A visit to Chatham this week by Premier Kathleen Wynne saw her greeted by protesters.
In a surprise move, she stopped and heard their concerns about rising hydro rates, the selling off of public assets, and, hat they call unfair workers pension and severance laws.
Jordan McGrail of OPSEU is concerned about Hydro One being sold to private owners, but the premier says taxpayers will retain 40% of it and the revenue will go to build desperately needed infrastructure like roads.
"We are building assets with all the money that came in from the broadening of the ownership of Hydro One and it's being made into a better company. We've had this conversation for some months. We're going to continue to build roads and bridges and transit across the province. That's our commitment and that's what we're doing," said Wynne.
Roughly two dozens protesters greeted the premier at the Chatham Museum on Thursday.
Wynne says the province needs infrastructure and that's a top priority.
"I'm very clear that public assets are very important and we need to have the right assets for the right time. We don't have the infrastructure in this province that we need and that's why we're building more," the premier said.
Aaron Neaves of Unifor says Ontario needs a workers first legislation when it comes to pensions and severance and the Premier agrees.
"When we see CEO's of Sears getting $9.7-million for retention bonuses and the workers going to the back of the line, we certainly need a workers first legislation," says Neaves.
