Almost the entire board of directors for Manitoba Hydro has stepped down.
All nine non-government members of the Crown corporation’s board resigned on March 21.
The main cause of the issue is an inability of the board to work with the sitting government, stemming from a vetoed $70 million payment to the Manitoba Métis Federation. The payment would allow Hydro to build a transmission line into the United States over Métis land. Premier Brian Pallister denied the payment after the Hydro board approved it.
Five new members have already been appointed to the board, mostly Winnipeg-based businesspeople and lawyers. The provincial government appointed the now-outgoing Hydro board after the Progressive Conservatives (PC) came to power in 2016.
Only one member, PC MLA Cliff Graydon, remains on the board.
It is unclear if the resignations will cause any issues with the group’s two major construction projects, the Keeyask generating station and the Bipole III transmission line. It’s also unknown if the resignations will have any affect on Manitoba Hydro’s proposed 7.9 per cent rate increase, which is currently under review by the provincial Public Utilities Board.
