By Chad Ingram

Sept. 20 2016

Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock MPP Laurie Scott says the Wynne government’s pledge to reduce hydro rates for Ontarians isn’t good enough.

The provincial government announced Monday that electricity rebates will reduce Hydro One bills by between eight and 20 per cent depending on location. Rebates will be based on density. That announcement was part of a Throne Speech that came following the sudden prorogation of the provincial legislature which critics say is an attempt by the poorly polling Liberal government to reset the political agenda.

The prorogation came following the loss of a long-held Liberal seat in a GTA  by-election.

“It’s like they just woke up” Scott told the paper. “Hydro has been the No. 1 issue for years. The cost of hydro is destroying the province. People can’t stay in their homes. It takes a by-election loss in a riding the Liberals have never lost since the riding was created for her [Wynne] to wake up.  They’ve ignored the people in this riding especially for years.”

Scott said she has a staffer whose main function it is to field calls regarding hydro rates.

The average hydro bill is likely to decrease by 10 per cent a rate Scott says is not sufficient.

She was asked what a realistic achievable decrease would be.

“That’s a tough question” she said. “You’d have to get in there and see what’s going on at Hydro One.

They continue to lie to us on the energy file.”

The PC MPP pointed to executive salaries and bonuses saying they are exorbitantly high and also criticized the continuing privatization of Hydro One.

“I have more people in energy poverty than ever before” Scott said.

The promised rebate removes the provincial portion of harmonized sales tax from hydro bills and will apply to residences as well as small businesses.