Mississaugans seem to have an unusual love affair with their hydro utility.
Back in 2000, when deregulation of the hydro industry first reared its head, City residents turned out in droves to several public meetings to implore their political leaders not to sell Hydro Mississauga. The depth of the sentiment, and the uniformity of opinion, was quite surprising.
Mayor Hazel McCallion has said on more than one occasion that she had never seen such uniformity of strongly-held feeling on any single subject.
Based on last night's public meeting at City Hall, not much has changed in eight years.
When it comes to Enersource, some City councillors seem to be obsessed with the principal of the thing, as in how much cash can they levy out of it if they sell it. On the other hand, the public seems to be interested in the principle of the thing: as in 'Why are we in a rush to hand over yet another critical piece of our infrastructure over to people who have the bottom line, and not the public interest, at heart?'
As long as the City owns 90 per cent of Enersource — even though it operates as a private company — there is still some vestige of control for us, the lowly light-switch flickers.
Of course, such a significant decision can't be based on sentiment, no matter how widely it may be shared.
But if you were looking for data that would support a sale, it wasn't on display last night.
The financial experts hired by the City to lay out the options (which council already knew) couldn't publicly talk about their estimate of Enersource's value because that could skew the bidding process to come.
On the other hand, it left the public with the discomfiting feeling that the real basis of information on which the decision must be based is considered none of their business by City Hall.
One good thing about last night's session: for a change, council had to sit on its hands and listen to the public pour out its opinions, rather than the other way around.
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The beautiful field stone fence that used to mark the boundary between UTM and the Hugh McNeil property to the north on Mississauga Rd. is not permanently gone after all.
Ward 8 Councillor Katie Mahoney says that the new owner of the property, Mario Durso, formerly of Streetsville, has plans to use the stone as part of the new residential development that will be going up on the land. Durso also rescued a marker stone that exactly dates the construction of the barn. It will be used as part of the new fence that will be constructed.
Mahoney is in Newfoundland today as husband Steve attends a conference as the head of the Workers' Safety Insurance Board. She set the trip before she learned the date of the Enersource public meeting.
Mahoney doesn't sound too enthusiastic about selling. Many of the residents who questioned the sale last night were from her Ward 8. "It's part of the fabric of the community," says Mahoney of the utility. "We own it and it's an asset."
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You learn something new every day, as they say.
Didn't realize that the three Tim Hortons franchises at Trillium Health Centre were owned by the hospital auxiliary, until the hospital's communications director, Larry Roberts pointed it out Wednesday.
Great idea for fundraising. You could say it "double doubles" the pleasure of taking a coffee break at Tims when you know the caffeine is going to a good cause.
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Off for three weeks' vacation now at the cottage with the mosquitoes, the magnolia warblers (we can only hope) and the martinis.