March 21, 2006

Paying more and getting less for electricity

Once again, the Ontario government is reaching deeper into our pockets for electricity.  Ontario residents are facing a 15 per cent increase in their electricity bills, meaning their rates will have increased by 55 per cent since the McGuinty government took office.  This, despite Dalton McGuinty’s promise not to increase the cost of power.

While the latest electricity gouge will be deep, it will be especially harmful for our area.  The province-wide average increase will be $9.42 monthly, but tack on another $6.49 if you don’t live in the city!  That means that rural Ontarians face an increase that is 69 per cent larger than the one being imposed on urban areas. 
According to Ontario Energy Board figures, the average Brantford resident will be paying $17.71 more per month, Haldimand residents will pay an extra $20.15, and Tillsonburg ratepayers are facing an extra $16.95.  According to NorfolkPower, residents in Norfolk could face an increase of $13.76 per month.

Based on these numbers, it is obvious that we are paying more but getting less for electricity.  The reason is simple: The McGuinty government has no plan for the energy sector.  Worse yet, it plans to close down up to 20 per cent of our electricity generation capacity, despite our current inability to satisfy peak demand.

This past week in the Legislature, Dalton McGuinty demonstrated the weakness of his position on electricity in this province.  He said, “when it comes to natural gas, prices there tend to be volatile, and it remains a significant contributor to global warming. Wind turbines: We are investing heavily in those, but again, those are an expensive form of electricity and they're not reliable.”

His position begs a couple of obvious questions, such as: If natural gas prices are volatile and expensive, why is he building a new plant in Toronto?  If wind turbines are expensive and unreliable, why is he relying on them to replace the coal plants?  These contradictions are proof that his government is completely in the dark about keeping the lights on in Ontario.

In the newsletter I recently sent to every resident in Haldimand-Norfolk-Brant, I asked how our communities feel about rumours the McGuinty government will be retrofitting Nanticoke into a nuclear facility.  To date, the response has been overwhelmingly negative. 

As an opposition MPP, my job is to critique government policy.  But, I have always maintained that it is important to provide an alternative approach.  I’ll take this opportunity to reiterate my advice to the government.

The government should invest in clean air technology for the province’s coal-fired power plants.  Three years have passed since the McGuinty government formed government, yet still doesn’t acknowledge that this technology exists.  We do know that coal is cheap and plentiful- and that with the proper investment, harmful emissions can be virtually eliminated.  I am disappointed that the government continually declines to make this important investment for both energy and the environment.

The promise to close coal plants by 2007 was untenable- we all knew it would be impossible for the government to keep.  I will continue to pressure the government to invest in clean air technology for Nanticoke, which will clean up the environment, save jobs in our communities, and most importantly, keep the lights on at an affordable price.