] http://www.oeb.gov.on.ca/OEB/About+the+OEB/Executive+Management+Team
... Enron, a huge corporation involved in energy trading and distribution … had thousands of offshore partnerships, and accounting mess and hid over $1 billion in debt. Enron’s subsequent bankruptcy was the largest collapse in corporate history. Top management walked off with hundreds of millions of dollars, thousands of employees lost their jobs, investors lost millions and customers were left with rolling blackouts.
Enron… represent(ed) one of the most powerful companies pushing for new global trade rules through the World Trade Organization (WTO), especially the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). The current GATS negotiations are all about expanding the rules to include virtually all services, ranging from health care and education to energy, water, financial, accounting and transportation services. ["Deregulation, privatization and the ontario power failure" – CUPE Research Branch September 2003] [PDF] Deregulation, Privatization and the Ontario Power Failure
“In the United States, the aftermath of the Enron fiasco saw 25 states abandoning deregulation.” Coalition fears Liberals, Tories plan to privatize electricity – Niagra Press (Posted By JOHN LAW)
“… deregulated electricity market proved to be a fraud all around the world. … The Ontario Electricity Coalition asks[s]: ‘How can private, deregulated electricity system be cheaper when you add in profits to generators, profits to distributors, profits to retailers, dividends to investors and commissions to commodities brokers?’ (italics added) … Electricity markets tripled rates in Alberta; in Montana they went up five times; in California 10 times, and here in Ontario the retail market had to be closed by Ernie Eves in just six months because of outrage over skyrocketing rates. … Tucked inside the 4,000-page ($60 billion) Integrated Power System Plan unveiled Aug. 30 2007 are proposals that will increase private electricity generation…” [Kahnert, Paul. (September 27 2008) "Parties unplug debate on privatized power system" Opinion. Toronto Star] http://www.thestar.com/OntarioElection/article/260940
“‘In 2003 election, Dalton McGuinty PROMISED public power and PROMISED to stop deregulation, and he’s done everything but…He’s privatized by stealth… We have public power in Quebec and Manitoba. Why don’t we in Ontario, especially since Dalton McGuinty PROMISED it?’” (capital letter added) [Macaluso, Grace. (September 21, 2007) "Grits accused of privatizing power supply." The Windsor Star] http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/news/story.html?id=cab25af6-8347-411f-ae96-1d61da582de8
“‘… Liberals are privatizing by stealth… They never use the word privatization … They talk about requests for proposals, they talk about competition, they talk about electricity market.’” Brown, E. Sarah. (October 1, 2007). “Public power preferred.” The Chronicle Journal – Thunder Bay, Ontario http://www.chroniclejournal.com/stories.php?id=67650
“Why are windmills and other forms of green generation not being built by publicly owned Ontario Power Generation?” Selling the public interest Re: “Hampton fears monopoly is blowing in the wind.” Toronto Star (March 3, 2008)
“[Competitive electricity market] Legislation also forbids publicly owned Ontario Power Generation Corp. from generating green power such as wind and solar, which means that private green power will end up helping to dismantle the public power system.” [Kahnert, Paul. (September 27 2008) "Parties unplug debate on privatized power system" Opinion. Toronto Star] http://www.thestar.com/OntarioElection/article/260940
Smart meters and peaker gas plants go together. “Smart meters [will] allow electricity providers to charge different rates at different times of the day [while] … private natural gas plants…will sell the power they produce when electricity is at its highest price…” Dunick, Lalth. (October 5, 2007). “Ontario Electricity Coalition calls for public power policy.” Thunder Bay Source Gov’t Static, Ontario Electricity Coalition Calls for public power policy
“The lower cost to public isn’t the only reason that electricity generation and distribution should remain publicly owned. Climate [chaos] is society’s No. 1 challenge. A publicly owned electricity system is a [must have tool for curbing] global warming.” (bold added) Kahnert, Paul. (March3. 2008) Selling the public interest Re: “Hampton fears monopoly is blowing in the wind.” Toronto Star
KEEP OUR ENERGY SYSTEM PUBLIC – REBUILD IT 100% RENEWABLE & ENERGY EFFICIENT
IN A PRIVATIZED ENERGY SYSTEM THERE IS NO PLACE FOR CONSERVATION, EFFICIENCIES OR RENEWABLES
MAXIMIZING THE PROFIT OF SHAREHOLDERS IS ABOUT SELLING OUT OUR FUTURE – THE BANK AND WALL STREET EXPERTS DID A GREAT JOB WITH THE FINANCIAL SYSTEM – LET’S NOT LET THE CORPORATE ENERGY CZARS FINISH THE JOB
SAY NO TO KING COAL, GAS AND NUCLEAR DISEMPOWERMENT
SAY YES TO 100% PUBLICLY OWNED RENEWABLE ENERGY SYSTEM
Related Article: Laxer, James (May 13, 2002). “Selling Ontarians’ hydro birthright is no way for new Premier to start.” Globe and Mail
The Great Struggle Continues…
VIGIL / INFO PICKET:
WEDNESDAY NOV 26, ‘08
11AM – 12Noon – ALL WELCOME
200 FRONT STREET WEST (SITHE GLOBAL OFFICE IN TORONTO)
TORONTO, ONTARIO
http://www.powerauthority.on.ca/gp/Page.asp?PageID=122&ContentID=724&SiteNodeID=197&BL_ExpandID=
Stop Sithe Global Proposed Privatized Multi-billion Dollar Gas – Coal Plants in Ontario and Sithe’s Desert Rock Coal-Fired plants opposed in Navajo -Hopi region, New Mexico and Toquop Sithe’s Coal-Fired Plant in Nevada opposed by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid etc.
- Sithe Global, owned by the world’s largest private equity corporation Blackstone Group, whose CEO Stephen Schwarzman was proclaimed the “King of Wall Street”
****100% Renewable Energy Now!
A continuation of Vigil/Info-pickets initiated on Earth Day 2007at Queen’s Park and Ontario Power Generation headquarters against Ontario coal-fired plants, gas plants and no nukes!
Continued at the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa, Canada September to August 31, 2008
Abolition King Coal, Fossil Fuels, Nuclear Power and Weapons!
