New CEO named to Hydro

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This article was published 01/11/2018 (2674 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Manitoba government has appointed the first female head of Manitoba Hydro amid turmoil at the public utility and accusations that her mandate is privatization.

The government appointed Jay Grewal as president and CEO of Manitoba Hydro. She is currently president and CEO of Northwest Territories Power Corp.

Prior to that, Grewal was senior vice-president of Capstone Mining, a global intermediate mining company.

But it’s her earlier history at B.C. Hydro that the Opposition NDP targeted on Thursday.

Grewal is a former senior executive of B.C. Hydro and assisted in privatizing the public electricity giant, the NDP says. She then became managing director for Accenture, a private global management consulting firm, where she continued involvement in the energy sector.

“The appointment of Ms. Grewal is another sign that the Pallister government is setting the stage for the privatization of Manitoba Hydro,” NDP Leader Wab Kinew said in a statement.

“She worked with (former B.C. premier) Gordon Campbell to privatize parts of B.C. Hydro despite his promises to keep it public. Their actions led to huge payouts for corporate firms and higher bills for regular families. We can’t allow this to happen in Manitoba.”

Grewal refused to do interviews on Thursday, saying she is occupied with her current job.

Premier Brian Pallister dismissed the NDP’s claim that his government secretly intends to privatize Manitoba Hydro.

“Just because the NDP raises the same old tired boogeyman, whether on Halloween or the day after, doesn’t mean I have to spend a lot of my time responding to what they’re doing,” Pallister said.

Grewal was in a “junior position” when BC Hydro began outsourcing parts of its operations, and “wasn’t in a position of decision-making or on the lead of the file,” Pallister said.

“So making the accusation that Ms. Grewal is somehow a privatizer is just a massive stretch. And if you look at her record (at NTPC), it’s an incredible record of performance.”

Grewel is scheduled to take over Feb. 4, 2019, from Kelvin Shepherd, who is retiring.

Grewal will enter at a stormy time in Hydro’s history. It is facing a massive debt and is caught in a spat between the Manitoba Metis Federation and the provincial government.

The Métis federation has launched legal action after the province cancelled two agreements that would have paid the federation $87 million.

Meanwhile, Hydro’s debt load is so huge it has to borrow to pay operating costs. Hydro has racked up billions of dollars in debt building new generating stations and transmission lines. It is seeking nearly an eight per cent rate increase to put its financial house in order.

Grewal is a graduate of the University of British Columbia and also holds an MBA in finance from the University of Western Ontario. She has been active on a number of non-profit boards, including a board member of the B.C Business Council and the United Way Campaign Cabinet.

She is a past member of the U of BC Board of Governors where she chaired the finance committee, and past chair, energy division, of the B.C. Children’s Hospital Miracle Network.

“Ms. Grewal is a proven leader, with extensive senior leadership experience in the utility, resource and consulting sectors,” said Crown Services Minister Colleen Mayer in a written statement.

The appointment follows an extensive national and local search by the Manitoba Hydro-Electric Board.

The hiring must still be confirmed through a provincial government order in council.

bill.redekop@freepress.mb.ca