>Toronto Hydro. Acres is the owner of the Toronto District Heating and
>Cooling Corporation, whose new President is Dennis Fotinos, a former
>Toronto City Councillor. Fotinos also sat on the Board of Toronto Hydro
>until Bruno Silano helped shed some light on the push to privatize in Toronto.
> What follows is part of a People's Voice had conversation with
>Silano, President of CUPE Local One, the 1,500 Toronto Hydro Workers who
>are campaigning to stop the Tories in their tracks.
>
>Bruno Silano: Privatization started for us once the government passed Bill
>35, in October 1998. That Bill among other things gave municipalities sole
>ownership of municipal utilities. They always did own their local Hydro
>companies, but this put it on a business-type footing in terms of shareholders.
> Municipalities are facing financial pressures because of
>provincial downloading, because their infrastructure is starting to crumble
>after years and sometimes decades of neglect and abuse. It's now to the
>point where the politicians on these municipal Councils have to do something.
> One of the ways they are looking at resolving the funding crisis
>is to sell off, in whole or in part, their municipal electrical utility.
> This is what happened here in Toronto. A Councillor came out and
>stated that the City was upwards of $1 billion in debt; one way to offset
>that debt would be to sell Toronto Hydro, which conservatively is pegged at
>around $3.5 billion; and therefore let's privatize it and we can pay off
>our debt, we can fund social housing, TTC costs, maybe a tax cut for
>everybody...
> Dennis Fotinos sat on Toronto Hydro's Board, and also on Toronto
>District Heating and Cooling's Board of Directors. On top of that he was
>working for Acres Management - a large multi-national corporation (which)
>stands to make millions of dollars from the privatization and restructuring
>of the utility industry. It was a clear conflict of interest, which our
>Local shed light on. He ended up leaving, and he's now Chair of the Toronto
>District Heating corporation. Which by the way was an increase in pay from
>$80,000 to over $120,000!
> The Mayor was initially against privatization. He was quoted as
>saying "well if somebody wants to buy it, that tells me we should keep it."
>The next day he was all for selling it, a typical Lastman flip-flop. That
>forced the Local to hold a press conference. We said that selling Toronto
>Hydro is a very short-sighted view for the citizens of Toronto... There
>will be other funding crises down the road, and once you've sold it off,
>you can't get it back. We've seen what happened in Britain and New Zealand.
> Once the right-wing governments are pushed out and we get a more
>progressive government, you can restore funding to social programs, but the
>private sector won't necessarily want to relinquish their ownership of an
>asset such as a hydro company, or a water plant.
> If Toronto Hydro was sold for $3.5 billion, the private sector
>would want at least $10 billion. The City just doesn't have that kind of
>money lying around.
> We also formed a Public Power Committee within the Local, which
>had a dual focus. One was to educate our own members about privatization -
>and it is somewhat complicated... We wanted to bring very simple and
>concise arguments to the workers. The Committee distributed our Local's
>Bulletin. We produced buttons and stickers for our members...
> The Committee was also responsible for developing a public
>campaign. The primary target was City Council. The 57 Councillors and the
>Mayor had to be convinced to not sell Toronto Hydro.
> This is a huge fight. There are billions of dollars at stake, huge
>forces of capital here: from America, from Europe, some working in tandem
>trying to purchase this utility. And it's a fight that Local One with its
>1500 members cannot win alone.
> We tried to inform other labour groups, and also to build up a
>coalition with environmental groups, ratepayer groups, seniors groups, you
>name it. We were really trying to cast a net as wide as possible to sell
>our position, which was to keep Toronto Hydro public.
> After a Toronto Star poll showed that 90% of residents were not in
>favour of selling Toronto Hydro, the issue fell off, and Councillors got
>busy when the province cut the number of seats on Council from 57 to 44.
> In November, we have a new Council coming in. We're concerned that
>some of them will run on a platform of selling Toronto Hydro. Or we could
>have a Council elected that are ideologically pro-privatization, that say
>government shouldn't be involved in electricity or water, that sort of
>thing. We want to make sure that we have a Council elected that is
>progressive, socially-minded, and pro-public services.
> Here's what concerns us: the rates are going to go up this year
>regardless, directly attributable to the government's deregulation
>legislation.
> Part of that legislation (forces) the break up of the utility into
>a competitive section that will potentially sell you electricity, versus
>the other company - which they call "the wires" - just the wires overhead
>and the poles and so on.
