Hon. Glenn Thibeault   …

Hon. Glenn Thibeault

 

Minister Of Energy

 

4th Floor, Hearst Block

 

900 Bay St.

 

Toronto, Ontario

 

M7A 2E1

 

The Canadian Union Of Skilled Workers (CUSW) would like to take this opportunity to thank the Minister Of Energy for welcoming a submission as a stakeholder, on behalf of our members in the process of Ontario’s Long Term Energy Plan Review to ensure Ontario has a clean, reliable and affordable supply of electricity across the province now and in the future.

 

The Canadian Union Of Skilled Workers (CUSW) was formed in 1999 with a vision of forming a truly democratic union in which all members play an active role. Today the CUSW has evolved into a modern union that is leading the way in an era of social and economic change, while ensuring the ability to respond to the ever changing work modus across Canada. In Ontario, the CUSW has approximately 2500 members creating a very large footprint in the power generation, transmission and distribution industry. CUSW is a multi-skilled union which strongly believes that “partnering” with employers is the best approach to improve opportunities for those companies and their employees. CUSW supplies skilled workers to owners such as OPG, Bruce Power, Hydro One, Mississaugi Power Trust as well as contractors such as AREVA, EMC Canada, Valard Construction, Transelec Common, Surespan Power, Langley Utilities and includes a host of many other smaller sub-contractors.

 

The Canadian Union Of Skilled Workers (CUSW) has in the past, and will continue to support the Ontario Governments review of the Ontario Long Term Energy Plan. We believe that the comprehensive province wide consultation and engagement sessions that include stakeholders, Indigenous Communities and all interested individuals from the general public are key in the development of a plan to maintain a reliable supply of clean, affordable electricity in the province. In the development of the 2013 Long Term Energy Plan the Ontario Government spent a tremendous amount of time and money to identify a flexible energy mix to respond to the ever changing priorities of Ontarian’s. The Canadian Union Of Skilled Workers believe that plan, relying on a diverse number of sources such as Nuclear, Hydro Electric, Wind, Bioenergy, Solar, and Gas provides Ontarian’s with that secure and reliable supply of electricity moving forward.

 

One of the greatest concerns for members of the CUSW and their families, along with the strong majority of Ontarian’s has always been the ever increasing cost of electricity. With a predicted energy service increase of 0.3% per year over the next 20 years. Nuclear provides low cost generation (per megawatt) which we feel is proactive in the attempt to assist Ontarian’s in achieving overall lower hydro bills each month. The Canadian Union Of Skilled Workers feels that the current Long Term Energy Plan has taken a very reasonable approach to controlling electricity costs for Ontarian’s, and we support the government in staying on that course of action with those recommendations. The Ontario Governments plan of having a diverse mix of energy resources available to ensure Ontarian’s continue to have clean, reliable and affordable electricity is a solid foundation for the Long Term Energy Plan moving forward.

 

Another very important aspect to the success of the Long Term Energy Plan is the implementation of Conservation initiatives and practices. Energy conservation initiatives must be cost effective while at the same time balancing both consumer benefits as well as system benefits. Conservation programs have the ability to draw attention to, and motivate consumers where there are opportunities to save money and help the environment. A common example that comes to mind is consumers trying to keep their electricity bills as low as possible. Using less overall power, making a shift in the times of day that they are using power, and investing in more energy efficient products can substantiate savings for consumers in Ontario if they understand the clear benefits in the short and long term. The CUSW believes all of this can be achieved through a number of different means. Energy efficiency by using the means of the energy efficient technology that is available to us today. Consumer behavioural changes by increasing awareness and encouraging different behaviour through social benchmarking to reduce energy use. Managing demand is another key by means of shifting consumption away from peak times and using “time of use” pricing methods with smart metres and programs such as Peaksaver Plus. Finally, by reducing the load on the grid by enabling consumers to improve the efficiency of their individual energy systems by having the ability to recover waste heat or by generating electricity to meet their own specific needs.

 

The CUSW believes that the overall effectiveness of the Long Term Energy Plan does not only hinge on the details of how the plan is put forth to Ontarian’s, but also in the language of the plan. The Canadian Union Of Skilled Workers are very passionate about this aspect and feel that any further revisions or alterations to the Long Term Energy Plan include a “Social Contract” obligation in its terms to ensure the inclusiveness of women, minorities, First Nations and individuals with physical

 

disabilities to the rights of equal fair wages and benefit plans. The Canadian Union Of Skilled Workers stands up front in fully supporting these values being incorporated into the approval of any future IESO contracts. Developing an energy plan to ensure that “future” energy needs of the province are met, must also include the workforce of the energy sector which brings to the forefront the importance of apprenticeship opportunities. The Canadian Union Of Skilled Workers believes that a larger focus on apprenticeship opportunities “now”, ensures no shortages of highly skilled workers available to the energy sector in the future.

 

As stakeholder in the energy industry in Ontario, the CUSW looks forward to further partnering opportunities with the Minister of Energy to ensure the successful implementation of the provinces Long Term Energy Plan.

 

John Wabb

 

Vice President

 

[Original Comment ID: 206968]