QUEEN’S PARK – Ontario NDP Energy Critic Peter Tabuns issued the following statement in response documents leaked by a whistleblower that suggest hydro rates will soar as a result of the Liberal government’s hydro scheme.
“By ignoring Ontarians and selling off the majority stake of Hydro One earlier this week, and plowing ahead with a bizarre borrowing scheme, Kathleen Wynne is causing already-high hydro rates to soar.
Once again, Wynne is putting votes she wants ahead of people’s needs. Confidential cabinet documents that leaked Thursday prove that the so-called Fair Hydro Plan will ultimately cause hydro bills to soar by an average of $72 per month, to an average of $195 per month for households – because we’ll all be paying a Wynne Liberal ‘adjustment.’
With this revelation, Wynne has proven just how out of touch she is with Ontarians who are struggling to pay their hydro bills. Her decision to continue privatizing Hydro One – now selling off Ontario’s majority stake, will drive up hydro bills and further damage an electricity system broken by years of Liberal and Conservative private power deals.
Wynne’s hydro plan, and the legislation announced today, will not fix the problems in our electricity system – it will make them worse.
Electricity isn’t a luxury. It shouldn’t be priced like one. New Democrats brought forward a plan that will bring bills down for Ontarians by as much as 30 per cent, end private power deals, and put Hydro One back into public hands.”
