Toronto Hydro workers raise eyebrows at RIDE check

TORONTO - Social media lit up after Toronto Hydro workers were spotted Monday night helping out at a RIDE spot check.

The event drew online comments such as “Don’t worry, the OT costs will be hidden in the hydro bill” and “One city department helping put double-time-and-a-half hours under the tree of another city department!”

Toronto Hydro spokesman Tori Gass said hydro workers handed out flashlights to sober drivers.

“It’s just something that we were doing because we see a lot of hydro poles and street lights get hit by drunk drivers,” Gass said Tuesday. “And so it was an opportunity for us to support the police in their efforts to combat drunk driving. It’s something that a lot of organizations actually do.”

Hydro workers spent two hours at a Toronto Police RIDE stop at Dufferin St. and Hwy. 401, Gass said.

Costs, if any, were minimal, she noted.

“I didn’t get paid — I was there,” Gass said. “There might have been a couple of crew members who were on duty but they were only there for a short time and they were able to be called away any time they needed to be.”

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