WHEREAS British Columbia Hydro (BC Hydro) is part of the industrial heritage of British Columbia created by former Premier W.A.C. Bennett who had the foresight to realize that the public ownership of our hydro-electric utility could provide innumerable benefits to British Columbians for many generations,

WHEREAS British Columbia Hydro provides low-cost clean energy to British Columbia residential, commercial and industrial consumers which is a competitive advantage we ought to preserve for public benefit and not for private benefit,

WHEREAS the history of BC Hydro shows that it has repatriated millions of dollars to the Crown thereby facilitating re-investment within the province to stimulate economic diversification and job creation,

WHEREAS the privatization and de-regulation of all or part of BC Hydro may likely cause a significant Canadian price increase and possible shortages of hydro-electricity in the provincial market, all to the detriment of BC consumers and the provincial economy,


WHEREAS the privatization and de-regulation of electric energy utilities in many other jurisdictions has led to significant price increases, energy shortages and general uncertainty in the energy sector,

WHEREAS Gordon Campbell and BC Liberals promised to the electorate that BC Hydro would not be sold and the electorate did rely on that promise when considering which party to cast their vote for during the last provincial election,

Now, therefore,


THE UNDERSIGNED, CITIZENS AND PEOPLES OF BRITISH COLUMBIA HEREBY PETITION THIS HONORABLE HOUSE TO:


Direct the Board of Directors of British Columbia Hydro to desist from all plans and efforts to privatize and de-regulate, in whole or in part, any of the assets of British Columbia Hydro, or in the alternative,

Create the BC Electrical Consumer's Co-operative (BCECC) by a special Statute of the Legislature, with membership and share purchase rights open to all BC Hydro consumers, and with a Board of Directors equally consisting of government appointees and democratically elected from the membership at large, and,

Direct the Board of Directors of BC Hydro to commence negotiations to forthwith transfer all of the assets of BC Hydro Corporation to the legally constituted BC Electrical Consumer's Co-operative.

DATED the 22nd day of April, 2002.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned


Peter P. Dimitrov, #1209-207 W. Hastings St. Vancouver, BC
V6B 1H7, [email protected] ______________________________