RESTRUCTURING OF ONTARIO'S POWER GENERATION AND CONSUMPTION

Power generation in this province is a network the following organizations:

The Ontario Power Authority, Ontario Power Generation and the Ontario Energy Board.

The Ontario Power Authority (OPA) is mandated to

Together with our partners, we ensure that electricity needs are met for the
benefit of Ontario both now and in the future. We plan and procure electricity
supply from diverse resources and facilitate the measures needed to achieve
ambitious conservation targets.

They are a government appointed paid body. That means they do what the government tells them to do.

Ontario Power Generation (OPG) job is to produce the power.

Ontario Energy Board (OEB) is another government agency. All board members are appointed by the government and thus do what the government tells them to do. They regulate the price of not only electricity but also natural gas. They are responsible for the implementation of the smart meters. Though they claim to be in the interests of the consumer, they are in fact in conflict of interest because their boss, the Government of Ontario, is also the boss of the other two sectors of the system.

The Ontario Sustainable Energy Association (OSEA) is an arms length Non-governmental Organization (NGO). They are crediting themselves with creating and influencing government's Green Energy Act. So if you have a beef about this act, thank them.

See http://tomadamsenergy.com/?p=534 about the OEB funding of OSEA.

Two things stick right out about this network of organizations. The government is the Top Dog. This means that the political bent of the party in power will dictate the direction of power generation in the province. This means that a political party can make long term deals which will straight jacket future governments. This is why the system is a huge mess, and why we are embarking on this "green energy" nonsense of lies and deceit (note the OSEA site on wind turbines use of "capacity". A fictitious number that is never achieved. It's also 3 years out of date.)

This mess needs a major rebuilding from the ground up, with the government removed completely. Power is too important to be left to ideologues. The people of the province need to take control of this essential necessity.

Thus this is what I propose should be done.

The OPA should take over the role of the OEB. It should be funded from the sale of power, not the government, and an arms length organization. They implement and govern the power system of the province. They would be responsible for all billings of electrical use, not H1. They deal with all complains and mandated to fix problems with billings. They would also be responsible for funding of all energy production projects. The President of this organization is appointed by the Ontario Energy Board, and reports only to that board, not the government.

The OEB is to be restructured to be just a board, funded by the Provincial Government, but no one appointed by the government. The board members would consist of the following people in no specific order:

-- Minister of Energy (The minister not someone he/she appoints)
-- Energy Critic of the Opposition
-- Chief Executive of the OPA
-- One appointee from the OPG
-- One appointee from H1
-- One appointee from retailers and municipal distributors

None of those positions can be Chair of the Board.

The rest of the board be one appointee from various associations of consumer stakeholders including from industry, farming, home owners, business and to be fair one from the OSEA. Any organization of consumers would be free to apply for a seat at the board approved by the board. A minimum of 8 people would be required. The Board reports to the Government, but not directed by the Government.

The Chair would be voted from that group only, with a maximum of 2 years in that position.

The Board's duties would be to set the goals and directions of future energy production and transmission in the province. They would set regulations and prices. They would be responsible for approving new production based on facts and evidence, not what is considered politically correct. It would put the production of power in this province into the hands of the consumers of that power. This is what is required when producers of power have a monopoly and the political party in power has an agenda based not on science, but ideology.

Is this proposal workable and has a possibility of implementation? It would mean appending or repealing a few Provincial Acts. Thus it is up to the voters. I'll be doing my part to promote this system.