The recent massive power outage in Ontario and several northern US states lit the way for more than just a boost to the candlemaking industry. It has given a boost to conservation groups and public hydro advocates as their arguments are made for them.
First Energy, a private firm based in Ohio, is at the centre of the storm surrounding the blackout which put close to 50-million North Americans in darkness Thursday. The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) claims First Energy has a track record of safety and operational problems, citing an ABC News report that in 2002 First Energy had reduced staff significantly and had briefly shut down its Ohio nuclear reactor for significant safety violations. First Energy also failed to report a problem hours before the blackout that could have given warning to a number of other utility companies, which could have prevented or lessened the blackout. As a private firm, it is not required to do so.
Concerns over rising energy demands have sparked calls for conservation. Premier Ernie Eves said the province will be scarcely be able to meet energy demands, and called for a fifty percent reduction in electricity usage on Sunday, which brought many businesses to a halt including the steel and auto industries, two of Ontario's biggest. High temperatures early in the week caused energy consumption to rise from a peak of 18,270 megawatts Monday to a Tuesday peak of 19,198 megawatts.
--NOEL BALDWIN
The Dominion is a monthly paper published by an incipient network of independent journalists in Canada. It aims to provide accurate, critical coverage that is accountable to its readers and the subjects it tackles. Taking its name from Canada's official status as both a colony and a colonial force, the Dominion examines politics, culture and daily life with a view to understanding the exercise of power.