A local MPP wants to bring Londoners' concerns about the increasingly high price of hydro to Queen's Park.
London-Fanshawe New Democrat Teresa Armstrong will hold a town hall meeting at the LiUNA Local 1059 Hall on Firestone Blvd. on Saturday to discuss energy and hydro in Ontario.
"People are fed up, they are paying too much for hydro right now," says Armstrong. "I feel a responsibility to make sure that I give people the opportunity to voice their opinion. As an MPP, I am inspired to bring those voices to Queen's Park and make sure they're heard. The government needs to acknowledge and recognize this is a serious problem."
Armstrong says she will discuss skyrocketing hydro rates, the sale of Hydro One, and any other topic related to energy during the two hour meeting.
"If people bring their hydro bills with them, we will redact any personal information and I'll deliver them to the Minister of Energy to show him what prices are like, how they are escalating," says Armstrong. "It will bring home this issue to the government. They don't seem to want to pay attention to what's happening in communities with regards to hydro bills."
Armstrong says 135 municipalities have put resolutions forward, asking the government to stop the sale of Hydro One.
"We keep talking about how hydro should not be privatized. It's a public asset, it's a revenue generating asset, it pays for education, health care, and infrastructure," says Armstrong. "We know that privatizing an asset like hydro, which is a basic necessity, means that rates will go up."
On Wednesday, the Ontario Energy Board announced hydro rates will not go up over the next six months. It's the first time in nearly a decade the rates have been unchanged heading into winter.
The town hall meeting on hydro begins at 1pm.
