New time-of-use hydro rates kick in next month and the opposition is blaming the governing Tories.
The new rates illustrate the real cost of electricity.
NDP critic Peter Tabuns reminded the legislature the Premier promise rates would fall 12 per cent.
“The Premier’s promise to lower hydro bills by 12% is getting further and further out of reach as hydro rates go up on November 1, not down,” says Tabuns.
Energy Minister Greg Rickford says the government has taken steps to reduce costs system-wide and not saddle users with further debt.
“From 2010 to 2018, the price of electricity doubled under the previous Liberal government. That’s why we passed Bill 87, Fixing the Hydro Mess Act. We repealed the Green Energy Act. We consolidated our conservation programs to protect Ontario’s most vulnerable people, saving the ratepayers $442 million. We’re expanding natural gas so that across the province families are in fact experiencing an overall reduction in their energy costs.”
The province announced last week a rebate which lowered those rates would be identified as a separate line item on electricity bills.
