Wynne looks back on sale of Hydro One and labour unrest in year-end interview

An improved relationship with Toronto’s mayor and Canada’s Prime Minister are just a few of the things Premier Kathleen Wynne says she is thankful for as she gets ready to celebrate the holidays and ring in 2016.

Wynne sat down with CP24 for a one-on-one interview on Thursday in which she touched on the new Liberal government in Ottawa, her close working relationship with Mayor John Tory, the controversial sale of Hydro One and the labour unrest that plagued the public school system over the last year.

On the topic of working with Toronto city hall, Wynne said that she is fortunate to have forged a strong relationship with Tory, who she meets with monthly.

That relationship, of course, was in its infancy last Christmas when Tory was only on the jobs for weeks and Wynne was looking to turn a new leaf after having a distant relationship with Rob Ford as he dealt with a substance abuse scandal and saw his powers largely transferred to his deputy mayor.

“It is extremely important that the premier of the largest province be able to work with the mayor of the largest city in that province and I am just thrilled to have that working relationship,” Wynne told CP24. “Because Mayor Tory and I meet regularly and because we have that ongoing discussion, when there is a challenge we can pick up the phone and talk to each other and that makes all the difference.”

Wynne said her improved relationship with Toronto city hall has already paid dividends for residents in the form of her government’s commitment to provide $2.8 billion in funding to electrify the Stouffville and Kitchener lines, which is needed for the completion of Tory’s SmartTrack proposal.

That project, Wynne noted, is an important thing” for both the city and the region and will make a big difference for Greater Toronto Area residents once completed.

“If we didn’t have a working relationship where we were able to figure out what the compromises are and how we implement this thing it would be a very bad thing,” she said of her work with Tory on the file.

New government in Ottawa a positive thing for Ontario

In addition to having a new person at the mayor’s desk in Toronto, the past year also brought about a change in government in Ottawa.

Though Wynne drew criticism from some for outwardly campaigning on behalf of Justin Trudeau and the federal Liberals during the lead-up to the election, she said that she is expecting her government and the province as a whole to benefit from the shakeup on Parliament Hill.

Former Prime Minister Stephen Harper had an increasingly adversarial relationship with Wynne, refusing to meet with her and publicly criticizing her government on a number of occasions.

“The big change will be that we have a relationship. The big change will be that when there is an issue that we need to resolve, whether it is sorting out the Syrian refugee process or investments in infrastructure or climate change, we will have a relationship and we will be able to find ways forward and find ways to work together,” she said.

Hydro One sale will ultimately be better for consumers

One of the most controversial decisions that Wynne made in 2015 was the partial sale of Hydro One.

Speaking with CP24 about that move, Wynne said that her government’s decision to sell 60 per cent of the crown corporation was “difficult” but she said that ultimately the opportunity to generate billions of dollars in revenue while potentially improving the operations of the company proved to be too alluring to pass up.

The premier also noted that by retaining 40 per cent of Hydro One and the ability to appoint a CEO, Ontarians will still have “control of big decisions.”

“It is a responsible measure motivated by the need to invest in infrastructure but the second thing is that Hydro One has not been a particularly well-run company,” she said. “Part of this initiative is that it will get us a better company because it will be more efficient, it will be run professionally and we will see improved service — that’s part of the mandate of the new board. That will be a benefit on top of the investments in infrastructure that we will be able to make.”

Government will look at labour system for teachers

Though the province was able to avoid any outright work stoppages in public schools, the last year was undoubtedly a rocky one when it came to the labour situation with teachers.

There were work-to-rule campaigns and local strikes that were later declared illegal and though the province ultimately reached agreements with all of the major teacher unions, the extended labour chaos left a bitter taste in the mouths of many stakeholders.

“It was a tough bargaining situation. We had said that there was no new money for compensation and that right out of the gate made it a difficult mandate,” Wynne admitted. “It was also a new process. We had legislation in place that we had worked with our education partners to develop that said there are certain things that will be bargained centrally and certain things bargained at the local level. That’s what we had all agreed to but we had never done it before, so we had a new system and no new money for bargaining. It was tough but we got through it.”

Wynne added that going forward her government will look at the bargaining process that was put in place for this round of negotiations but she said it is her belief that school boards have a important role to play in “terms of education policy and implementation at the local level” and should have a seat at the table.

“We have said that we will look at the legislation, Bill 122, and in the same ways that we worked with partners to create the legislation, we will work with them to make the changes that are necessary,” she promised.

Here are some of the other highlights of CP24’s one-on-one interview with the premier”

• Wynne said this summer’s Pan American Games were one of her favourite moments of 2015. She said that as a runner, watching Canadian sprinter Andre De Grasse win two gold medals at on the campus of York University was “thrilling.”
• The premier expects the implementation of a cap and trade system on greenhouse gas emissions to be one of the biggest issues facing the province in 2016. She said that officials with her government are already starting to work with companies but added that the design of the system still needs to be finalized.
• Wynne plans to run for re-election. “As long as I am healthy I will be running and I am feeling pretty healthy,” she told CP24.
• Over the past year, Wynne says she has gotten the most positive feedback on her government’s work on sexual harassment and sexual violence, specifically a series of commercials aimed at raising awareness.

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