Emporer Needs to Look In The Mirror

The first is how Miller sees himself and the second is how more and more people see him in his socialist garb........

Miller's power play
April 05, 2007

Toronto Mayor David Miller certainly has enough on his plate without trying to tell the people responsible for meeting the city's power needs how they should do their jobs.

The Ontario Power Authority, which is the agency responsible for ensuring the province has an adequate, reliable long-term supply of electricity, recently identified the need for a new, high-voltage transmission line into downtown Toronto to protect the business core against possible disruptions in power.

The proposed line has the full support of Anthony Haines, president of Toronto Hydro-Electric System Ltd., who says it is "a very important initiative" to increase the reliability of the system for the city core.

And yet Miller protests, claiming that greater emphasis on conservation would make the proposed backup line unnecessary.

No one doubts that increased conservation can help the province meet its energy needs. Conservation plays an important part in the power authority's overall plan. And for its part, Toronto Hydro saved enough electricity last year through conservation programs to power 15,000 homes for a year. But conservation cannot begin to replace the need for clean, new power supplies and the lines to deliver that power.

Miller has enough complaints to take to Queen's Park and Ottawa, including inadequate funding for Toronto and other cities, downloading of social services, the need for affordable housing, child care and sustained investment in public transit.

Miller needs to focus on these issues rather than griping about the way the province is discharging its responsibility for ensuring Toronto has a reliable supply of power.