NDP vows to stall Ford government’s bill to prevent hydro strike

Back-to-work legislation likely, even though OPG is open to arbitration

New Democrats are vowing to stall back-to-work legislation aimed at preventing a strike by 6,000 hydro workers when MPPs are called back to Queen’s Park Monday, interrupting their Christmas break.

Premier Doug Ford shortcircuited any chance for a negotiated settlement when his government indicated the bill will be introduced, deputy NDP leader Sara Singh said Saturday.

“The premier maybe spoke too quickly,” she added. “We will do what is necessary to fight this piece of legislation. We’re going to do what we can and use whatever tools we have at our disposal.”

It’s expected the bill will pass by Thursday.

The government signalled the legislation is necessary to keep the lights on over the holiday season after the Power Work- ers’ Union rejected a final contract offer of a 6.6 per cent wage increase over three years from Ontario Power Generation, which runs the Pickering and Darlington nuclear stations among other electricity operations. OPG received a required strike notice from the union Friday, triggering a 21-day period in which the company and the workers take steps to begin shutting down the nuclear plants and 66 hydroelectric stations.

Given that the nuclear plants supply 40 per cent of Ontario’s electricity, the province’s Independent Electricity System Operator warned a strike would mean Ontario “would not have the generation needed to meet consumer demand and customers would begin losing power.”

Energy Minister Greg Rickford said that could hit industries as well as families.

“We will not allow Ontario families and seniors to spend their holiday season in the dark or to go without heat,” the government said in a statement.

The Power Workers’ Union president Mel Hyatt said the workers at OPG are deciding on their next move, noting the most recent offer was no improvement on one rejected last summer. “We are disappointed.” The last contract expired in March.

“Our goal was to negotiate a fair and reasonable agreement with PWU, which we believe we did in June. We continue to be willing to go to arbitration to secure an agreement,” said OPG chief executive Jeff Lyash.