> To separate the company into two parts would be very expensive,
>and the Ontario Energy Board which now regulates municipal utilities has
>allowed up to a 10% rate increase (to cover it). So the rates are going up,
>whether we stay public, or whether we're privatized. The focus of the
>report will bear out that under private ownership, the rates are more
>likely to increase much faster.
> One of the things we've tried to tell people is that the
>government has been very careful with their marketing of this strategy of
>deregulation of the electricity industry.
> One way they do it is by saying "this will bring customer choice,
>just like it has in the natural gas market, just like it is in the
>long-distance telephone market." And we say, "it will bring customer
>choice, but understand which customer the government is referring to."
> There are three customers in the local utility business. One is
>the local industrial and commercial customers such as the big bank towers,
>the large office buildings, and the industrial customers on the outskirts
>of the city and down by the waterfront.
> We then have small business customers on arterial streets such as
>Dundas and Queen, Bloor and Danforth, Yonge Street. And we have residential
>customers.
> When the government is speaking about customers having choice, in
>reality they are referring to the large commercial and industrial customers
>with electricity bills in the hundreds of thousands of dollars per month.
>They will benefit the most from deregulation, the ones that will be able to
>go out and shop around for power. Other electricity generators will offer
>them a good price for electricity because they have a high demand.
> Residential and small business customers - as we've seen in other
>jurisdictions that have deregulated - face the brunt of this cost-shift.
> The cost-shift is from the large commercial customers. Their
>prices, their savings are then going to be passed onto residential
>customers in terms of higher rates, because the utility will try to balance
>out their overall income...
>
>(Part Two of this article will appear in our June 1-15 issue.)
>
>*****************
>
>5/ COP ATTACK PROMPTS CALLS FOR CIVILIAN CONTROL
>People's Voice Toronto Bureau
>
>TORONTO The unprovoked attack by Toronto police on a peaceful rally has
>prompted new calls for stronger civilian control over the force. The April
>21 rally was organized to show solidarity with protesters arrested at the
>anti-IMF demonstrations in Washington. Police guided the peaceful march
>down a sidestreet and then used force to disperse the 150 participants. One
>protester was pepper sprayed and four were arrested, three of whom have
>been charged with assaulting a "peace" officer.
> One of those charged commented that, "it seems that since the
>anti-APEC protests in Vancouver, the police forces have been more and more
>willing to use pepper spray to disperse people. It's like the whole inquiry
>thing is meaningless to them because they have this great new proven toy
>for suppressing people."
> Other protesters noted that the Toronto police have been
>increasingly doling out serious charges, such as assaulting an officer, to
>intimidate people from participating in demonstrations. To date, none of
>these charges has stuck in court.
> For years activists in the black community have protested against
>the Toronto force's racist record of deadly violence against black and
>immigrant youth. What seems new is the willingness of police to use
>violence against peaceful demonstrations, even in the presence of the
>media. In part, this audacity can be attributed to 1998 changes to
>provincial legislation which allowed police forces more independence from
>civilian watchdogs, and for political activity by police.
> Some activists have approached members of City Council and the
>Police Services Board, to call for a public inquiry.
> At its recent Convention, the Toronto Committee of the Communist
>Party adopted a municipal program which includes a detailed proposal for
>strengthening civilian control.
> "As an armed instrument of the state, the police must be forbidden
>from political activity and they must be subject to strict civilian
>controls," said Toronto CPC spokesperson Dave McKee. "Racism, sexism and
>homophobia are rampant within the police force, and it is high time that
>these problems were severely addressed. Toronto Communists will fight for a
>restructured police services board, with representation from women, labour,
>aboriginal people, black and immigrant communities, and the gay and lesbian
>community."
> McKee added that, "It's absolutely appalling that the main news
>issue about the police right now is what their new uniforms will look like.
>As far as I'm concerned, the cops might as well dress up like Darth Vader's
>stormtroopers, because that's what they act like."
> As Ontario municipalities approach a civic election this November,
>the labour and progressive movements will be pressuring candidates to fight
>for strong democratic control over policing.
>
>****************
>
>6/ VANCOUVER COUNCIL OPPOSES GATS TALKS
>
>At its May 2 meeting, Vancouver City Council passed an important motion on
>the proposed General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), widely
>considered a new version of the Multilateral Agreement on Investment which
>collapsed last year. Reflecting wide public concerns over the impact of
>such trade deals, the motion was backed by the usually pro-business
>Non-Partisan Association majority on council, as well as the two left-wing
>COPE councillors.
> Following is the text of the motion, which was moved by Councillor
>George Puil and seconded by Lynne Kennedy and Fred Bass.
