Greg Kyllo says he had 45 minutes to digest the details of an unanticipated report critical of the former BC Liberal government’s support of public-private energy, before having to answer to the media.
“It was a hatchet job,” says Kyllo of the B.C. government commission report, Zapped - A review of BC Hydro’s Purchase of Power from Independent Power Producers conducted for the Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources, that was released mid-February.
The report claims long-term contracts with independent power producers signed by the former Liberal government had left BC Hydro ratepayers on the hook for more than $16 billion over 20 years. The reason Kyllo was being contacted by media for comment was that back in November, Liberal leader Andrew Wilkinson had appointed him to be the Opposition’s critic for BC Hydro.
“I just got back to my apartment at about 20 after 7 and I got a call saying this report was coming out,” said Kyllo, noting within 10 minutes of the call, news of the report had already reached the Internet. “It was about a 90-page report, I hadn’t even had a chance to see the report, I didn’t know it was coming and now the media are calling, wanting a response. So it was a little bit stressful to say the least.
“I had to kind of get a Coles Notes version and do a quick read of the report and by 8 o clock, in about 45 minutes, I was on the phone with CBC and CKNL and a number of radio stations providing the counter-narrative to the report that government had dropped.”
Kyllo said the report was not commissioned by the government through the typical tendering process, and was a surprise to himself, his party and British Columbians. He adds it was released the day before it was revealed BC Hydro rates would go up 8.1 per cent over the next five years.
“The government was looking for a reason and an excuse… to blame the woes of BC Hydro on the previous government and somehow used that as ammunition to try to justify rate increases,” said Kyllo. “You may recall in the 2017 election that John Horgan and the NDP government, they announced and professed they would be actually freezing hydro rates in B.C. And, as it turned out, in order to be, I think, respectful of the BC Utilities Commission, that did not occur.”
Kyllo says he’s waiting for an opportunity to question the energy minister and press for answers about the procurement process and whether the province stands behind the findings of the report, which has been denounced by Clean Energy BC, a body that represents the province’s private power providers.
“It’s unfortunate, it makes it hard to do the job of Opposition when you get blindsided by things like this, when you see reports and information that are put together for purely partisan political purposes – and it’s misinformation,” said Kyllo with a sigh, adding that despite being thrown to the wolves fairly early into the job as BC Hydro critic, he’s grateful for the opportunity.
“I’m not giving up. We’ll just keep going at it…,” said Kyllo.
Being deputy whip isn’t nearly as complicated, but it does keep the Shuswap MLA busy, helping Opposition whip and Vernon-Monashee MLA Eric Foster make sure their fellow Opposition members are organized and ready to speak on various bills as the need arises.
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“There’s a lot of interaction with all of my colleagues just to identify who is interested in speaking, who might have interest in different bills before the house and making sure they have appropriate speaking notes and the opportunity to fit within the house schedule…,” said Kyllo, who is also tasked with identifying with topics on the top of minds of British Columbians for conversation in the House during the Monday morning time allotted for private member’s motions and statements.
“A lot of the work is directly with my colleagues so there’s a lot of interaction with my MLA colleagues which is fantastic… I’ve got a great relationship with all my colleagues,” said Kyllo.
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