Clark, Coleman need to come clean on BCUC, BC Hydro

Re: Reliable grid requires consumers pay for it, Editorial; The great Hydro cost coverup, Vaughn Palmer; and We have met the enemy and he is us, Issues, May 24.

These three articles should be a must read for all concerned citizens. I cannot imagine the average Canadian being so stupid as to go along with BC Hydro deferrals as outlined in the above articles and consequently saddling our children and grandchildren with this massive debt load. I believe it is time to get rid of the provincial Liberal party, and while we are at it we might to do the same to the federal Conservatives in the next election. Instead, we need provincial and federal governments that are not afraid to give their citizens a reality check while also challenging themselves to govern in a way that does away with frivolous and luxurious spending, idiotic grants and wasteful electioneering. But equally important, we need to look in the mirror and no longer fraternize with the enemy that is us. ARLENE VAN HOVE Langley

Why are Premier Christy Clark and Energy Minister Rich Coleman so afraid to let British Columbians hear what BC Hydro, our public electricity utility, needs to meet its revenue requirements? Why are they restricting BC Hydro’s ability to begin to effectively address the massive debtload the government has forced on the utility and its ratepayers?

Their recent actions to evade independent scrutiny by the B. C. Utilities Commission comes on the heels of the government’s 2010 Clean Energy Act, which removed 13 of BC Hydro’s most costly and controversial projects from BCUC’S oversight and public review. The Act also removed the Commission’s ability to review BC Hydro’s Integrated Resource Plan, which will now either be approved or rejected by cabinet. Why does the provincial government feel it needs such a heavy- handed approach?

The only conclusion is that the Liberal government has taken these actions to hide the fact that neither its muddled and outdated energy plan, nor BC Hydro management’s ineptitude in the plan’s implementation, can withstand even the slightest amount of informed public scrutiny. MICHELLE LAURIE President, Local 258 International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Burnaby