The Facts On the Liberal Hydro One Sell Off

In packed town hall meetings across the province with Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath, families are sending a clear message: stop the Liberal sell-off of Hydro One.

Here are the facts:

CLAIM: Kathleen Wynne says she ran on a plan to sell Hydro One

FACT: Kathleen Wynne didn’t run on a plan to sell Hydro One. Selling Hydro One is not in her 2014 budget and you won’t find it in her platform either. In fact, Kathleen Wynne stood in the Legislature on October 21, 201and said “we're not selling off the assets” (http://bit.ly/1HU0u1V)  

CLAIM: Kathleen Wynne says that Ontario municipalities are on board with her plan.

FACT: Over 130 municipalities across Ontario, including the City of Thunder Bay, passed council resolutions opposing the sell-off of Hydro One. (http://goo.gl/Mg8IrV)

According to the government’s own polling three quarters of Ontarians of Ontarians oppose the sell-off. (http://goo.gl/jU3KCw)

CLAIM: Kathleen Wynne says that she consulted broadly across the province about the sell-off of Hydro One.

FACT: According to Chief Isadore Day,  Regional Chief of Ontario,  the Liberal government failed to consult First Nations before pushing ahead with their plan even though Hydro One transmission lines cross several First Nation territories, and under the Electricity Act Hydro One is also required to provide electricity for 21 remote communities, including Gull Bay and Armstrong. (http://goo.gl/pp9Js1)

 

CLAIM: Kathleen Wynne said it’s essential to sell off Hydro One           

FACT: Selling Hydro One will raise 3% of what the Premier has promised for infrastructure funding on a one time basis. Ontario will lose hundreds of millions in steady, annual income, which means less money for healthcare, education and the priorities of middle class families. In 2014, Hydro One earned a $287 million dividend and net income of $749 million (http://bit.ly/1d1LmCu)

 

CLAIM: Kathleen Wynne said Hydro One will have regulation and oversight

FACT: In a historic move, 8 of Ontario’s independent, non-partisan watchdogs including the Auditor-General, Ombudsman, Privacy Commissioner and Financial Accountability Officer sent a statement calling on Kathleen Wynne to “reverse plans in the Budget Bill that they believe will significantly reduce important oversight powers.” (http://bit.ly/1LfJEMU)