Liberal Privatization of Hydroone Will Not Work For
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NEWS RELEASE Liberal Privatization of HydroONE Will Not Work Communiqué for Northern Ontario John Vanthof April 20, 2015 MPP/Deputé Timiskaming -Cochrane Last Thursday, Premier Kathleen Wynne announced that the Liberal Government plans to sell the Hydro ONE distribution system to help pay New Liskeard Office/Bureau 247 Whitewood Ave., Box 398 for her Government’s transit construction plans. The announcement was Pinewoods Centre, Unit 5 intentionally made outside of the Legislature during Question Period, New Liskeard, ON P0J 1P0 which is the period of time set aside for Opposition MPPs to hold the Phone: (705) 647-5995 Government to account on behalf of the people of Ontario. Rather than Toll Free: 1-888-701-1105 take responsibility for their plan of action, Premier Wynne and her inner Fax: (705) 647-1976 cabinet simply decided not to show up to Question Period. In protest of the Email/Courriel: Government’s disrespectful behavior, the NDP caucus loudly demanded [email protected] answers on HydroONE, to the point that all NDP members were ejected Kirkland Lake Office/Bureau from the House. We took this strong action to bring attention to the pitfalls 30 Second Street East of the Premier’s misguided decision to sell HydroONE, and her disregard 2nd Floor, East Wing for Ontarians. Kirkland Lake, ON P2N 3H7 Phone: (705) 567-4650 High electricity rates are one of the biggest issues facing Northern Ontario Toll Free: 1-800-461-2186 residents and businesses. Here in the North, the majority of our energy Fax: (705) 567-4208 Email/Courriel: comes from publically-owned Ontario Power Generation (OPG) hydro- [email protected] electric dams, which generate sustainable, low-cost energy. However, under the Harris and McGuinty Governments, Ontario made private power Sturgeon Falls Office/Bureau generation contract arrangements for more expensive forms of energy 193 King Street, 2nd Floor (e.g. solar farms, wind turbines, and natural gas plants). As the province Sturgeon Falls, ON P2B 1R8 must honour these private business energy contracts first, the publically- Phone: (705) 753-0200 Fax: (705) 753-0800 owned OPG is regularly directed to shut down their generators in times of Email/Courriel low hydro demand. By prioritizing expensive private energy providers over [email protected] cheaper public power generation sources like OPG, the price of generating electricity across Ontario has skyrocketed. If the Liberal Government Matheson, Iroquois Falls, succeeds in their misguided plan to privatize our distribution system as Cochrane Office/Bureau well, costs will inevitably go up. The ability of businesses to grow and Mobile: (705) 288-1788 Email/Courriel: create jobs will be directly impacted, as well as the ability of residents to [email protected] afford basic necessities after they’ve paid their hydro bill. Working for you in In terms of the North, selling a monopoly like Hydro ONE to the private Timiskaming-Cochrane! sector is always a danger to the public, especially in rural areas. Though some people think private companies are supposed to cut costs by being Travailler pour vous dans more efficient, the objective of private business is to maximize profit for Timiskaming-Cochrane! their shareholders. Undoubtedly, providing reliable hydro services to those living in low-density areas will not be a profitable venture. There is major concern that the sale of HydroONE will result in higher Hydro bills and reduced service to people throughout Ontario. 1 Over the past winter, hydro problems have been the number one issue in NEWS RELEASE our constituency offices. People have struggled with inaccurate HydroONE Communiqué billing due to faulty SmartMeters and a new billing program. Alongside the Ontario Ombudsman and Auditor General’s reports on HydroONE issues, John Vanthof the NDP have pushed the Government to implement an effective MPP/Deputé complaint-resolution process at HydroONE. As a result, our constituency Timiskaming-Cochrane office has been able to solve many of these inaccurate bills with the help of the Ombudsman. Today though, the majority of concerns have shifted to New Liskeard Office/Bureau the high charges for Hydro. Many of our neighbours are at a tipping point, 247 Whitewood Ave., Box 398 Pinewoods Centre, Unit 5 where they cannot afford to properly heat their homes, keep the lights on, New Liskeard, ON P0J 1P0 and feed their families. If HydroONE is sold, the Ombudsman and Auditor Phone: (705) 647-5995 General will lose the authority to investigate and solve Hydro issues. Our Toll Free: 1-888-701-1105 office will be unable to intervene at all; correcting problems will become Fax: (705) 647-1976 virtually impossible. Email/Courriel: [email protected] It is evident that the current Liberal Government does not realize the Kirkland Lake Office/Bureau gravity of the situation. It is even harder to convince a majority government 30 Second Street East to re-think this fundamentally flawed plan. However, when Mike Harris 2nd Floor, Eastwing once tried to sell HydroONE to the highest bidders on Bay Street, the Kirkland Lake, ON P2N 3H7 people of Ontario stopped him. It is possible to stop Kathleen Wynne as Phone: (705) 567-4650 well, but it will not be easy. Ontarians across the North must speak up Toll Free: 1-800-461-2186 together, and demand that the Government re-consider this plan. You can Fax: (705) 567-4208 start today by writing to Premier Wynne herself and the Ministry of Energy. Email/Courriel: [email protected] Check our website and Facebook page for their addresses. Together, we will demand our right to public ownership of our power. Sturgeon Falls Office/Bureau 193 King Street, 2nd Floor John Vanthof Sturgeon Falls, ON P2B 1R8 MPP Timiskaming - Cochrane Phone: (705) 753-0200 Fax: (705) 753-0800 Email/Courriel [email protected] Matheson, Iroquois Falls, Cochrane Office/Bureau Mobile: (705) 288-1788 Email/Courriel: [email protected] Working for you in Timiskaming-Cochrane! Travailler pour vous dans Timiskaming-Cochrane! 2 .