Nothing but fun at Hydro One

"Hydro One" is the bastardized product of one of those neolib experiments in utility privatization.

As these privatization adventures go, this one hasn't worked out too badly for the workers, at least not yet.

At the pre-privatized Ontario Hydro, the place was known far and wide as a good gig. Wages were roughly double what they were in the local economy for the same trades. They were a union shop in the sweet spot, like cops and teachers, where your job couldn't be sent to Mexico or China.

There's been a crew working on the sideroad this week, pruning back the trees growing under the power lines. Not only are they well paid, these folks know how to have fun at work.

Yesterday I was astonished to see, from my perch on the porch, that the bucket truck had it's boom in the fully extended position. There's a Hydro One employee in that bucket, making that happen. He's about 30 feet above the actual power lines, and his job is to cut back the brush growing under those lines!

Today me and Bruno took a walk by the crew. They were taking a break, as chance would have it, so I had a opportunity to engage them in conversation.

Turns out the boom on that bucket has a reach of 55'. 

Where it's mounted on the truck is already 13' off the ground.

Buddy was surveying the scenery from a height of 68'!

Can you see Georgian Bay from there?

Oh Ya!

So now we know, all we have to do is build a six-storey addition to get that water view we've always wanted.