区域能源”背后之真相（II）
MDEI energy costs unjustified for consumers
来源: Bob Mok
“区域能源”在万锦市取代了传统能源系统，成为为市区建筑物提供冷暖能源的新型供应源。MDEI是控制了万锦市区域能源供应的私营公司。但是据Bob Mok的专栏文章披露，MDEI的公司在管理系统上存在利益冲突，且MDEI的能源费用随消费指数的复合增长率而逐年上涨，而消费者却不得不为这过高的能源支出而买单。此文为“区域能源”系列文章的第二部分。欲参照前文可以点击: http://chinesenewsgroup.com/news/25157
“District Energy”, a new energy source for heating and cooling of buildings, has replaced traditional energy system in Markham. MDEI is a private company that controls Markham district energy supply. But Bob Mok’s column reveals that conflict of interest exists in the MDEI corporate governance and that consumers are paying excessive energy costs that grow at annual compound rate of CPI. This is the second instalment of a series of articles on “District Energy”. For readers who want to review the earlier article, they can go to: http://chinesenewsgroup.com/news/25157
我们欢迎读者登陆www.096.ca网站发表评论。
Readers are welcomed to make comments on the column by logon to www.096.ca
MDEI公司属万锦市府所有，因此其也属于万锦市所有居民和纳税人共同拥有。但是由于该公司在14年前是以“私营公司”的形式创立，从而其财务数据可以对公众秘而不宣。因此许多业主不知实情，对该公司的财务状况也一无所知。
MDEI is owned by the City of Markham. Therefore, it is owned by all of the residents and ratepayers of the City of Markham. Many of its owners are not aware of this fact or of the financial status of this Company because it was initially set up as a “Private Company” 14 years ago and as such its financial figures can be and have been shielded from the public.
万锦居民和纳税人不知道MDEI的首席执行官或高管拿多少薪水，也不知道该公司是赚钱还是赔钱，其资产是增加还是减少。同样，他们也不会知道该公司负债几何，更不清楚这些债务会给纳税人带来多少风险。由于该公司14年来从未发布过此类信息，甚至连一份年报都没有，人们根本无从知晓该公司是否运作良好。MDEI打着“私营公司”的幌子实现了屏蔽信息的目的。
Markham residents and ratepayers will not know how much the MDEI Chief Executive Officer (CEO) or senior staff members are paid. They will not know whether the Corporation is making or losing money, or if its assets are increasing or decreasing. Likewise they will not know how much debt the company has and how much that debt puts them as taxpayers at risk. One does not know if the company is being well run or not, because in 14 years the company has not released any such information, not even an annual report. The concept of shielding information from the public using a “private company” serves its purpose.
有趣的是，在上一届及现任的MDEI八名董事会成员中，有五人都是在任万锦市市议员，还有一人是前市议员。虽然新一届市议会上台后尚未重新甄选MDEI 董事会成员，但基于过往的经验，预期也会以类似的方式进行任命。
What is interesting is that in the last term of Council and currently, five of the eight members sitting on the Board of Directors of MDEI are also councillors sitting on Markham Council and another Director is an ex-councillor. Members of the MDEI Board of Directors have not yet been selected for the new term of Council but based on past history, a similar pattern of appointments is expected.
拥有五名市议员成员的MDEI董事会决定向市议会申请资金以帮助其发展，并为万锦市府的一些建筑提供区域能源服务。而有五名市议员兼任MDEI董事的万锦市议会则在过去14年间投票通过从联邦汽油税基金中拨款逾$4000万元资助MDEI。而这些钱本可用于投资暴雨水管等急需完善的基础设施，以防止洪水泛滥。
The MDEI Board of Directors meets with its 5 City councilors and decides to ask City Council for money for growth and to serve some City of Markham buildings with district energy. Markham Council with its 5 MDEI Board Directors sitting as councillors, meets and over the last 14 years has voted over $40 million of public money from Federal Gas Tax Funding alone to MDEI. This money could have been spent on badly needed infrastructure such as stormsewers to prevent flooding.
但是，兼任MDEI董事会成员的五名市议员显然身处利益冲突之中。作为董事会成员，他们应该投票支持公款资助以盈利为目的的“私营”公司MDEI，还是身为纳税人利益代表的市议员的他们，应该投票支持政府投资暴雨水管和其他防洪设施？这五名市议员能一仆侍二主么？显然不能。在他们每次不得不就MDEI的要求进行投票时，都会为究竟该服务于哪一个主人而困扰，因为他们只能有一个选择。
The appointment of city councillors to the Board of Directors of MDEI sets up a conflict for the 5 councillors. Should they vote public money to go to MDEI, a "private" for profit company, after all this is what they requested as board members, or should they look after the taxpayers they represent on Council by voting that public money to be used for stormsewers and flood prevention. Can the 5 councillors serve both masters? Obviously they cannot.Each time they have to vote on a MDEI request, they are conflicted as to which master they will serve; they can only vote one way.
