Don't threaten power, McGuinty warns Hydro workers

TORONTO, ONTARIO - Premier Dalton McGuinty isn't ruling out ordering striking Hydro One employees back to work if they threaten the province's electricity supply.

"We will take whatever steps are necessary to protect the rights of Ontarians to an uninterrupted supply of electricity," McGuinty said recently after speaking to the Canada China Business Council.

The premier warned the Society of Energy Professionals that an incident such as the June 24 virtual shutdown of the Nanticoke coal-fired generating station will not be tolerated. Six of the plant's eight generating units were shut after pickets prevented some staff from entering.

"It is in no one's interest to somehow jeopardize the supply of electricity for Ontarians," McGuinty told reporters.

McGuinty said the striking workers are risking public support by picketing stations run by Ontario Power Generation.

NDP Leader Howard Hampton said McGuinty's talk is meaningless and leaves the premier "playing a dangerous game with Ontario's hydro system."

"How many more risks is he willing to take before he shows leadership, sits down with the two sides and helps broker a fair and reasonable deal to keep the lights on?" Hampton added.

No power outages were attributed to the picketing, although some Hamilton Hydro customers were without power for a brief period when a transformer blew, unrelated to the strike.

Ironically, the lights and air conditioning were shut off in the Hamilton courtroom where an Ontario superior court justice was hearing an application by OPG to limit picketing activities at its Nanticoke station.

So many air conditioners were blasting that the province smashed its record for energy use.

At 3 p.m. June 27, 26,083 megawatts of energy were being used, according to the Independent Electricity System Operator, a provincial agency responsible for monitoring power use. The previous record was 25,414 megawatts on Aug. 13, 2002.

The agency asked consumers and businesses to reduce their electricity consumption between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. to reduce the strain on the power system.

To avoid an incident like June 24 when 3,000 megawatts were shut down at Nanticoke, OPG now has workers living at the various generating stations.

Energy professionals went on strike June 1, fighting Hydro One's demands for a two-tier wage and benefit schedule, which the union claims discriminates against younger professionals.