There were trumpets, special guests and a lot of pomp and ceremony as the Ontario provincial legislature returned for a new session after the Liberals prorogued the last one. But no one missed a beat as the legislature was already scheduled to return yesterday from its summer break.
“They tried to make it look like a different government,” noted Parry Sound-Muskoka MPP Norm Miller. That’s probably because half way into their mandate, support for Wynne’s Liberal government is slipping and they’re feeling the sting of losing a by-election in Scarborough-Rouge, a historically Liberal stronghold.
The affordability of electricity is one of the main issues the Liberals focused on as they delivered their Throne Speech. They’ve committed to moving legislation forward that if passed would become effective January 1, 2017. They’re promising a rebate of eight per cent off hydro bills or the equivalent of the provincial portion of the HST charged on electricity. That eight per cent translates to about $130 per year for the typical Ontario household, but Miller referred to it as smoke and mirrors. He said while reducing electricity bills is something the Opposition has been after for some time, last January the Liberals did away with the Clean Energy Benefit on the electricity bill, which amounted to a 10 per cent reduction. Now the intent is to offer an eight per cent rebate and although it has to be applied for, it is not clear whether households must first qualify.
“So they did away with a 10 per cent reduction last January and now we’re bringing back an eight per cent reduction,” noted Miller. “All I know is they said it is going to be a rebate, so it’s not automatic.”
Rural relief
Miller did welcome news that there would be relief for rural residents as well as some relief for the business sector. According to the Throne Speech and a media release issued by Wynne’s government, eligible households could see $45 off a typical monthly bill or about $540 a year. At a recent forum held in Huntsville with Hydro One’s ombudsman, Miller said among the biggest concerns he heard from constituents was the cost of delivery charges.
“I learned at the meeting that delivery charges in rural areas are as high as 89 per cent higher than in urban areas and that’s different from other provinces. A lot of provinces don’t have a differential like that. He said one constituent had a $40 consumption charge but her bill was over $400 and most of it was related to delivery charges. He said he welcomes relief on delivery charges for rural residents, although the specifics of how that program would be rolled out are not yet known.
Reining in campaign contributions
Other proposed legislation would tighten rules around political campaign contributions, and prohibit donations from corporations and unions. But while Miller agrees that reform is necessary, he accused the Liberals of playing games. He said the reforms stem from news that several cabinet ministers were required to raise about half a million dollars each for the Liberal party.
“They’re going to prohibit MPPs from any fundraising as if having a chicken dinner in Parry Sound-Muskoka where people pay $20 is the same as big-time fundraisers held by cabinet ministers,” he said. “It takes some of the local control from riding associations and hands it over to the central party because they’re also talking about bringing in subsidies so that the parties themselves would receive a fair amount of money based on how many votes they got in the past election, but all that money would be essentially held by the parties.”
Other promises
Other initiatives include more nursing hours for home care, more affordable child care spaces, continuing to invest large amounts of money in Ontario’s infrastructure, more funding for healthcare and more reliable electricity – all while maintaining a balanced budget.
“Again, lots of high-level stuff so until you see the details it’s hard to know,” said Miller, who also noted that many of the initiatives announced were already on the radar and simply re-announced.
“The biggest new thing they mentioned was the affordability of hydro,” said Miller, arguing that the Province is not headed in the right direction.
They set the policies that are giving Ontario the highest electricity costs in North America and they’ve had to make all kinds of cuts in health care and at the same time they managed to increase the debt of the province to almost $300 billion, so I absolutely don’t think they’re headed in the right direction. They’ve made some very, very minor course corrections here in this Throne Speech.Parry Sound-Muskoka MPP Norm Miller
In terms of the Liberals’ promise to come in with a balanced budget next year, Miller said he’s skeptical it won’t happen “without some trickery involved.” He pointed to the sale of public assets like Hydro One as a way of filling the coffers, but argued that selling such assets is only a short-term solution. “It’s a very short-term boost but then in the long-term it hurts the financial situation and that’s exactly what the financial accountability officer of the legislature said when he looked at the fire sale of Hydro One.”
You can read the Throne Speech here.
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After over three years of ludicrous energy rate increases approved by the Ontario Energy Board, the issue is finally getting some equally ridiculous results?? Where exactly have these politicians been? In a cave?? People have lost their homes, been disconnected and had to resort to our health care systems to control the stress this has created. Kathleen Wynne is failing us miserably and continually. Too bad she can’t live our restricted lives to know how it really feels to have to decide whether to eat or stay warm. Yes, a lot of us have electric baseboard heaters that came with the houses we purchased, and were not difficult to pay for then (as well as a wood stove to keep these costs down if electricity prices increased in future). Unfortunately the numerous electricity increases overtook our ability to afford to have alternate means of heating purchased and installed, and the decision often has to be made whether to stay warm or buy groceries. Couple that with the price of wood these days and not a lot is possible for all who are still trying to pay off (or down) Hydro arrears – legitimate Usage is one thing, but the Delivery charge often far exceeds the Usage amount on our bills. Why is leakage of electricity along the lines (as explained by Hydro), our problem? I am very sick of paying for the bad decisions of Engineers or Management at Hydro, as are many of our friends. Take responsibility for your own actions and stop dumping on us, please!
As for the politicians, one look at the accompanying picture shown on this article and viewing question period on line, shows many empty seats a lot of the time. How about filling them ladies and gentlemen, and re-earn our lost trust by doing your jobs and speeding things up CONSIDERABLY?
Eight per cent reduction and another 12 per cent coming your way in the new year. This Gov’t is a joke but nobody is laughing except the Power Execs !