Ontario ombudsman's report on Hydro One reveals deception and lies

[Argus]

I can't say I remember the last time an ombudsman's report into a crown corporation used words like 'deception' and "lies" to describe the senior management's behaviour. According to Ontario Ombudsman Andre Marin Ontario Hydro's exceedingly well-paid senior officers lied to everyone around them, including him, the Ontario Energy board, and the Ontario government, and did so repeatedly while lying to and cheating customers. Other terms used includied 'fiasco', 'outrageously bad customer service' and 'mind boggling maladministration'

Hydro One overbilled tens of thousands of customers, in some cases taking thousands of dollars from their bank accounts, or threatened to cut off power if the bills weren't paid. Correcting each overbilling was a complicated problem involving dozens of phone calls and months of waiting -- after the bills were paid.

The response of the Ontario Liberal party is to change the rules, and semi-privatize the agency so that neither the auditor general, nor the ombudsman's office will have any jurisdiction over it. Which is par for the course for the most incompetent and corrupt government in Canadian political history.

The Hydro One board is stuffed with Liberal party supporters, btw.

http://globalnews.ca/news/2015175/ontario-ombudsman-releases-report-into-hydro-one-billing-practices/

http://www.torontosun.com/2015/05/25/ombudsman-to-release-report-on-hydro-one

Edited May 27, 2015 by Argus

[Michael Hardner]

Your brief skewering of the situation is apt, in my view.

Canada is replete with examples of large organizations who emulate our vaunted Royal Family in how they behave towards the peasant customers. You can guess where I think that tradition came from.

This strikes me as strange in that we're a country that doesn't shut up about certain things, like TTC expansion, healthcare, blah blah blah, and yet nothing gets done. It's like plebians griping in a 30,000,000 capacity donut shop.

This situation crosses political lines, and public/private too and weirdly people will patriotically defend our screwed-up institutions because, basically, they're not American.

Pierre Trudeau spoke of the Just Society:

The Just Society will be one in which the rights of minorities will be safe from the whims of intolerant majorities. The Just Society will be one in which those regions and groups which have not fully shared in the country's affluence will be given a better opportunity. The Just Society will be one where such urban problems as housing and pollution will be attacked through the application of new knowledge and new techniques. The Just Society will be one in which our Indian and Inuit populations will be encouraged to assume the full rights of citizenship through policies which will give them both greater responsibility for their own future and more meaningful equality of opportunity. The Just Society will be a united Canada, united because all of its citizens will be actively involved in the development of a country where equality of opportunity is ensured and individuals are permitted to fulfill themselves in the fashion they judge best.

The "actively involved " part didn't happen. We are not involved. Our leadership, as typified by Hydro One, is royalist... isolated and stale.

[AngusThermopyle]

Canada is replete with examples of large organizations who emulate our vaunted Royal Family in how they behave towards the peasant customers. You can guess where I think that tradition came from.

Micheal, I find that you have some salient points to make upon occasion. This however is not one of those times. The behaviour of these agencies and this government can not be blamed in some speculative, tenuous way on the Royal Familly. This is simply an absurd and juvenile comparison bereft of any real substance. Rather this bad behaviour is the result of entirely individual dishonesty, corruption and cronyism.

The people who behave this way own it, no one else, no vague excuses to explain or in some way justify it.

[Michael Hardner]

I'm not saying it's a direct link, only that attitudes to authority are different here, and there could be cultural factors behind it. What is your theory then ?

[AngusThermopyle]

I thought I'd made my theory clear. Dishonesty coupled with pure unadulterated greed. This in turn aided, abetted and supported by an equally dishonest and corrupt government. Pretty simple actually.

[Michael Hardner]

I thought I'd made my theory clear. Dishonesty coupled with pure unadulterated greed. This in turn aided, abetted and supported by an equally dishonest and corrupt government. Pretty simple actually.

You don't think there's anything distinctly Canadian about this situation ?

[Boges]

This report was released the same day that The province introduced Back-to-Work legislation for the teachers that were striking in 3 school boards.

So pretty much no one cared.

I like how they ad that it would get worse if Hydro One gets privatized. As if it could get worse.

[Michael Hardner]

I'd say customer service in Canada is worse in telecommunications (phones, TV, Internet) than in the United States. The emails I get about unfair telecom practices far outweigh everything else.

Canada has a few big players who control our telecom markets. The're rough and tough competitors who work hard to keep independents off their turf. The government often plays along.

http://www.thestar.com/business/personal_finance/spending_saving/2011/09/19/why_customer_service_is_bad_and_getting_worse.html

...and it's not like Americans love their telecom service.

[eyeball]

I thought I'd made my theory clear. Dishonesty coupled with pure unadulterated greed. This in turn aided, abetted and supported by an equally dishonest and corrupt government. Pretty simple actually.

The public is ultimately who's at fault here, for failing to make provisions for more rigorous institutions of accountability and transparency.