此外，万锦市议会还决定将一些社区中心和市政建筑纳入MDEI的能源供应网络。这些设施包括万锦市政厅, 99号消防队, 康奈尔社区中心和图书馆。最近，万锦泛美中心以及万锦市和TO2015的一个共建项目也被纳入其中。
Markham City Council members also make decisions to hook up Community Centres and municipal buildings to the MDEI grid at the City Council. These facilities are: The Civic Centre, Fire Station#99, and Cornell Community Centre and Library. Recently, this list has expanded to include the Markham Pan Am Centre, a shared capital project between the City of Markham and TO2015.
MDEI的收入来自与他们客户的能源协议-每月的”固定容量收费“ (FCC)相乘以消费物价指数（CPI - 安大略省物价消费指数）和一个基于量度实际使用能源量的“消耗费”。这个“量度”额是根据冬季采暖的天然气和夏季制冷的电力消费而根据MDEI设定的公式计算出来的。还有一个收入来自公共建筑客户交纳前期付款，这笔以百万元计资金用以减少每月FCC支出及根据协议向市府所缴纳的整体运行费用。
The revenue stream for MDEI comes from 2 areas in their Energy Agreements with their clients – a monthly Fixed Capacity Charge “FCC” that is multiplied by the Consumer Price Index (CPI – Ontario all items) and a “consumption fee” that is based on the actual use of energies measured. This “metered” measurement is converted into gas and electricity equivalence for winter heating and summer cooling respectively using formulas set out by MDEI. There is also a third source of revenue with public buildings and that is millions of dollars of capital costs paid upfront in order to reduce the monthly FCC and overall operating cost to the City on those agreements.
人们可将FCC收费视作对管道，设备，和能源工厂的一部分的基建成本按揭还款。但是和按揭贷款不同的是，按揭贷款的本金是随着月还款额的增加而减少，而FCC收费实际上是基于CPI的复合年率不断增长。
One can look at the FCC as some kind of infrastructure cost mortgage payment for the pipes, the equipment as well as part of the energy plant. Unlike a mortgage where the principal reduces as monthly payments are made over the life of the agreement, the FCC actually increases and compounds annually based on the CPI.
CPI实际上是通货膨胀的指示器，其几乎从未出现过负值（通缩）。在过去五年里，CPI从0.4%上升至3.1%，每年平均值为1.7%。此外，如果客户消耗的能源量超出协议最初约定的容量，FCC收费也会上涨。以期限为20年的协议为例，预计最后一年的FCC月费会比第一年增长39.5%。
The CPI is actually an indicator of inflation and almost never runs into negative (deflation). Over the last 5 years, the CPI ranged from 0.4 to 3.1% and averaged 1.7% per year. The FCC can also increase if the client is consuming an amount of energy exceeding the designed and agreed capacity initially stipulated. Over the life of a 20 year agreement, the FCC monthly rate for the last year is projected to increase by 39.5% from the first payment.
MDEI的FCC收费意味着客户的建筑可以避免安装传统的锅炉和制冷设备而产生的所有成本，其中包括一次性先期投资、运作、维护、维修及更换费用、以及在能源协议期限内必须确保的相关设备磨损费等。由此看来转换或选择区域能源服务似乎是明智的选择，但事实真是如此么？
MDEI’s FCC cost represents the cost avoidance of the total of ownership of a traditional boiler and chiller at the client's building, including one time up front capital, operating, maintenance, repair and replacement, and associated equipment space over the life of the Energy Agreement. This supposedly justifies switching or selecting District Energy. But, is it justified?
由于相关的估算值都是由MDEI准备和提供，因此，除非他们自己有第三方顾问公司提供独立的研究报告，人们只能去相信这个事实上的垄断者所提供的与其所设FCC费用“相当”的数字。但如果你是开发商，你会愿意花钱花时间去这样做请顾问公司吗？
Since the estimates are prepared and provided by MDEI, one has to believe in the “equivalency” figures in setting up the FCC by this virtual monopoly unless they have their own third party consultants to provide them with independent studies. If you were a developer, would you spend money and time to get this done?
MDEI的协议通常都是由开发商的空壳公司签署，然后再通过共管公寓条约转至共管公寓管理公司。共管公寓管理公司的董事会别无选择只能遵守协议条款，并按规定支付非常高昂的月费。
The agreement is typically signed by the developer’s shell company and then passed onto the building’s Condominium Corporation through the Condominium Declaration. The Condominium Corporation’s Board of Directors will have no choice but to pick up the agreement terms and pay the very expensive monthly charges stipulated on it!
