Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath visits Wallaceburg

andrea horwath wallaceburg
Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath visited Wallaceburg on Tuesday, February 28, 2017 (Aaron Hall)

A day after unveiling a brand new plan to chop hydro costs across the province, Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath stopped in Wallaceburg to discuss the new ideas her party has in place.

Horwath sat down with the Sydenham Current for a one-on-one interview on Tuesday afternoon.

“We have a plan that will have people paying less and owning more of our electricity system,” Horwath said.

“That is what people want to see. We need to see some bold changes. There is a sense now here in Ontario that people are having a hard time making a good life here. Wages are flat and everything is going up in cost. Something that is an essential service or essential utility like electricity, it is not a luxury and it should not be priced like a luxury.”

Horwath said people should be able to pay their own bills.

“Instead folks are having to make untenable choices between putting food on the table or paying their hydro bill,” she said.

“Buying prescriptions for their families and paying for their hydro bill. It’s absolutely unacceptable. So, we need bold change. We need bold change that is going to make a big difference for people and we’re excited. We’re excited because we spent months working on this plan. It has got a number of different facets. Some of it is immediate, some of it is changes to the system that will bring the long-term reductions and the stability of price that Ontarians deserve.”

Impacting businesses

Before coming to Wallaceburg on Tuesday, Horwath said she sat down with the Chamber of Commerce in Sarnia.

“hey are sounding the alarm bells, and they have been for a long time about electricity prices and what they do to business and viability of business, but also businesses ability to pay good wages, to keep staff on,” she said.

“And on the other side of it, some of the businesses that rely on customers to buy a coffee for example, if customers have lower disposable income because they are paying high hydro bills, they’re not going to be going to the coffee shop or the pizza parlor as often, or the local restaurant or other small businesses. It has quite an impact on business as well.”

Getting rid of ‘time-of-use’

Horwath said the NDP is eyeing upwards to 20 to 30 per cent reduction in people’s bills, through various different cuts.

She said some of those immediate steps that people would see right away should the NDP form government in 2018, is getting rid of the ‘time-of-use’ pricing system.

“People will be able to opt out of time-of-use,” she said.

“So that that a senior, for example, who is home all day, has to live their lives and use power during peak hours because they have no choice. Or that small business frankly, the corner store that has no choice but to use power during peak hours. They will get a break.

Horwath said the flat rate will be dropped to 10.3 cents per kWh.

“Which is just a little bit above what the lowest rate is right now and far, far, far below what the peak rate (18 cents per kWh) is,” she said.

“People will see a significant savings. That senior for example will see a 10 per cent reduction in their hydro bill because of this one move.”

HST off of bills

Horwath said the NDP plan to scrap the HST charge on hydro bills across the province.

“This is something the government has done in a rebate, but we don’t think they ever should have put the HST on the hydro bills in the first place,” she said.

“We’re also going to try and get the Feds to pony up and get the Federal Government to take their 5 per sent off. We’ve seen the Prime Minister in town-hall meetings around Ontario getting criticized and having to deal with very upset people about their hydro bills and he basically washed his hands of it and said this is a provincial issue. Well in fact, 5 per cent of that HST is Federal and they need to come to the table and provide some relief.”

Remove rural/urban price differential for delivery charges

Horwath said her party plans to level the playing field when it comes to hydro delivery charges across Ontario.

“Delivery charges are higher in rural communities that are served by Hydro One,” she said.

“We’re going to get rid of that differential, we’re going to take that delivery charge down to the rate that is currently being charged to urban customers. So we’re going to put some fairness into the system. So no matter where you live, you are not penalized in terms of your delivery charges.

Horwath said this is something that is going to bring bills down for people.

“So if you happen to be a senior and living in rural Ontario, served by Hydro One, you could see 25 per cent less, just like that,” she said.

“And with the 8 per cent HST and possibly another 5 per cent, those are just the initial reductions. You can see how very quickly people will get relief on their bills.”

Learn more about the new NDP plan, here.

Watch for more coverage on the Sydenham Current, stemming from our interview with the provincial NDP leader.


– Photo credit: Aaron Hall

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