Last Wednesday (30 April 2008) I attended Emera’s annual shareholders’ meeting. The senior management, led by CEO Chris Huskilson, could barely disguise their glee over the returns generated by Emera and NSPI for their shareholders.

What struck me as odd was the failure of senior management to recognize the death of an Emera employee—a person who truly fit the description of a gentleman, a selfless human being, and someone all Nova Scotians could be proud of—Jim Connors. When I asked Derek Oland, Emera’s Chairman, why nothing had been done to remember Jim during the meeting, the best he could say was, “We miss him very much.”. After I raised the issue, none of the senior management even offered to have a moment’s silence for Jim Connors.

I was disgusted.

I learnt more from that meeting about Emera’s senior management than I have from all their meetings I’ve attended over the past decade.

Submitted to Chronicle-Herald - 2 May 2008: Unpublished