November 14th, 2016

Deputy Premier Refuses to admit privatization to blame for soaring hydro rates in Ontario

Today during Question Period Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath cited a study by Hydro Quebec that shows the shocking difference between the average cost of hydro in Ontario (which is increasingly private) versus Quebec (which is public).

“According to a Hydro Quebec survey from April of this year, the average hydro bill that families in Quebec pay is about $100, while that same survey says that the average bill for Ontarians is $224,” said Horwath.  “Quebec’s hydro system is public.  Does the Deputy Premier see a connection between the high cost of Ontario’s hydro and the fact that we have a system that Conservatives and Liberals have been privatizing for the last 20 years?”

Matthews refused to admit a connection.

Horwath continued to hammer the government on the Hydro One sell-off citing two recent visits to families in London and Sarnia to show how exorbitant hydro bills are making life harder for the people of this province.

“Alex and Sherri Moore of London are worried about the cost of enrolling their kids in after-school activities.  Shaun and May Evans of Sarnia are putting off starting a family and they had to get a roommate just to keep up with the ridiculously high cost of their bill,” said Horwath.  “The Premier says she likes to make decisions based on evidence, but we confronted her government with the evidence again this morning: selling off Hydro One will drive hydro rates up even further and hurt families.  She her government are again turning a blind eye to the damage they are doing.”

The Ontario NDP has been loudly and consistently opposing the Premier’s wrong-headed sell-off of Hydro One.  NDP Leader Andrea Horwath has recently visited London, Hamilton, Kitchener, Sudbury, Ottawa, Kingston, and Sarnia to talk to people about how the sell-off is making life harder for them.