WINNIPEG — Manitoba Hydro has appointed new leadership just weeks after its president and CEO made public comments that were at odds with the provincial government.
The Crown corporation on Tuesday announced Jay Grewal is leaving the utility after five years in the position, effective immediately.
In late January, Grewal told the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce the province could need new energy generation as early as 2029 and planned to reach out to independent producers for wind energy and other sources. Grewal also said Hydro would be open to charging consumers different rates at different times of the day.
The NDP government has since made it clear it is opposed to both of those ideas.
The Manitoba Hydro-Electric board appointed Hal Turner as the company’s interim president and CEO. Turner joined Manitoba Hydro in 1995.
Board chair Ben Graham said the utility is at a critical juncture, facing key decisions on how best to meet Manitoba’s energy needs in the future, and the board decided it was time for a fresh perspective on those decisions.
“One of the board’s most important responsibilities is to ensure we have the leadership in place to successfully guide Manitoba Hydro into the future and keep life affordable for Manitobans,” Graham
said.
“On behalf of the board, I want to thank Jay Grewal for her contribution to the utility. She helped steer Hydro through a global pandemic and other significant changes.”
Canadian consulting firm MNP is assisting Hydro with an internal and external search for a new president and CEO.
— With files from The Canadian Press
