TORONTO - The Ontario government has introduced legislation that would prevent a strike or lockout at one of the province's major power utilities, a move its says is necessary to avoid power outages over the holidays.
Labour Minister Laurie Scott says that if passed, the bill would send the dispute between the Power Workers' Union and Ontario Power Generation to arbitration.
The Progressive Conservatives reconvened the legislature Monday, just over a week after lawmakers rose for their winter break, to table the bill that would stop job action at the utility.
The move has been criticized by the official Opposition, who say the province didn't even wait for the strike to begin before threatening to force workers back on the job.
NDP Leader Andrea Horwath says the province had other options available, but ``went straight to the biggest hammer available, which is back-to-work legislation.''
Green party Leader Mike Schreiner, meanwhile, said he looked forward to reviewing the details of the legislation and hoped it would respect the bargaining process.