Member of Provincial Parliament
Mississauga-Streetsville Provincial Liberal Association
Riding Association Web Site
Hudak hydro hypocrisy hits historic heights
Tea Party Tim Hudak has refused to answer the simple question of how much more he plans to charge electricity ratepayers as the result of his “optional” Smart Meter policy, yet he hypocritically attacked the very infrastructure needed to implement his scheme.
Unlike Hudak, Ontario Liberals have been transparent and honest about the future costs of electricity.
Tea Party Tim Hudak was wrong when he accused the government of a “secret” Smart Meter plan. It has always been clear that the net costs of implementing Smart Meters would be recovered through the rate base.
In fact, all of the costs for the implementation of Smart Meters were included in the price projections in the Long Term Energy Plan. Every media outlet covered those price projections. And Tim Hudak relied on Public Accounts as his source, which shows how little credibility he has in claiming any kind of ‘secret’.
The truth is Ontario Liberals are taking 10 percent off hydro bills – saving the average household $150 per year. And Smart Meters will ultimately result in savings of $1.6 billion to ratepayers as they conserve energy and avoid the cost of both expensive electricity imports and building new peak generation. Indeed, the next generation of household appliances, such as dryers, stoves and dishwashers will require access to the grid to determine when to schedule such tasks as running the dryer; starting to defrost the fridge; or other tasks. The Conservatives may not want Ontarians to save money and conserve electricity with the next generation of household applicances, but consumers and families certainly want those very benefits!
Tim Hudak and the Tories are also off-track with Ontarians on the hydro debt issue that they themselves created while in government. Over and above the existing $14 billion hole in their laughable platform, Ontario's Auditor General verifies that Ontario Liberals have been paying down the Tory debt, but that $13.8 billion remains. Hudak proposes to dump that onto taxpayers.