TORONTO - Four years after former premier Ernie Eves was ousted by the Liberals, in part because of how he managed a severe electricity crisis in 2003, the former Conservative leader now spends his time helping finance -- of all things -- alternative energy projects.
Relegated to the sidelines as the latest election battle plays out, Eves -- spotted Wednesday at a luncheon speech by former prime minister Brian Mulroney -- said he's "enjoying watching for a change.''
Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory has tried to distance himself from predecessors Mike Harris and Eves, who was often criticized for his handling of the energy file -- particularly following the massive blackout of August 2003.
Eves said he's standing behind Tory and his controversial proposal to publicly fund private religious schools, but he's hopeful the Conservative plan to merely clean up Ontario's coal-fired power plants is temporary.
"As an interim measure, I suppose putting scrubbers on them will do,'' he said. "But I hope eventually we can achieve not having them at all.''
Eves, who is now the chairman of a small investment bank that deals primarily in alternative energy projects, boasted that his Huntsville cottage is powered by solar and wind energy and is "totally off the grid,'' while his Caledon home is heated by geothermal energy.
Still, he admits it will be tough to get rid of the coal plants entirely, since coal accounts for a quarter of the province's energy supply.
No stranger to election campaigns, Eves agreed the most recent one started off slowly, perhaps because many families are busily dealing with the start of a new school year. But he said he expects it will pick up momentum after Thursday's debate.
Calling it a "pretty even race'' right now, Eves said he does not believe Tory's position on funding faith-based schools will be a detriment to the Conservative campaign. The public may simply misunderstand Tory's position on the subject, he said.
"I actually think it is the fair and equitable thing to do,'' said Eves, who himself campaigned on a proposal to offer a tax credit to the parents of children who attend private school.
"It's pretty easy to say that public education is going to suffer if we do this and I don't think that's true at all.''
He suggested the details of the plan can be tough to convey to the public, but he's confident Tory will be able to do it. Issues like the environment and the referendum on electoral reform should be getting more attention, he added.
The proposed mixed-member proportional system, which is being presented as an alternative to Ontario's current "first-past-the-post'' system, is anti-democratic, said Eves, who acknowledged his career may have taken a different turn four years ago had the system been in place then.
"I understand the frustration about proportional representation better than anybody,'' Eves said. "The last election I lost in 2003, we would have had 45 seats if we had done it on the basis of proportional representation.''
Eves urged his Conservative successor to "keep on doing what he's doing and be himself.''
It's something Eves himself had a tough time doing during the 2003 campaign, where he struggled to sell an aggressive Conservative agenda that was designed to appeal to Harris supporters.
"I think when you try to tailor your message to what you think people want to hear, or try to behave that way, I think you're hurting yourself.''