下一次，我们将继续探讨“区域能源”系统的其他业务运作。
Next time, we will continue our discussion on other aspects of “District Energy” operations.
“District Energy”, a new energy source for heating and cooling of buildings, has replaced traditional energy system in Markham. MDEI is a private company that controls Markham district energy supply. But Bob Mok’s column reveals that conflict of interest exists in the MDEI corporate governance and that consumers are paying excessive energy costs that grow at annual compound rate of CPI. This is the second instalment of a series of articles on “District Energy”. For readers who want to review the earlier article, they can go to: http://chinesenewsgroup.com/news/25157
我们欢迎读者登陆www.096.ca网站发表评论。
Readers are welcomed to make comments on the column by logon to www.096.ca
MDEI公司属万锦市府所有，因此其也属于万锦市所有居民和纳税人共同拥有。但是由于该公司在14年前是以“私营公司”的形式创立，从而其财务数据可以对公众秘而不宣。因此许多业主不知实情，对该公司的财务状况也一无所知。
MDEI is owned by the City of Markham. Therefore, it is owned by all of the residents and ratepayers of the City of Markham. Many of its owners are not aware of this fact or of the financial status of this Company because it was initially set up as a “Private Company” 14 years ago and as such its financial figures can be and have been shielded from the public.
万锦居民和纳税人不知道MDEI的首席执行官或高管拿多少薪水，也不知道该公司是赚钱还是赔钱，其资产是增加还是减少。同样，他们也不会知道该公司负债几何，更不清楚这些债务会给纳税人带来多少风险。由于该公司14年来从未发布过此类信息，甚至连一份年报都没有，人们根本无从知晓该公司是否运作良好。MDEI打着“私营公司”的幌子实现了屏蔽信息的目的。
Markham residents and ratepayers will not know how much the MDEI Chief Executive Officer (CEO) or senior staff members are paid. They will not know whether the Corporation is making or losing money, or if its assets are increasing or decreasing. Likewise they will not know how much debt the company has and how much that debt puts them as taxpayers at risk. One does not know if the company is being well run or not, because in 14 years the company has not released any such information, not even an annual report. The concept of shielding information from the public using a “private company” serves its purpose.
有趣的是，在上一届及现任的MDEI八名董事会成员中，有五人都是在任万锦市市议员，还有一人是前市议员。虽然新一届市议会上台后尚未重新甄选MDEI 董事会成员，但基于过往的经验，预期也会以类似的方式进行任命。
What is interesting is that in the last term of Council and currently, five of the eight members sitting on the Board of Directors of MDEI are also councillors sitting on Markham Council and another Director is an ex-councillor. Members of the MDEI Board of Directors have not yet been selected for the new term of Council but based on past history, a similar pattern of appointments is expected.
拥有五名市议员成员的MDEI董事会决定向市议会申请资金以帮助其发展，并为万锦市府的一些建筑提供区域能源服务。而有五名市议员兼任MDEI董事的万锦市议会则在过去14年间投票通过从联邦汽油税基金中拨款逾$4000万元资助MDEI。而这些钱本可用于投资暴雨水管等急需完善的基础设施，以防止洪水泛滥。
The MDEI Board of Directors meets with its 5 City councilors and decides to ask City Council for money for growth and to serve some City of Markham buildings with district energy. Markham Council with its 5 MDEI Board Directors sitting as councillors, meets and over the last 14 years has voted over $40 million of public money from Federal Gas Tax Funding alone to MDEI. This money could have been spent on badly needed infrastructure such as stormsewers to prevent flooding.
但是，兼任MDEI董事会成员的五名市议员显然身处利益冲突之中。作为董事会成员，他们应该投票支持公款资助以盈利为目的的“私营”公司MDEI，还是身为纳税人利益代表的市议员的他们，应该投票支持政府投资暴雨水管和其他防洪设施？这五名市议员能一仆侍二主么？显然不能。在他们每次不得不就MDEI的要求进行投票时，都会为究竟该服务于哪一个主人而困扰，因为他们只能有一个选择。
The appointment of city councillors to the Board of Directors of MDEI sets up a conflict for the 5 councillors. Should they vote public money to go to MDEI, a "private" for profit company, after all this is what they requested as board members, or should they look after the taxpayers they represent on Council by voting that public money to be used for stormsewers and flood prevention. Can the 5 councillors serve both masters? Obviously they cannot.Each time they have to vote on a MDEI request, they are conflicted as to which master they will serve; they can only vote one way.
