North of the border a controversy is starting to gain steam in the nation's largest city, Toronto. The city has proposed a by-law that would make 'green roofs' mandatory in new construction of condos higher than 7 storeys and office or retail complexes greater than 54,000 square feet (about 1/4 of a Wal-Mart Supercenter). The proposed law would require 30-60% of the surface area of buildings' roofs to be green (depending on the size of the building) and violators would be subject to fines up to $100,000.  Full story »

Eighty years ago, Adam Beck, who began the great enterprise we call Hydro, argued for an electrified transportation sector...In 1915, he organized a march on the legislature to present a resolution asking the provincial government for a subsidy of $3500 per mile for his municipal Hydro railway scheme. By the 1930s, Hydro was operating electric railways in this province.  Full story »

Some Ontarians don't understand why they should conserve electricity, as Ontario Premier Ernie Eves implores them to do. For these dunderheads, let me connect the dots. 1. Eves's price freeze caused consumption to rise.

Credit: Andrew Barr, National Post  Full story »

Rooftop power plants are sprouting in California, a state that has suffered from volatile power costs and electricity shortages, and before the end of the year, they'll be sprouting in New York and New Jersey. By the end of next year, they may have come to electricity-challenged Ontario, where another botched deregulation is leading to wildly fluctuating prices, brownouts and threats of California-style rolling blackouts.  Full story »

I am writing to correct some false assertions you made in a recent editorial (Tilting at Windmills, Jan. 2).  Full story »

Thank you for inviting me to this Roundtable discussion, and for giving me the opportunity to discuss why Ontario Hydro should be broken up and privatized to create a competitive electricity sector.  Full story »

Submission to the National Energy Board  Full story »

WANTED: One million investors to put up $2,000 each to finance risky venture. Investors must be willing to wait until the year 2001 for first profits. If interest rates and value of dollar do not perform as forecast to the year 2005, profits may never materialize.

This want ad hasn't appeared in any newspaper, but the venture described, the construction of a massive hydro dam to sell electricity to the U.S., is proceeding at full power.  Full story »

"Light up your home for only $1.05 of electricity," advertises Noma, Canada's leader in Christmas lighting.  Full story »

In the 1970s and 1980s, T. Boone Pickens made millions as a corporate raider through takeovers of poorly managed corporations. In the process, he became scorned throughout the world.

In the 1990s and 2000s, Pickens upped his take to billions, and this time without suffering public scorn. The former greenmailer became known as an environmentalist and, instead of raiding corporations, he to­ok to raiding government treasuries.  Full story »