Posted on 08/16/2003 3:43:02 PM PDT by Pikamax
Lastman wants Toronto spared
Canadian Press
UPDATED AT 4:35 PM EDT Saturday, Aug. 16, 2003
Toronto — Saying Toronto is the economic engine of Canada, Mayor Mel Lastman insisted Saturday the city and its nearly five million residents should be exempt from the rolling blackouts hitting the rest of the province.
Mr. Lastman said Toronto should be spared, even though he understood others in the province would have to do without power longer as a result.
Mr. Lastman intended to seek a guarantee on Saturday afternoon from Ontario Premier Ernie Eves that Toronto would be fully powered through the weekend and into Monday, as the city prepared to resume the work week in an effort to keep the already battered economy going.
But Eves said Saturday that there are some things he just can't do.
"We supply the appropriate amount of power to Toronto Hydro and they decide what to do with it," he said.
"I am determined, we are determined, to make sure that the subways are operating Monday morning," Mr. Lastman told a news conference on Saturday, three days after a massive blackout wiped out power in Ontario and the eastern seaboard.
"Our transit system carries one million people a day, we have got to have it working."
About 95 per cent of Toronto had power Saturday as did most other towns and cities in Ontario, although Mr. Eves said things were "certainly not back to normal," and urged conservation.
A system of power-sharing — through rolling blackouts — was to be in place throughout the weekend to ensure customers had access to at least some power. The blackouts came no more than two hours at a time over 12-hour periods. They came without warning to pockets of residents all over the province.
But Mr. Lastman said Toronto should be spared and that businesses in other parts of the province should understand.
"They are going to suffer if Toronto isn't working," he argued.
"They are going to suffer because Toronto is the engine that drives the whole province, the whole country in fact."
Peter Duva, a spokesman for Toronto Hydro, said providing full power to Toronto would come at the expense of other communities since there is only so much power to go around.
"If there is a shortage between capacity and demand, there is only so much [electricity] and it will depend on where it is directed," said Mr. Duva.
Lastman's plan to save Toronto did not sit well with officials outside the city.
George Mychailenko, CEO of Brantford Power, expressed surprise that Toronto wanted to take over the province's power supply.
"I am sure that would be a bit of problem with many communities," he said. "Toronto being central hub of Ontario it tends to share along with all the other communities and all the communities are participating in the troubles of the province."
Mr. Eves could not immediately be reached for comment.
Love the name. Would the last man to leave Toronto please turn out the lights. Oh, wait, they're already out.
And here I thought you were intentionally using the French version of the word.
<]B^)
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