Letter to the Editor – Ross Ayotte of Smiths Falls Ontario is Unhappy with Hydro Rates – January 2, 2011

In 2007, Dalton Mcguinty ripped up a previously-prepared plan on rebuilding hydro that would have cost $60 billion and after experimenting with energy policy over the last three years the Liberals now say their plan will cost $87 billion. The people of Ontario  know the real cost may be billions higher as nothing ever comes in on budget and Mcguinty can’t be trusted one just has to go to.

A independent consultant predicts Ontarian’s  will be paying 21 cents a kilowatt hour by 2015 then Mcguinty announces hydro will increase 46% by 2015 then he tries to bribe you with a 10% discount starting Jan 1 2011 but what Mcguinty did not tell you he was adding on 7- 21%  in his other hand starting Jan 1 2011 on delivery line charges depending on which city or town you live in which amounts to 3.5 – 8 % more on your total bill.

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Then  a week later Brad Duguid announces hydro will go up 3.5 % annually for the next 20 years so I ask you if Mcguinty andDuguid can’t sing to the same tune how are they to be trusted. Then the Ontario Energy Board releases a report which will amount to more than 3.5% increase Duguid announced plus don’t forget the 3.5 – 8% total increase increase you got on the delivery line charges Jan 01 2011.

This OEB report suggests making peak power three or even four times more expensive than off-peak and now Duguid says the final decision for setting those prices will be up to the OEB  just remember folks peak price is  9.9 cents a kwh  and off peak is 5.1 cents a kwh . Duguid says he wants to create a  bigger incentive for people to shift to off-peak use I think what he is saying here is you will be punished if you use hydro other than low peak times this just shows you the smart meter is all about higher costs to the consumer and not a cost saving measure Mcguinty and Duguid promoted it as. Mcguinty andDuguid know you have to run your fridge ,furnace ,hot water tank ,electric heaters , lights, do laundry and cook during peak hours and then they add on the ( HST )  for further punishment.

If Mcguinty was serious about helping Ontarians with there Hydro Bills he would  extend the low peak price for the Summer Holidays Christmas Holidays and March Break when families have there kids home all day but all Mcguinty could tell Ontarian’s is if you want to save money on hydro do your laundry on weekends and higher rates are on the way.

The people of Ontario are not against Green Energy the issue here is Mcguinty’s made up on the fly and flip flop versions is the real concern and the outrageous contracts and prices being paid out up to 20 times higher than normal. Then there is the issue of Wind  power as to  there location and value as they have as they have to be back up by gas or nuclear power and the same goes with Solar power and there are reports of well contamination in the areas of Solar power installations as thousands if not tens of thousands of holes must be drilled  in the ground for the framing to support the panels.

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One must also ask why Mcguinty is spending so much money rebuilding the infrastructure of hydro when he is telling Ontarian’s when and when not to use hydro by using outrageous peak rates and mid peak rates as a penalty for using this system. Could we not of accomplished conservation under the old infrastructure of hydro by the Government offering a clear set target on reduction and if you met that goal you would get a discount on your  Hydro Bill and if you failed to reach your goal you would get a rate increase based on the percentage you missed by

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Ross Ayotte Smiths Falls ON

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