April 8, 2013
QUEEN’S PARK – The costs of the McGuinty-Wynne Liberals’ power plant scandal are now hitting the hydro bills of Ontarians, Nipissing MPP and PC Energy Critic Vic Fedeli told the Legislature today during Question Period.
Fedeli pointed to the Ontario Energy Board’s 26-page rationale released Friday for the 2.9 per cent hydro rate increase that will take effect on May 1. It explicitly states that costs resulting from the Oakville gas plant cancellation are now figuring into electricity charges in Ontario. The text of Fedeli’s questions is below:
My question is for the Premier. Premier, your Liberal seat-saver gas plant scandal has finally come home to roost on the hydro bills of Ontarians. On Friday, we learned hydro bills for seniors, families and businesses are going up nearly 3%. On page 18 of the Ontario Energy Board’s report, this sentence details the latest hydro hikes:
“The cost of the turbine purchase that is part of the Oakville gas plant cancellation agreement is included in the forecast of global adjustment costs.”
Premier, can you tell us today, how much is the Oakville cancellation really adding to our hydro bills?
Supplementary:
Thank you, Speaker. Premier, I was hoping your minister would clarify if the Ontario Energy Board was referring to the $250-million payment that appeared on TransCanada’s year-end financials or if that payment is going to be something new.
Down at the justice committee, we’ve heard sworn testimony that puts the total for the gas plant cancellation up to $991 million. Yet, after the Ontario Power Authority’s JoAnne Butler confirmed that Oakville would cost hundreds of millions more than the $40 million you’ve clung to, you sit over there and shrug your shoulders.
Premier, if energy expert Bruce Sharp and OPA Vice-President JoAnne Butler could tell us how much more than $40 million this is going to cost, why can’t you tell us the total? Can you tell us how much more is going on the hydro bills of ordinary Ontarians, or do you need a little more time to get your stories straight?
For more information, or to arrange an interview, contact:
Clint Thomas
Executive Assistant
(416) 325-3434 or (416) 710-1752