CORNWALL, Ontario – A vocal group of 75 protesters gathered at Queen’s Park in Toronto on Wednesday, Nov. 23 to express their dissatisfaction with Premier Kathleen Wynne’s Liberal Government’s handling of Hydro in Ontario.
Hydro One suggests the use of smart meters to reduce the impact of high hydro rates, however, The Environmental Commissioner of Ontario’s 2015-16 Energy Conservation Progress Report found only “a 0.7 per cent reduction in peak demand among residential customers”.
According to a study done by the Independent Electricity System Operator completed over the summer of 2016, electricity prices in Ontario are at a record high.
In 2011 to combat the upward trend in Hydro bills, then Premier Dalton McGuinty introduced the “Time-of-use” or “Peak Times” system.
Under this system, Hydro One customers could save money by using electricity at non-peak times.
However, this system does not take into account seniors, or businesses, who might not be able to easily reschedule their electricity usage.
“They make it sound like everyone can just shift their usage to night-time,” said Stormont, Dundas and South Glengarry MPP Jim McDonell. “There are businesses who depend on freezers and other equipment that they can’t afford to shut off during peak times. Homeowners who stay at home are being asked to turn off their electricity and heat during the day in the winter. This was a political move that looked and sounded good.”
McDonell criticized the Liberal government for its purchasing of green energy contracts at a time when the province was producing a surplus of energy.
“We are using four times less energy than we were in 2003,” he said. “If you’ve got a surplus why do you need more power than you have? We’ve seen people on low income see their bills go up and their benefits stay the same.”
McDonell also criticized the Liberals for what he said was a muzzling of the Auditor General after that office presented them with an unfavourable report on their electricity policy.
