Hydro chief's 3 million dollar payout defended

TORONTO, ONTARIO - Hydro One chair Rita Burak says the government-owned utility had no choice but to pay former CEO Tom Parkinson $3 million in severance.

Burak told a legislative committee there were no legal grounds to fire Parkinson, even though he billed personal expenses on his secretary's corporate credit card.

She said the Hydro One board and Parkinson agreed he had to go after an Auditor General's report on his expenses, and the severance meant he would resign immediately.

Burak also defended the board's decision not to resign after the scathing Auditor General's report.

The Liberal government came under heavy fire from the opposition parties in December over Parkinson's $1.6 million annual compensation and $3 million in severance.

Energy Minister Dwight Duncan has since announced a review of executive salaries at Hydro One, Ontario Power Generation and other provincial energy agencies.

Duncan said the government thinks the salaries should be more in line with the public service nature of energy utilities rather than competing with CEOs on Bay Street.

Related News

5g electricity

Is 5G a waste of electricity? Experts say it's complicated

BEIJING - As 5G developers look desperately for a "killer app" to prove the usefulness of the superfast wireless technology, mobile carriers in China are complaining about the high energy cost of 5G signal towers.

And the situation is, according to experts, more complicated than many have thought.

The costly 5G

5G technology can be 10 or more times faster than 4G and significantly more responsive to users' input, but the speed comes at a cost.

A 5G base station consumes "four times more electricity" than its 4G counterpart, said Ding Haiyu, head of wireless and terminals at the China Mobile Research Institute, during…

READ MORE
Cambodia has signed a memorandum of understanding with China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC)

China, Cambodia agree to nuclear energy cooperation

READ MORE

coal power plant smoke

Carbon emissions fall as electricity producers move away from coal

READ MORE

Zero-emission electricity in Canada by 2035 is practical and profitable

READ MORE

faith birol

COVID-19 crisis shows need to keep electricity options open, says Birol

READ MORE