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Political Science Public Affairs & Administration

Hydro

The Decline and Fall of Ontario’s Electric Empire

by (author) Jamie Swift & Keith Stewart

Publisher
Between the Lines
Initial publish date
Oct 2004
Category
Public Affairs & Administration, Environmental Conservation & Protection, General
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9781896357881
    Publish Date
    Oct 2004
    List Price
    $24.95
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781926662527
    Publish Date
    Oct 2004
    List Price
    $16.99

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Description

“Nothing is going to go wrong.”

-Mike Harris, 2001

Privatization of power soon became one of the biggest political disasters in Ontario history. Hydro reveals a train wreck that was decades in the making. First there was blind faith in the nuclear option, steeped in ecological arrogance. Then came the promise of marketplace magic.

Jamie Swift and Keith Stewart tell the tale of how it unfolded. It’s a dramatic story of the greed, intrigue, and resistance that led to the dismantling of Canada’s largest crown corporation. A crucial part of the story is how Ontario ignored thirty years of green arguments for conservation and renewable energy.

Based on interviews with former premiers, Hydro insiders, and grassroots activists, Hydro will intrigue anyone wondering how to keep the lights on without frying the planet.

About the authors

Kingston writer Jamie Swift is the author of a dozen books, most recently The Vimy Trap, or How We Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Great War (with Ian McKay), finalist for the Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing and the Canadian Historical Association Prize for the Best Scholarly Book in Canadian History. He has held the Michener Foundation fellowship for public service journalism and was a longtime documentary producer for CBC-Radio’s “Ideas.” In addition to the writing life, he is a social justice advocate. He taught “Critical Perspectives on Business” at the Smith School of Business, Queen’s University for many years.

Jamie Swift's profile page

Keith Stewart's profile page