NEWS:

OTTAWA – Today, Ontario PC leader Tim Hudak – alongside Ontario PC candidate for Ottawa West – Nepean, Randall Denley, and Don and Jill Blair – said a typical Ontario family will save $275 per year on their home energy bills under an Ontario PC government, ending eight years of Dalton McGuinty’s endless hydro hikes.

Thanks to Dalton McGuinty, Ontario families have been forced to pay for higher hydro bills to cover the cost of his reckless policies, such as:

• the out-of-touch Feed-In Tariff program and sweetheart Samsung deal;
• the HST that was slapped on hydro and home heating bills;
• the mandatory smart meter tax machines bolted to Ontario homes, driving up hydro rates 150%;
• a sneaky new $132 million energy tax on family hydro bills.

After eight years of Dalton McGuinty, Ontario families have seen hydro rates go up 84%. For families with a smart meter, hydro rates have gone up more than 150%.

McGuinty’s pattern of hydro tax grabs is sure to continue if he is re-elected, with the typical family’s annual hydro bill expected to increase by $732 by 2015 unless he is stopped.

In contrast, an Ontario PC government will treat energy policy like economic policy, not a social program, and will always put the family budget first. The HST will be removed from home hydro and home heating bills, the Debt Retirement Charge will be removed from home hydro bills, and Dalton McGuinty’s mandatory time-of-use smart meter tax machines will be unplugged.

QUOTES:

“When Ontario families pay their energy bills, they are not just paying for hydro – they are also paying for Dalton McGuinty’s runaway spending, bloated pay packages for fancy consultants, subsidies for foreign multinational corporations, and secret deals for McGuinty union boss allies. Ontario families just cannot afford Dalton McGuinty anymore.”
–Tim Hudak, Ontario PC Leader

“On October 6th, Ontario families have a clear choice. They can choose Dalton McGuinty – who has increased their energy bills and will continue to do so. They can choose the NDP – who say they might get around to doing something about hydro bills five years from now. Or they can choose a Tim Hudak government that will save the typical Ontario family $275 on their hydro bill – and will deliver this relief right away.”
–Tim Hudak, Ontario PC Leader

QUICK FACTS:

• According to the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, if Dalton McGuinty stays on his current course, annual hydro bills will increase by $732 by 2015.
• On September 1st, 2011, in the Ontario Public Accounts (2010) Dalton McGuinty was caught trying to sneak in a new hydro tax on to Ontario electricity bills. According to figures released by the Independent Electricity System Operator, this new tax will cost Ontario families at least $132 million over the next four years.