TORONTO, ON – Pursuing a Hydro One sell-off is not in the public interest, and Ontario’s largest union will use every tool at its disposal to stop the sale, said Fred Hahn, president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Ontario.
The Liberal government today announced it is filing a preliminary prospectus and is pushing ahead with its plan to sell off 60 percent of Hydro One, despite opposition by 83 percent of Ontarians, and despite polls that show half of Ontario voters may shun Justin Trudeau in the federal election as a result.
“Kathleen Wynne’s dogged pursuit of this privatization train wreck is a betrayal of public trust,” said Hahn. “Poll after poll clearly shows that the vast majority of Ontarians are strongly opposed to selling off our public electricity grid. The Liberals aren’t listening to the people. We are, and we’ll use every tool at our disposal to fight this sale.”
CUPE’s lawyers will be scrutinizing the prospectus, which is one step on the road to an initial public offering. That road has been plagued by delays and missteps, which should give pause to investors and the public alike.
“Ontarians know that privatizing hydro means skyrocketing electricity rates and a loss of public control and accountability,” said Hahn. “We’re looking at every detail and will do everything in our power to stop this tragic fire sale. We also ask everyone to join us in contacting their MPPs, who can still stop this from becoming the next Liberal privatization scandal.”
CUPE is Ontario’s community union, with more than 250,000 members providing quality public services we all rely on, in every part of the province, every day. CUPE Ontario members are proud to work in social services, health care, municipalities, school boards, universities and airlines.
For more information, please contact:
Craig Saunders, CUPE Communications, 416-576-7316
