Most readers of this blog will have heard that Jimmy Lai was recently convicted by the Government of China on a variety of trumped-up charges. I am not turning this into a geo-political blog, I am raising this because there is a very strong connection between Jimmy Lai and Niagara-on-the-Lake and because there are some important reminders for the electricity industry.
For anyone not familiar with him, Jimmy Lai is a 78-year-old business mogul based in Hong Kong. One of his holdings is Apple Daily which was the last pro-democracy newspaper to operate in Hong Kong. He may also be connected to some of the pro-democracy activities in Hong Kong which have been shut down by the Government of China. It is due to this that the Government of China has jailed and now convicted him. It should be noted that Jimmy Lai had lots of opportunities to leave Hong Kong, and certainly the means, but chose to stay.
Another of his holdings is Lais Hotel Properties Limited (Lais). Lais owns a number of upscale hotels and restaurants in Niagara-on-the-Lake including the Pillar and Post Inn, Queen’s Landing and the Prince of Wales Hotel. Jimmy Lai was intimately involved in the management of Lais. For many years the business was run by his sister, Si Wai Lai, who continues to live in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
Last month, the G7 met in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Many locals and visitors, including members of Jimmy Lai’s extended family and the Lord Mayor of Niagara-on-the-Lake, held a rally calling for his release. There are lots of people who have much more knowledge and insight into Jimmy Lai and Lais so I will not try to go any deeper other than to say we support any discussions that our government, or other free countries’ governments, have with the Government of China to seek his release under terms that are acceptable to Mr. Lai.
What I will relate is one of the dealings we had with Lais as their electricity provider. In 2019, the Government of Ontario introduced the Ontario Electricity Rebate (OER) that provided a discount on the electricity bill for residents and small businesses. Some consultants discovered a loophole with the OER; if a hotel claimed they had someone living full time at the hotel they could claim the rebate. That loophole has since been closed but for a while the consultants brought this to hotels across Ontario. Some hotels in Niagara-on-the-Lake took advantage of this discount. Lais refused to do so. That said something to me about their integrity.
There is a more important lesson for the electricity industry in Ontario. Jimmy Lai was convicted because he got on the wrong side of the totalitarian regime that currently governs China. The electricity industry in Ontario, like most industries, is going through some upheaval due to the actions of the current administration in the United States. As a result, the Government of Ontario is encouraging, and mandating where possible, a Buy Canadian policy. I support this as per my blog https://www.notlhydro.com/buying-canadian-electricity/ . However, we need to ensure we maintain perspective. As bad as things are with the administration south of the border and however much we want to react to the threats, let’s not do so by buying from and supporting a country that is so much worse. Buying Canadian is a good idea. Buying Chinese instead of American is not.
One final note on this topic. The electricity industry in Ontario and Canada has always maintained very high standards in terms of the equipment used. This is mostly driven by the environment in which our equipment operates but also by the Canadian mentality of prudence. Cheaper is not better if it fails more and has to be replaced quicker. As a result, the equipment used on the distribution grids tends to be from North American or European manufacturers as they meet these standards. This is certainly the case at NOTL Hydro and will continue to be the case.