Ontario Premier To Press U.S. For Power Review

TORONTO, ON -- - Ontario Premier Ernie Eves, who has spent much of his 16 months in office grappling with the province's troubled electricity file, faced new questions today about why Ontarians weren't protected from a massive blackout that left millions without power.

Eves brushed off suggestions that the policies of his Conservative government played a role in the situation.

"Our priority now is to restore power throughout the province of Ontario," he said.

The premier once again reiterated that the problem did not originate in Ontario, but could not explain why the province did not have better safeguards in place.

"Following (the blackout of) 1965, it's my understanding that those in charge did take such steps (to protect Ontario's grid)," he said.

Eves said he planned to ask New York Gov. George Pataki to participate in a review of how the breakdown occurred to ensure it does not happen again.

For years, opposition critics have been suggesting that the Conservative government was more interested in privatizing electricity than guaranteeing adequate supplies for the province.

"The blackout demonstrates the public power system Ontarians have built together over the last 100 years is more essential today than ever," NDP Leader Howard Hampton said today.

"It's too essential to be put in the hands of companies that put profit before reliability."

Liberal critic Michael Bryant said the government has ignored warning signs and has increasingly been relying on imported power.

"Over the last eight years we have had acute supply shortages and every expert was saying as much," he said.

"We seemed to survive without blackouts or brownouts until this moment and therefore the government engaged in wilful blindness as to our power shortage."

Ontario's tight power supply became painfully evident last summer, as the province teetered on the edge of blackouts during one of the hottest summers on record.

Years of supply problems have been compounded by delays at two of the province's enormous nuclear generating stations.

In a bid to make the electricity more attractive to private investors, the Tory government threw the market open to competition in May 2002.

Eves backtracked six months later, as soaring rates prompted him to freeze retail rates at 4.3 cents a kilowatt hour.

Critics subsequently said the artificially low price removed any incentive for people to conserve electricity usage.

Electricity supply was expected to be a major issue in an election that had been expected in weeks.

Today, however, Eves said an election is far from his mind.

"There is no campaign and I'm not thinking about politics right now," he said.

"I'm thinking about the people of the province of Ontario and I'm thinking about getting power and essential services especially restored."