PROVIDENCE BAY—A Providence Bay woman is again voicing her concerns with Hydro One costs in the province of Ontario and has let these concerns be known to 100 MPPs, the premier and the prime minister, in a letter sent to all of them.
“The constituents of Ontario are done being taken advantage of by an incompetent system that is supported by our majority government,” Tanya Giles told the Recorder last week. “The entire entity of Hydro One needs an overhaul, and not at the expense of the constituents of this province. We are done paying for the mistakes made by this government. They have a system that does not work and it’s their job to fix it.”
Ms. Giles pointed out that Ontario is one of the provinces with the highest electricity rates in the country. A province that hypocritically increases the rates and relies on the not so smart metres attached to our homes. She said, “the smart meter is a useless tool. This has been proven time and time again. They are not only a fire hazard, but they are unreliable. They do not communicate our usage effectively or accurately.”
“When a residential customer, who is not home during the day, is billed at using over 90kw a day and a full-time car garage in the same town is billed at using 50kw a day, there is a problem,” said Ms. Giles. “And too many people are having their power disconnected. Some without notice,” said Ms. Giles. “This lack of communication is unacceptable. A Hydro One employee told a customer he was disconnecting in Central Manitoulin that he had nine more disconnections that day.”
As well, Ms. Giles pointed out, “some people get sent to collections for bills they did not know existed due to the incompetent billing practices. Some people even had their hydro disconnected and from accounts that had been paid. Then they are forced to pay a reconnect fee, even though it was Hydro One that made the error. This happens on a regular basis. This should not be tolerated.”
In her letter to the MPPs, premier and prime minister, Ms. Giles wrote, “I want to ask what more the people of Ontario can do in dealing with the current hydro costs. We are trying to speak out but feel as though we are not being heard.”
“Approximately 80 percent of the province opposes the sale of Hydro One, yet the premier took it upon herself to proceed anyway,” wrote Ms. Giles. “Many MPPs have spoken on behalf of the people of Ontario for it to fall on deaf ears.”
“I have a petition in circulation right now regarding hydro costs,” explained Ms. Giles. “We hold rallies and protests, we take our personal stories to the media to show how theses continual increases are affecting the people of this province.”
“We call and email Hydro One, the OEB, the premier and even the prime minister, all to no avail. We oppose the faulty smart metres yet they are still attached to our homes. A device proven to be faulty, yet we are forced to have them,” she continued.
“We feel we are being ignored by our government; we feel we are being scammed by our government. When we speak out, they don’t listen. How do we show them that what we say matters, that what we say means something? How can a government disregard the concerns of its citizens for their own agenda?”
Ms. Giles questioned, “how many more small businesses will close their doors? How many more people will lose their homes and credit ratings due to utility cost? How many families will be forced to juggle bills just to put food on the table? How do we speak up for ourselves? We have tried everything and yet the premier does what she wants anyway.”
“How do we have a voice?” she asks. “We as a province are at our wits end and we need help before we are all broke. This whole province is suffering right now. Any help or suggestions is appreciated.”
“I have a petition in circulation and I am looking for your support. We need to remind this government that a working democracy listens to the people rather than rushing through their votes and bills without consultation,” wrote Ms. Giles.
“I would ask people to please contact me for a copy of my petition,” Ms. Giles told the Recorder. “The more names we can get, the better. The petitions is getting positive feedback and gaining more signatures by the day. The petition will be in circulation until the end of July.”
