WHY DOES HYDRO WANT TO BUY COSTA RICAN JUNGLE?

WHY DOES HYDRO WANT TO BUY COSTA RICAN JUNGLE?

Thomas Walkom

Queen's Park

May 1994

There is surely a good reason why Ontario Hydro is contemplating the purchase of 12,500 hectares of jungle in Costa Rica.

Yesterday, government and Hydro officials were scrambling to find out what that reason is.

The Hydro jungle scheme first surfaced yesterday in the Legislature when Tory MPP Chris Stockwell read a little snippet from the publication COSTA RICA.

According to that newsletter, Costa Rica's government has received "an offer from the Canadian electric company Ontario Hydro to buy 12,500 hectares next to Corcovado National Park and add it to the area for environmental preservation."

Stockwell said the Tories had been told the land in question is worth between $10 million and $12 million.

Energy Minister Bud Wildman told Stockwell he bad no idea why Hydro would want to buy jungle in Costa Rica but that he'd try to find out.

Later, he told reporters that David Hopper, head of Hydro's international operations, knew nothing about the jungle deal.

However, Ontario Hydro spokesman Terry Young told The Star yesterday that there have been discussions between Hydro and Costa Rica but that no deal has yet been signed.

Why Costa Rica?

"It's an interest we have in testing opportunities to offset greenhouse gas emissions," Young said. "It's because of the trees. Trees sequester carbon dioxide."

What Young seemed to be saying was that the crown corporation wants to preserve the Central American jungle to offset the world production of carbon dioxide.

Ontario Hydro itself creates carbon dioxide through its coal-fired generating stations. Such emissions form a blanket around the Earth that traps heat, leading to higher temperatures.This is the so-called greenhouse effect.

Young said no decision has been made as to whether Hydro would buy the entire 12,500 hectare forest, or indeed whether it would do anything.

He said the deal is being handled directly by Hydro Chairman Maurice Strong.

He said he did not know if Strong, who was on his way from Japan yesterday, still had business interests in Costa Rica.

This is not the first time that the New Democratic government has been blindsided by the peripatetic Strong.

Hired in 1992, the 65-year-old energy entrepreneur has been given free rein by [Rhodes Scholar] Premier [of Ontario] Bob Rae.

As a young man Strong was a frequent visitor at the home of diplomat Saul Rae, the Premier's father. Rae still has fond memories of "Uncle Mo".

Since then, Strong has emerged as one of the most intriguing figures on the international stage, operating in the interstices between politics and business.

As journalist Elaine Dewar pointed out in a revealing 1992 SATURDAY NIGHT piece, Strong's signature has been the "mingling of public and private in the cause of public policy."

His business arrangements have been so complicated they make the head spin. Strong's deals have involved U.S. oil interests, Saudi arms merchant Adnan Kashoggi, Canada's Power Corp. and the man who is now federal Finance Minister, Paul Martin.

Under the Trudeau Liberals, Strong headed up key federal crown corporations, most notably Petro-Canada and the Canada Development Investment Corp.

He's been chosen twice by the United Nations to run environmental summits and is still head of some thing called the World Earth Council.

In his spare time, Strong has supported New Age movements in the U.S. and has helped finance a second Ark in preparation for the next Deluge. Strong also has had business dealings in Costa Rica. One of his most recent Costa Rican adventures pitted him against an Indian tribe which accused him of trying to build a hotel on native land.

So when Costa Rica's new president-elect, Jose Mana Figueres, came to Ottawa on an unofficial visit this year, it made perfect sense that he should talk to Strong and Hydro.

An official from the Costa Rican embassy, who asked not to be identified, said the meeting between Figueres and "the president of Hydro" took place in late April but that talk of ajungle purhcase was "just speculation."

He also said a Hydro-Costa Rica deal could be announced soon.

If any other government were in power, the notion of an Ontario crown corporation buyingg a jungle in Central America would seem an impossible absurdity.

But this is the NDP. And Hydro is run by Maurice Strong. So while the notion may still be absurd, it certainly is not impossible.

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Hey, isn't this becoming yummy! An "unusual", shadowy, world-moulding, New-Agey billionaire, tied in to all the Elite groups, buying jungle on a whim with public money in Central America? Why doesn't the U.S. have nice, clean, whacky scandals like this, PG-rated, with not even a hint of sex and violence?But, wait! It gets even better. And you're just going to love the ending! [Hey, kids! Keep working on finding out who this mysterious FAMOUS PERSON really is!
Okay, folks, you're all hanging in admirably well. First, this hilariously sardonic commentary on Maurice Strong's "jungle fund"; and then the staggering aftershock! Now, I want to make just one thing perfectly clear first. We in Canada take full responsibility for the tootsie-freezing Winter winds we send down to the States. Heck, we're even proud of them, and manufacture them for you with extra-special care. But we take no responsibility for Maurice Strong, who is clearly an Force of Nature, on a Cosmic scale. SO DON'T BLAME US IN THE FUTURE. Right? We DISOWN ALL RESPONSIBILITY FOR HIM!
Having made that clear, let's proceed through the following comments to the terrifying climax!