>
> WHEREAS, the recent World Trade Organization (WTO) meetings in
>Seattle to initiate "The Millennium Round" brought public attention to the
>importance of trade issues to the quality of life people experience in
>their local community. While the meetings did not reach agreement on an
>agenda for the next round of WTO trade talks, discussions on the General
>Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) will still take place over the next
>three years as part of the "built-in agenda" agreed to at the founding of
>the WTO in 1995.
>Discussions on this Agreement may result in the inclusion of many of the
>features of the now defunct Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI),
>opposed by Vancouver City Council by resolution on April 28, 1998;
> AND WHEREAS, the proposed changes to GATS are of concern to local
>governments as they could affect existing jurisdiction and authorities, and
>also could result in significant administrative burdens and costs;
> AND WHEREAS, the current GATS is a "bottom-up" agreement (each
>affected sector, such as Construction services, is identified), but
>proposed changes to the Agreement's structure (to a possible "top-down" or
>"horizontal" structure) would expand the Agreement's application;
> AND WHEREAS, the Federal Government has neither alerted nor
>consulted local governments regarding these issues, and as a result,
>citizens and taxpayers of Canadian municipalities have had little access to
>information and informed debate on proposed changes to GATS;
> THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED
> 1. THAT City Council urge the Government of Canada to consult
>widely and in depth with the people of Canada, especially and including
>municipal councils, before taking any further action on the GATS;
> 2. THAT the City of Vancouver, while recognizing trade can have
>beneficial impacts on our region, urge the Prime Minister to have Canada
>file a permanent and explicit exemption in the GATS limiting application to
>areas of Federal jurisdiction to ensure sub-national jurisdictions maintain
>local flexibility and control over the delivery of public services;
> 3. THAT the government of British Columbia convene the Legislative
>Committee to hold public hearings on the impact of the WTO/GATS and on
>British Columbia municipalities, including an invitation to the Federal
>WTO/GATS negotiator, to provide background information and answer pertinent
>questions;
> 4. THAT the Government of British Columbia establish a Trade
>Advisory Committee for stakeholders for ongoing consultation on
>international trade issues;
> 5. THAT the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) be urged
>to dedicate staff to monitoring WTO discussions and alert Canadian
>municipalities of any encroachment on their jurisdictions;
> 6. THAT the City of Vancouver Council state their support for the
>UBCM letter to the Honourable Minister Pettigrew, dated December 16, 1999
>("Trade Negotiations and the Impacts on Local Governments in
>Canada" attached);
> AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT a copy of this motion be:
> i) circulated to Members of Parliament representing areas within
>the Greater Vancouver Regional District, with the request that they endorse
>the City's action;
> ii) forwarded to Lower Mainland municipalities for their support;
> iii) made available to the public;
> iv) forwarded to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities
>Executive for endorsement;
> v) and forwarded to the UBCM Executive for their information.
>
>****************
>
>7/ FAST FOOD WORKERS ORGANIZE IN REGINA
>
>By Darrell Rankin
>
>WORKERS AT SIX of Regina's eight Kentucky Fried Chicken outlets have won
>union certification in the last six months. About 150 workers are
>bargaining for their first contract, says Brian Christoff of the Hotel and
>Restaurant Employees Union.
> "We've really gone on a blitz," said Christoff in an interview. He
>attributes the success to educating the public and membership, getting the
>membership involved in the drive, and the full support of the Western
>Canadian office based in Vancouver.
> "It is very important to protect the rights of workers starting
>with the organizing drive," said Christoff. The main issues in negotiations
>are job security and occupational health and safety.
> The KFC workers are 90 per cent ages 17 to 24, and evenly divided
>between women and men; 60 per cent hold part time jobs. "We are constantly
>in touch with the CLC youth caucus and the Saskatchewan Federation of
>Labour," said Christoff. The local has a political action committee that
>helped to organize protests against the World Trade Organization.
> Younger members were the main force in organizing the KFCs and are
>continuing to meet and organize other workers. HREU Local 206 members have
>leafleted every fast food outlet in Regina. In the last two months, the
>local has applied for certification of the first 711 in Canada, and has
>organized two hotels and a travel lodge.
> A high point in the campaign came just before Christmas when over
>150 young workers from fast food outlets and hotels all over the city
>rallied in support of unionization at a KFC outlet.
>***************************************
>Communist Party of Canada
>290A Danforth Ave.,
>Toronto, Ont. M4K 1N6
>416-469-2446 (voice)
>416-469-4063 (fax)
><[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>http://www.communist-party.ca
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