Queen’s Park – In the Legislature this afternoon the Liberal government joined forces with the Progressive Conservatives to vote down Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath’s Opposition Day Motion calling for an immediate halt to the sell-off of Hydro One and any further privatization of the province’s electricity system.
“Ontarians have spoken. New Democrats are listening. We need to make crucial changes to stop the rising cost of hydro and stop the privatization that’s driving those cost increases,” said Horwath. “The priority of our hydro system shouldn’t be generating big profits for investors. It should be to provide affordable electricity that keeps people’s bills as low as possible.”
Horwath put the responsibility for high hydro rates on a Liberal government that is pushing ahead with plans to sell off Hydro One and further privatize Ontario’s electricity system despite strong opposition from the public. 80% of Ontarians oppose the sell-off of Hydro One. The independent Financial Accountability Officer found no financial evidence to support the sell-off. Hundreds of municipalities are against this privatization scheme but Premier Wynne isn’t listening. She is signalling that she will help municipalities like Toronto sell off local electricity distribution companies and drive up bills even higher.
“People should have a pretty good idea what their hydro bill will cost from month to month. It should be predictable, consistent, and most of all it should be affordable. It shouldn’t break the bank,” said Horwath. “The people of Ontario deserve to have a say before any more of Hydro One is sold off to private investors or any other privatization takes place.”
