FW: Market Opening Initiatives

FYI

-----Original Message-----
From: Dadson, Aleck
Sent: Friday, September 14, 2001 11:41 AM
To: Milnthorp, Rob; Devries, Paul
Subject: Market Opening Initiatives

Just to update you on some initiatives we will be undertaking over the next several months re market opening:

continued contact with the Government side of the Legislature and key civil service personnel re pros/cons of market opening dates under consideration (I will likely ask you both and Garrett Tripp to attend some of these meetings depending on audience and subject).

contact with key personnel in Liberal caucus and staff to explain why it is important that market opening proceed in early 2002 ( a contact program is under way and I will likely be asking you both and Garrett Tripp to attend some of these meetings): our sense is that Liberals will not cause the Gov't problems on this issue and the object here is to ensure that this remains the case.

broader Province wide media effort - Richard Shapiro is committed to spending the week beginning October 8 in Ontario - he and I will be spending the week visiting/talking to media outlets across the Province about why Ontario must proceed with competition in in early 2002. I do not yet have the details of that "tour" but will provide them as soon as they are available.

contact with trade associations (not just the big ones like AMPCO etc. but the smaller less obvious ones like the independent grocers) with a view to explaining the benefits of competition and, in the best case, possibly replicating commercial opportunities comparable to that which has developed with the CFIG. Work is already under way on this and I would suggest that Jeff Borg work with me.

coordination, where possible and appropriate, with other stackholders such as TH, BE, TransAlta, Direct etc. As you know, those opportunities are going to be discussed at a meeting at TH next Tuesday morning. In my view, what is key is ensuring consistency of messaging re an early market opening, though there should be an opportunity to jointly fund a public education campaign re the benefits of competition (given that the gov't appears reluctant to do this itself).