David O’Brien Retires as President and CEO of Toronto Hydro Corporation, Is the New Boss the Same as the Old Boss?

by John Laforet
posted on August 18th, 2009 at 10:33:59 am

I have to say when I heard about the retirement of David O’Brien I was hopeful that Toronto Hydro might have the opportunity to bring in someone new, hopefully someone who has operated in the real world and has actually worked for a real company that is required to do things like respect shareholders, generate revenue, make responsible business decisions, not kill the pets of their customers, or electrocute their children through a mix of ignorance and negligence. That being said, someone looking at Toronto Hydro, and especially Toronto Hydro Energy Services from the real world probably would head for the hills before accepting the golden handcuffs that would bring them into the fold of this loonie bin.

David O’Brien personally ignored our calls for an end to Toronto Hydro Energy Services illegal process. His refusal to act or even respond to alligations is in my mind tantamount to his support of Toronto Hydro Energy Services illegal activity. Under his term, residents of Toronto saw two major privacy breaches in three months, both related to the internet. It saw a total disregard for safety as it relates to the maintenance of infrastructure that has the potential to have lethal consequences if not properly maintained. We watched as executives at Toronto Hydro told what can only be described as bald faced lies, as the legal counsel for Toronto Hydro made themselves aware of Toronto Hydro Energy Services illegal activity and did nothing to either deny the claims being made or to direct their client to not proceed with an illegal application.

Hopefully Anthony Haines, current President of Toronto Hydro Electric System, the company within Toronto Hydro that actually makes money and generates profit, does a reasonable job of carrying out its obligations in a safe manner will look at his poor cousins in Toronto Hydro Energy Services and see them for the finanacial parasite they are, and reign in Chris Tyrrell, Jack Simpson and Joyce McLean. It’s my hope he will tell each of these ethically challenged individuals that illegality is no longer acceptable, that they cannot lie when it suits them, cut corners as it pleases or violate laws that would prevent them if followed.

Let’s hope the new boss is nothing like the old boss, and is wise enough to realize that this proposal to build a wind factory where it is well documented their isn’t sufficient wind is a fool’s paradise that isn’t worthy of the 700 million dollars of public money that will be wasted damaging the environment, trampling democracy and wasting the hard earned money of Toronto taxpayers. Haines has the opportunity to reach out, and right the wrongs of his predecessor and the pathetic so-called sister company Toronto Hydro Energy Services which represents just three percent of total revenue for Toronto Hydro and is the source of most of it’s headaches. In the private sector a Chief Executive with deal with a problem like that swiftly considering Toronto Hydro Energy Services total revenue represents a rounding error on the balance sheet. Here’s to hoping Haines will too.

If Haines decides he should be the same as the old boss, I promise him this, we’ll be there to hold you to account, to challenge the inappropriate actions carried out by your organization and will defend our rights, our environment, and our tax dollars as long and with as much intensity as is required to come out on top. On the flip side, should Haines decide to cancel Toronto Hydro Energy Services illegal application, and end their attempts to put a wind factory in what may be the worst site selection on the lake (who builds in front of a cliff when you need wind?) residents would celebrate the move, and thank him for the wise business sense to see that a company whose annual income isn’t even enough to meet it’s own payroll should not be spending $700 million dollars of a sister companies money on a really bad idea that will not pay off in the end.

Update on the Green Energy Act and Toronto Hydro's Illegal Application

by John Laforet
posted on May 19th, 2009 at 08:22:27 am

The Green Energy Act passed. I don’t think anyone was surprised by that part. It passed with some amendments however. The most laughable was the inclusion of a weak clause about ‘community involvement’ being one of the lenses this bill is seen through. If we cut through the Orwellian doublespeak we’ll see that this bill still lives up to Dalton McGuinty’s promise to strip environmental protections and the democratic rights of citizens away from the planning process. He proved with the passage of this legislation that he is not a true democrat in his views on governance. His ‘father knows best’ approach will be punished at the polls, that I am certain of. 

What was interesting to see however was who didn’t vote for this odious piece of legislation. Premier McGuinty wasn’t present to vote for his anti democratic, anti environment bill. MPPs Best (Scarborough Guildwood), Berardinetti (Scarborough Southwest), or Arthurs (Pickering Scarborough East) all had a case of the ‘legislative flu’ that saw them unable to attend. I have said very clearly before that the passage of this bill would almost certainly cost Margarett Best her seat in Scarborough Guildwood and could well cost Berardinetti and Athurs their Scarborough waterfront seats as well. If they think ducking is the same as standing up for their communities, they are sadly mistaken and I’m sure the opposition parties and voters will not let them off that easy for siding with their Party Leader and Deputy Leader’s attacks on our community. 

I left the Ontario Liberal Party over the Premier and Deputy Premier’s name calling, you figure they could have at least come out publicly to correct the distorted view of Scarborough residents. 

