The Ontario Legislature is back in session and Wellington-Halton Hills MPP Ted Arnott has begun presenting petitions calling on the government to take immediate action to stabilize hydro rates.
On Feb. 16, as the Legislature resumed after its Christmas break, Arnott was in the House to begin petitioning the provincial government.
“We launched this petition last month to give people an easy way to speak out against the rising cost of electricity in our province,” Arnott said.
So far his office has received about 170 requests for the petition.
People are approaching family, friends, and co-workers to add signatures.
Arnott plans to present them in the House as they come in, over a period of weeks. Arnott stressed that local hydro utilities such as Halton Hills Hydro and Centre Wellington Hydro are not to blame for rising hydro rates.
“They do a great job,” Arnott said.
The petition points out that the cancellation of the Oakville and Mississauga gas plants costing $1.1 billion, feed-in tariff (FIT) contracts with wind and solar companies, the sale of surplus energy to neighbouring jurisdictions at a loss, the Debt Retirement Charge, the Global Adjustment, and Smart Meters that haven’t met their conservation targets have all put upward pressure on hydro bills.
The sale of 60% of Hydro One will likely only exacerbate this problem.
The Auditor General’s 2015 report found that Ontarians overpaid for electricity by $37 billion over the past 8 years and estimates that Ontarians will overpay by an additional $133 billion over the next 18 years if nothing changes.
Anyone interested in adding their signature can print off a copy from Arnott’s website at www.tedarnottmpp.com or contact Arnott’s Riding Office at 1-800-265-2366 or ted.arnottco@pc.ola.org.
“It is time for the government to listen to Ontarians, reverse course on their current hydro policies, and take immediate steps to stabilize hydro bills,” Arnott said.
