HYDROGATE SUMMARY
In May 1992, Management gave a job in Ontario Hydro Technologies to somebody unrelated and unqualified, not me. I started a job challenge, but before the challenge was even heard, it was apparent that the Manager under question (Jim Brown) was scamming the Corporation, as well as other "sins". I asked the Vice-President of Human Resources (Dane MacCarthy) to investigate in early 1993. Dane called in Ontario Hydro’s Internal Audit, who promptly whitewashed the investigation (IA only interviewed one of my four witnesses, for example).
STAGE 1. Job Challenge; Internal "Mismanagement, Corruption and Fraud"
After chilling out for six months, I hired top level private investigators to produce smelly circumstantial evidence, but no criminal case as Ontario Hydro was distinctly shaky at the time. In two weeks, the PI’s had produced a case "one step short of criminal charges". In Spring 1994, I passed the case to the Chairman, international figure Maurice Strong.
STAGE 3. Implications of Criminal Fraud (PII)
Strong asked Arthur Anderson to investigate the case, which they did. During this period, my spouse died suddenly of leukemia, which radically altered my domestic position. Unfortunately, Hydro sent back a letter saying that the Arthur Anderson investigation had found nothing, which didn’t fit my evidence at all. After a Power Workers’ Union (not my union) intervention for humanitarian reasons, Maurice Strong threw his weight behind the Arthur Anderson report.
STAGE 4. Arthur Anderson (AA); STAGE 5. Management Response; STAGE 6. Power Workers Union Helps
More pushing on my part accidentally triggered a Fraud Squad investigation in mid 1995, accompanied by a new Chairman for Ontario Hydro. Management continued to bottle up the case. However, a second Fraud Squad investigation requested by myself indicated that the allegations were valid, though the figures were small. The Fraud Squad announced that they would do no further investigations. A letter to the new Chairman (Bill Farlinger) got me dismissed in November 1996.
STAGE 7. Fraud Squad I; STAGE 8. Minister Of Energy; STAGE 9. Fraud Squad II; STAGE 10. Dismissed!
My white-collar union (The "Society") put in for re-instatement, but not much happened for several months. During this period, I investigated the media (as suggested by the Fraud Squad), and went to Energy Probe about nuclear safety concerns in Pickering. Shortly after, Ontario Hydro shut down seven nuclear reactors and took a huge loss. Meanwhile, the case slowly picked up, with some enthusiasm from the media, and Ontario Hydro showing the Arthur Anderson report to the Society.
STAGE 11. The Society I; STAGE 12. The Fraud Squad III; STAGE 13. The Globe & Mail; STAGE 14. The Toronto Star; STAGE 15. Energy Probe; STAGE 16. CTV National
Unfortunately, my Society rep changed, from an honest one to a liar (union reps and lawyers are apparently well known for dubious behaviour). The Society rep and lawyer showed me the Arthur Anderson report in March 1998, and it was obviously a forgery: no names on the top or bottom, no signatures, no report number, no nothing. And the content was highly questionable, too. However, it was a very well written, smooth report, and had apparently fooled the Fraud Squad first time. The union lawyer was adamant that the report was valid; however, a call to Arthur Anderson showed clearly that no AA reports go out without names etc.
STAGE 17. The Society II; The Arthur Anderson Report
After the Society internal appeal procedure failed, the case went to the Ontario Labour Relations Board. With a thick case and big lawyers active for the Society/Ontario Hydro, the OLRB dumped the case rapidly. Faced with the problem of suing Ontario Hydro (who would do everything to stop me), or going public, the obvious solution is a Web site. And here we are….
STAGE 18. Ontario Labour Relations Board; STAGE 19. The World Wide Web