[KWPeace-groups] Meeting Nov 24 on Hydro One privatization

Sat Nov 19 18:20:57 EST 2016

I just read this ... I will be there ... thanks for letting me know ... 
have you shared with Yvonne and Frank?

Gehan

On 19/11/2016 5:08 PM, Sharon Sommerville wrote:
> Hi Eleanor,
>
> Thanks for the heads up on the meeting.  I have noted the early start 
> and plan to be there.
>
> Your presentation was excellent, btw.
>
> Sharon
>
> On Sat, Nov 19, 2016 at 4:02 PM, Eleanor Grant <eleanor7000 at gmail.com 
> <mailto:eleanor7000 at gmail.com>> wrote:
>
>     Catherine Fife MPP is hosting another Community Meeting on Thurs
>     Nov 24 to Keep Hydro Public.
>     Waterloo Rec Complex at 6 pm - note the early hour - 6 pm.
>
>     Here is the tweet she sent
>
>     Catherine Fife (@CFifeKW) tweeted:
>
>     #KeepHydroPublic Community Meeting in #kwawesome next Thurs, Nov
>     24 at the Waterloo Rec Centrehttps://t.co/ndc52kuze0
>     <https://t.co/ndc52kuze0> #onpoli #Hydro #onlab
>     (https://twitter.com/CFifeKW/status/799352665989935104?s=03
>     <https://twitter.com/CFifeKW/status/799352665989935104?s=03>)
>
>     Please tell your networks!
>
>     Below is a speech I gave to Kitchener city council in 2015, asking
>     them to pass a resolution against privatizing Hydro One as apx 200
>     municipalities have done.  They refused to discuss it at the time;
>     I would like to see others bring it before them again.
>
>     Eleanor Grant
>
>     ---------- Forwarded message ----------
>     From: "Eleanor Grant" <eleanor7000 at gmail.com
>     <mailto:eleanor7000 at gmail.com>>
>     Date: 2 Jul 2015
>
>         > This is the 5-minute presentation I made to Kitchener city
>         council on the subject of the privatization of Hydro One, on
>
>     > 2015 June 29.
>     >
>     > -----------------------
>     >
>     > Mayor Vrbanovic, Councillors & Staff, fellow citizens -
>     >
>     > We've all seen the inspiring pictures of the night when Berlin
>     was electrified in 1910.  The banners over King St proclaimed
>     POWER FOR THE PEOPLE.
>     >
>     > Adam Beck - a staunch Conservative by the way - fought for
>     hydroelectric power to be a public asset - Why?  Because he wanted
>     businesses across Ontario to have equal access to affordable
>     power.  Later he worked hard to get homes and farms electrified as
>     well.  Since the days of Sir Adam Beck, we've all come to see
>     Ontario Hydro and its successors as a sacred trust and a source of
>     pride.
>     >
>     > If we were to lose public ownership and control over Hydro One,
>     the potential impact on Ontario's cities and our local
>     distribution companies could be enormous.
>     >
>     > You may have seen our MPP Daiene Vernile's column in the
>     Kitchener Citizen, which outlines the government's position for
>     privatization.  She states that by retaining a 40% share, Ontario
>     could somehow prevent the outcomes we all fear: skyrocketing
>     rates, shares becoming resold and consolidated in foreign hands,
>     and loss of all regulatory influence.  Ms Vernile's arguments
>     don't add up, to my mind anyway.
>     >
>     > Let's look at the possible impacts on Kitchener-Wilmot Hydro. 
>     What if KWH had to start paying a lot more for transmitted power? 
>     If our Hydro bills soared, would we have any recourse?  Suppose
>     that this Council, or a future one, wished to bring in a local
>     power generation policy, could we be sued under the WTO?  How
>     great would the pressure be to let private interests buy up KWH? 
>     How would the new "Hydro Ombudsman" that Ms Vernile speaks of, be
>     able to protect us against such forces?
>     >
>     > If we don't know the answers to these questions and more, then
>     we need time to do the necessary due diligence.  We need to ask
>     the Province not to go ahead with this privatization plan at this
>     time.
>     >
>     > I have received endorsements from the leadership of several
>     local groups: the Waterloo Regional Labour Council, Grand River
>     Environmental Network, and the Council of Canadians, who will be
>     bringing the issue of Hydro One before Guelph Council soon.  I've
>     also received support from former Councillor Jean Haalboom, and
>     from Councillor Zyg Janecki who happens to be in Sask tonight.
>     >
>     > I urge you to look into the questions I raised above with some
>     urgency.  The first IPO of 15% of Hydro One is already being
>     prepared.  There's no time to lose.
>     >
>     > Please let the Ontario government know that the people of
>     Kitchener still want "Power for the People" to be a continuing
>     reality, and not a distant memory.
>     >
>     > ---------------------
>     >
>     > Since the clerk's office had twice refused to register me as a
>     delegation, I had only 5 minutes to speak and no standing on the
>     agenda.
>     >
>     > After my presentation, Councillor Yvonne Fernandes tabled a
>     motion, seconded by Coun Frank Etherington, similar to the motion
>     on Hydro One adopted by the city of Oshawa.  But Council voted not
>     to debate or vote on her motion.
>     >
>     > I hope this isn't the end of the story ...
>     >
>     > Eleanor Grant
>     > Waterloo
>
>
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-- 
Gehan D. Sabry
Editor / Publisher
Cross Cultures magazine (since 1991)
POB 20002 Kitchener ON N2P 2B4
Tel:  (519) 748-9520
Fax: (519) 893-4259
email: crosscultures at bellnet.ca
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