On the topic of distortion – Joyce McLean and Jack Simpson got a bit of a surprise last week as did Mark Patterson of the Ministry of Natural Resources who happens to be the bureaucrat who in his professional opinion found nothing wrong with a Project Evaluation Report that contained well over three hundred violations of law. He still approved it. You see Patterson and his friends at the Ministry of Natural Resources lost their ‘no’ stamps after getting so used to approving whatever industry sent their way. 

Approving this illegal application that contained more than three hundred violations of law was a mistake (To Toronto Hydro Energy Services – if this claim is untrue, please have someone in your legal department email me immediately and I will correct this. Naturally we both know it is a provable fact your Project Evaluation Report did in fact contain well over three hundred violations of law, so I don’t expect to hear from you on this.)

As could be expected Scarborough Bluffs residents pushed back and schooled Joyce McLean and Jack Simpson on their complete and utter ignorance of the environment and the legitimate risks they are blindly proposing for the platform they had hoped to construct. Their lack of knowledge or use of science is astounding. They think having a diver go into the water on a single day for a few minutes and look for fish is scientifically rigorous. That is the extent of their evaluation of habitat issues. No samples taken, no consideration for the proximately to wetlands or the impact of their artificial structure to form a reef for invasive species that are known to destroy habitat. No studies of the sediment they intend to stir up. No attempt to understand anything. 

Joyce McLean and Jack Simpson both lied repeatedly to members of the community about a number of the aspects of the project. Their report misleads the Province into believing they did things we can and will prove they did not, and frankly if they don’t walk away from this project, I would be surprised if either of them is able to stay employed with Toronto Hydro Energy Services. (Guys, same thing goes, if untrue, will gladly correct on advice of your legal department)

We’ve asked the Ministry of Environment to allow for a real environmental review, one that actually looks at impacts on the environment and not a report was based on one person’s morning ’snorkel’. 

Normally the Ministry of Environment ignores those requests. But normally Project developers have IQ’s higher than Lake Ontario’s water temperature (Lake is approximately 42 F today). Normally project developers have experience developing projects like this. Neither can be said for Toronto Hydro Energy Services. We will take this fight as far as we can, we will stop at nothing that is within our legal rights to halt this process.

Joyce Mclean and Jack Simpson – you’re on notice from Scarborough Residents that we will fight you to the end and not let you get away with your illegal application, your lies, phony science, twisted facts and abuse of the good people of Scarborough. 

Toronto Hydro Energy Services Fog of Lies and Irresponsibility Impacts Housing Market

by John Laforet
posted on May 6th, 2009 at 14:46:42 pm

I receive a lot of emails from folks who are looking for information on things on google, end up on my blog and email me their questions. Things have ranged from questions about accessing federal and provincial assistance programs, questions about Toronto’s wind farm, accessing subsidized daycare, tax bills – and of course local issues in the Scarborough area. I do strive to share information with folks who are looking, even if I need to call around or spend sometime looking into an issue for them. 

I got an email last night about Toronto Hydro’s proposed near-shore wind farm. With the sender’s permission I’ve put the text below. Take a read:

John,

I am considering the purchase of a home in the Beach but I am concerned about the proposed wind farm.  It looks to me from a recent document I read that the wind farm could be as close as 1.4 KM from the shore in the Beach community.   All the reading I have done suggests that there can be noise issues at 2KM or greater.

Any advice for me with this issue?  Should I visit a wind farm to see for myself how noisy they can be?   Will sound travel faster over water?  Have you read about nosie issues from off-shore wind farms?

I informed a person who lives in the Beach about this issue not too long ago and he hadn’t even heard about it.  And this fellow is a well-educated, highly-paid professional who lives on one of the best streets in the Beach.  It seems to me that many people don’t even know about it.  Anyhow, when I told him about it he was livid.  In his words, he planned to “mobilize the troops.”

Any help/advice would be appreciated.

Regards,

(Unlike Toronto Hydro, I respect folks privacy and block out names)

My Response:

• I told him Toronto Hydro has said they would be placed 2-4KM offshore, but they also told us the anemometer would be 1.8KM offshore, until they sought permission without consultation to place it 1.2KM offshore. I also made him aware their lease is considerably closer to shore than 2KM. 
• On the noise issue, I pointed out much is not known on impact of noise from wind turbines over the water, but we all know from cottages sound travels greater distances over water than land.
• I advised him that no one can say for certain if folks in the beach or Scarborough would be able to hear the impacts of an offshore farm, and Toronto Hydro has not shown any evidence that residents will not be able to.
• I did encourage him to buy the home, and not let Toronto Hydro’s irresponsibility prevent him from doing that, because thousands of residents are standing up to oppose Toronto Hydro’s environmentally irresponsible plan and we’re hopeful they can be stopped