Allowing politicians and civil servants to work so closely to political power and wealth without oversight is like allowing nuclear plant workers near reactors without shielding. The employer, that would be us, is responsible.

We're getting the shitty governance we deserve, as we should.

[Topaz]

This may not be the only problem with Hydro One to come for the government. Since the Liberals want to sell off 60% of Hydro One, which I think are the transmission lines and the government keeps 40% and thinking only 10% will go to a single company, they maybe in more trouble because I've heard, that one of the companies that own a wind turbines may be looking at buying and if ALL wind turbine companies do that, and it becomes,them vs the government 40%, the 6 companies will hold the power. Now if this is going to happen I do not know for sure, but this is one was I told.

[Michael Hardner]

http://www.businessinsider.com/tony-robbins-how-to-create-a-breakthrough-change-2015-1

I liked this article - Tony Robbins Shares 3 Steps To Creating A Life-Changing Breakthrough

Following on eyeball, we need to create a breakthrough in engagement with a/the public ...

[bush_cheney2004]

...and it's not like Americans love their telecom service.

Is that the benchmark...again ?

[Shady]

People should be going to jail for this scandal.

[Michael Hardner]

Is that the benchmark...again ?

I'm trying to establish that this type of corruption has a unique Canadian aspect to it. Somehow I thought you would enjoy that.

Anyway, if we need to benchmark Canadian services against some similar baseline, I would pick the US. Unless we wanted to look good, then I'd pick France.

[Bob Macadoo]

People should be going to jail for this scandal.

How many of those 407 execs have gone to jail or been reported on by Marin for the exact same behaviour? Jeopardy tune begin......

[Argus]

http://www.thestar.com/business/personal_finance/spending_saving/2011/09/19/why_customer_service_is_bad_and_getting_worse.html

...and it's not like Americans love their telecom service.

Better to say customer service is worse when we have huge, government mandated oligopolies which don't have to care about what the public says or wants or thinks or does. In the case of Hydro One, it's not even an oligopoly but a monopoly. Monopolies don't have to care what anyone but ownership says. Ownership is the Ontario government, but they clearly don't give a damn what anyone thinks either. And the public clearly is so disinterested in honest, capable government they troop dutifully to the voting booths to reelect the same government which lied to them and screwed them over the last two terms.

[Argus]

People should be going to jail for this scandal.

The Ontario government has not even suggested there's anything in the way of discipline that needs to be done. Chiarelli, the minister responsible, called the report "disappointing" but said serious remedial actions have already been taken. In other words, don't worry about it.

[Bob Macadoo]

The Ontario government has not even suggested there's anything in the way of discipline that needs to be done. Chiarelli, the minister responsible, called the report "disappointing" but said serious remedial actions have already been taken. In other words, don't worry about it.

.....again I'll hold my breath while the Roger's BoD take action on their execs for their billing practices and demeanour thereof.

[Shady]

.....again I'll hold my breath while the Roger's BoD take action on their execs for their billing practices and demeanour thereof.

Stop trying to change the subject, and stop defending rank government corruption at its worst. It's unbecoming.

[Bob Macadoo]

Stop trying to change the subject, and stop defending rank government corruption at its worst. It's unbecoming.

Not changing anything, I agree itxs crap....just applying life lessons though. Business is bizness. Unlike in your glass house.....unbecoming indeed.

[Michael Hardner]

Business is bizness.

It's not... it's these monopolies, or near-monopolies... oligopolies (why are people making me remember university courses tonight ? It HURTS...) and large government organizations.

It seems the only way to pressure them is political. We need to do more - demand that they publish service levels, guarantee response times, keep costs to inflation or less....

[Bob Macadoo]

It's not... it's these monopolies, or near-monopolies... oligopolies (why are people making me remember university courses tonight ? It HURTS...) and large government organizations.It seems the only way to pressure them is political. We need to do more - demand that they publish service levels, guarantee response times, keep costs to inflation or less....

You just named every level of business that makes mucho $$$, employ swaths of the pop., and peddle influence at all levels of gov't.......good luck with that. I'll just enjoy my "negative option billing".

[AngusThermopyle]

Once again excuses from Bob. There's a big difference from Hydro and every business at play here Bob, can you guess what it is? Every business makes money by offering a service or goods that the consumer can choose to purchase or use, or not as the case may be. Hydro offers a service that the public has no choice but to use, no realistic alternatives to that one. Every business can be dragged into court in the event of poor or dishonest practices. Hydro, not at all. In fact they are pretty well protected by this current government. That and that alone is the reality of this situation. Relativism such as that displayed by yourself simply makes you appear disingenuous at best.

[Argus]

.....again I'll hold my breath while the Roger's BoD take action on their execs for their billing practices and demeanour thereof.

What's Rogers got to do with this? Does the Ontario Liberal Party control Rogers?

[AngusThermopyle]

It's called deflection Argus. Bob says he doesn't support the Liberals actions yet whenever their corruption and dishonesty comes up he predictably attempts to deflect from the salient points by using irrelevancies. Rather obvious and pathetic really.