Bruce Grey Owen Sound MPP Bill Walker welcomed a government move to scrap the Green Energy Act and lower hydro costs for Ontarians.
Walker said constituents in Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound have been waiting since 2009 for action to lower hydro bills and a say in what happens in their community.
He said 15 years of Liberal rule left its mark on the province.
“Under the last government’s energy policies, rates tripled, manufacturing jobs disappeared from Ontario and families’ hydro got disconnected,” Walker said. “Those days are over. We promised to scrap the Liberal Green Energy Act – that's exactly what we're doing. We’re giving municipalities a say about energy projects in their own communities, and we’re taking measures to lower hydro bills.”
The PC Government introduced legislation last week, known as Bill 34, to repeal the Green Energy Act, including repealing provisions that forced unwanted wind and solar farms on municipalities and that gouged hydro consumers for electricity Ontario didn’t need.
Walker said the proposed legislation would give the government the authority to stop approvals for wasteful energy projects where the need for electricity has not been demonstrated.
He said the bill would put the brakes on additional projects that would add costs to electricity bills that the people of Ontario simply cannot afford.
According to the Ontario Energy Board and the Independent Energy System Operator, wind and solar added $3.75 billion in costs to electricity bills in 2017. Wind and solar represent just 11 per cent of total generation in Ontario but reflect 30 per cent of Global Adjustment costs that are borne by electricity customers.
In 2017, 26 per cent of electricity generated from wind and solar was curtailed or wasted. This is electricity that Ontarians paid for, but didn’t need or use.