此外，万锦市议会还决定将一些社区中心和市政建筑纳入MDEI的能源供应网络。这些设施包括万锦市政厅, 99号消防队, 康奈尔社区中心和图书馆。最近，万锦泛美中心以及万锦市和TO2015的一个共建项目也被纳入其中。
Markham City Council members also make decisions to hook up Community Centres and municipal buildings to the MDEI grid at the City Council. These facilities are: The Civic Centre, Fire Station#99, and Cornell Community Centre and Library. Recently, this list has expanded to include the Markham Pan Am Centre, a shared capital project between the City of Markham and TO2015.
MDEI的收入来自与他们客户的能源协议-每月的”固定容量收费“ (FCC)相乘以消费物价指数（CPI - 安大略省物价消费指数）和一个基于量度实际使用能源量的“消耗费”。这个“量度”额是根据冬季采暖的天然气和夏季制冷的电力消费而根据MDEI设定的公式计算出来的。还有一个收入来自公共建筑客户交纳前期付款，这笔以百万元计资金用以减少每月FCC支出及根据协议向市府所缴纳的整体运行费用。
The revenue stream for MDEI comes from 2 areas in their Energy Agreements with their clients – a monthly Fixed Capacity Charge “FCC” that is multiplied by the Consumer Price Index (CPI – Ontario all items) and a “consumption fee” that is based on the actual use of energies measured. This “metered” measurement is converted into gas and electricity equivalence for winter heating and summer cooling respectively using formulas set out by MDEI. There is also a third source of revenue with public buildings and that is millions of dollars of capital costs paid upfront in order to reduce the monthly FCC and overall operating cost to the City on those agreements.
人们可将FCC收费视作对管道，设备，和能源工厂的一部分的基建成本按揭还款。但是和按揭贷款不同的是，按揭贷款的本金是随着月还款额的增加而减少，而FCC收费实际上是基于CPI的复合年率不断增长。
One can look at the FCC as some kind of infrastructure cost mortgage payment for the pipes, the equipment as well as part of the energy plant. Unlike a mortgage where the principal reduces as monthly payments are made over the life of the agreement, the FCC actually increases and compounds annually based on the CPI.
CPI实际上是通货膨胀的指示器，其几乎从未出现过负值（通缩）。在过去五年里，CPI从0.4%上升至3.1%，每年平均值为1.7%。此外，如果客户消耗的能源量超出协议最初约定的容量，FCC收费也会上涨。以期限为20年的协议为例，预计最后一年的FCC月费会比第一年增长39.5%。
The CPI is actually an indicator of inflation and almost never runs into negative (deflation). Over the last 5 years, the CPI ranged from 0.4 to 3.1% and averaged 1.7% per year. The FCC can also increase if the client is consuming an amount of energy exceeding the designed and agreed capacity initially stipulated. Over the life of a 20 year agreement, the FCC monthly rate for the last year is projected to increase by 39.5% from the first payment.
MDEI的FCC收费意味着客户的建筑可以避免安装传统的锅炉和制冷设备而产生的所有成本，其中包括一次性先期投资、运作、维护、维修及更换费用、以及在能源协议期限内必须确保的相关设备磨损费等。由此看来转换或选择区域能源服务似乎是明智的选择，但事实真是如此么？
MDEI’s FCC cost represents the cost avoidance of the total of ownership of a traditional boiler and chiller at the client's building, including one time up front capital, operating, maintenance, repair and replacement, and associated equipment space over the life of the Energy Agreement. This supposedly justifies switching or selecting District Energy. But, is it justified?
由于相关的估算值都是由MDEI准备和提供，因此，除非他们自己有第三方顾问公司提供独立的研究报告，人们只能去相信这个事实上的垄断者所提供的与其所设FCC费用“相当”的数字。但如果你是开发商，你会愿意花钱花时间去这样做请顾问公司吗？
Since the estimates are prepared and provided by MDEI, one has to believe in the “equivalency” figures in setting up the FCC by this virtual monopoly unless they have their own third party consultants to provide them with independent studies. If you were a developer, would you spend money and time to get this done?
MDEI的协议通常都是由开发商的空壳公司签署，然后再通过共管公寓条约转至共管公寓管理公司。共管公寓管理公司的董事会别无选择只能遵守协议条款，并按规定支付非常高昂的月费。
The agreement is typically signed by the developer’s shell company and then passed onto the building’s Condominium Corporation through the Condominium Declaration. The Condominium Corporation’s Board of Directors will have no choice but to pick up the agreement terms and pay the very expensive monthly charges stipulated on it!
下一次，我们将继续探讨“区域能源”系统的其他业务运作。
Next time, we will continue our discussion on other aspects of “District Energy” operations.
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