ONTARIO HYDRO RESEARCH/TECHNOLOGIES
This is/was Ontario Hydro’s R&D arm, with about 600 people in 1996 in south west Toronto. The name was changed from Ontario Hydro Research Division (OHRD) to Ontario Hydro Technologies (OHT) with the Maurice Strong re-structuring. OHT provides technical support to Ontario Hydro’s Nuclear, Thermal and Hydraulic Generation Divisions, plus Distribution, end-use, and more recently Alternative Energy. Half OHT’s budget came from Nuclear, in one form or other.
In the CANDU nuclear field, OHT nominally competes with AECL Chalk River Laboratories, plus external labs. About three quarters of OHT’s income comes from OH Head Office in one form or other, and this is "controlled". The balance comes from external contracts and directly from the stations, and these sources are "competitive".
With the Maurice Strong restructuring, OHT also put in place a matrix management system. As predicted by the "workers", this system proved to be a disaster, with sky-rocketing rates, unbelievable bureaucracy and major inefficiencies. Apparently this matrix system has been changed since I was dismissed.
OHT seems to be sliding downhill rapidly. Last I heard (April 1999), OHT had about 350 people left, with nobody under 35. Management is trying hard to sell it, at a low cost, to some consortium. Jim Brown has been President since Derek Cornthwaite left (probably involuntarily), though Jim is not seen too much these days. Apparently, Al Kupcis is active trying to sell the Division. Sounds like leaving was almost a good plan …