Ontario officially has the highest residential electricity prices in North America, thanks to the Wynne government’s choices.
The impact of these skyrocketing rates has been disastrous to Ontarians. We’ve all heard stories of families being forced to choose between eating and heating. We all know someone who lives paycheque-to-paycheque, where every month is a bigger challenge when it comes to paying their hydro bills.
It was recently revealed that between 2013 and 2015, the amount of money owed under arrears payment agreements – made with Hydro One Networks because customers couldn’t afford to pay their bills – increased by 59 per cent. The number of low income customers entering into these agreements grew by over 300 per cent during the same time period.
More families in Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock area can’t afford their bills and their debt continues to climb.
Despite all of this evidence, Ontario Energy Minister Glenn Thibeault refuses to acknowledge that the Liberals’ bungling of the electricity sector has forced average families into energy poverty.
Every day that the Wynne government ignores this crisis, another family or senior joins the already long list of struggling Ontario residents who can’t pay their hydro bills.
This is just further proof of how out of touch the Wynne government is with the challenges real families face.
It’s clear, for the people of the Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock area, life is harder with Wynne in charge.
Laurie Scott
MPP, Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock
