Ontario’s big wind bonanza: subsidies for a few rich developers

The sad (and very expensive) truth
Rural Ontario communities had it right

Everyone losing on renewable energy in Ontario

FP Comment, Financial Post, February 4, 2015
by Brady Yauch, executive director Consumer Policy Institute
When the Ontario government launched its Green Energy Act (GEA) in 2009, it promised “new green economy jobs” and a “wide range of ecpnomic opportunities.” Then Minister of Energy George Smitherman argued that the GEA would be a boon to Ontarians of all stripes: “We see opportunities in our rural communities for farmers, not just to lease their land for big companies that are the proponents of wind farms, but indeed for clusters of farmers to see themselves as investors in projects … the emergence of thousands of smaller green energy projects–micro-generation–in urban as well as rural areas.”
Yes, everyone would need to pay a little more for renewable power, the public was told, but the benefits would be widely shared, for the ultimate benefit of all.
As it turned out, power rates didn’t go up a little–they soared. And the subsidies weren’t widely shared among the folk–a handful of billion-dollar companies pocketed most of them, most outside the province.
According to an analysis by the Consumer Policy Institute and Energy Probe, 90 per cent of the wind subsidies went to just 11 companies,  80 percent of the subsidies went to companies with revenues over $1 billion, 60 per cent of the subsidies went to six companies with more than $10 billion in annual revenue. …
The damage to ratepayers for such policies has been significant. Since 2009 ratepayers have seen the commodity cost on their energy bills climb dramatically… just over 9 per cent annually–more than five times the rate of inflation, making electricity price increases worse in Ontario than anywhere else in Canada.
To make matters worse, the high rates being pushed onto ratepayers has lowered demand for electricity across the province in recent years. That means Ontario now has a significant surplus of power* which it exports to neighbouring jurisdictions at a loss. Ontario ratepayers are now subsidizing the energy consumption in America and other provinces.
Nearly everyone is losing when it comes to renewable energy in Ontario–except for those few companies that planted industrial wind turbines across the province and are receiving billions in subsidies for their effort.
 
*Note: Wind Concerns Ontario issued a statement Monday to the effect that Ontario does not need more wind power and that the IESO should not reopen the contracting/subsidy process for new wind power contracts.

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13 Comments

  • David
    Posted February 4, 2015 9:35 am 0Likes

    Time for change. If we could ever get past the GTA controllers in this province we may stand a chance but as it stands now rural Ontario is finished.

  • Khris
    Posted February 4, 2015 9:56 am 0Likes

    For the 25 Years we will have a Wind and Sun Tax then a Carbon Tax Followed by a death Tax and to top it all a DATA – TAX to cover the last penny in our pocket, I forgot we don;t have penny that’s such a shame. Name all the Taxes I missed.

  • Sommer
    Posted February 4, 2015 10:31 am 0Likes

    David, we need to focus our energy on the GTA controllers during the next few months.
    The TVO documentary ‘Big Wind’ is an excellent example of such a strategy.
    Parker Gallant’s articles are another fine example. His mathematical logic is making sense with the urban business/industrial investors.
    There are many more ongoing strategies that are working to erode the confidence in our ‘leaders’ on the energy portfolio.
    Be hopeful and keep exposing the real truth. The strategists behind this attempt to make rural Ontario uninhabitable were fully expecting us to give up as we were worn down by this relentless threat/ nightmare.

  • Andre Lauzon
    Posted February 4, 2015 11:08 am 0Likes

    I wish some smart researcher/reporter could find out how much of the subsidies returned to the Liberal party of Ontario and to other……….????

  • Barbara
    Posted February 4, 2015 12:05 pm 0Likes

    Could only be done by tax audits as things like this are very easy to hide among and/or in all the diferent corporate accounts.
    Then there are things like jobs, vacations, meals, golf, sporting events tickets, and etc.

  • Cathy Bowslaugh
    Posted February 4, 2015 1:50 pm 0Likes

    I would like to know who those 11 companies are. I would take bets that most of them are Liberal owned or friends of the Liberal party.

  • Barbara
    Posted February 4, 2015 2:03 pm 0Likes

    Posted by Tom Adams at his website:
    Remarks for:
    The Honourable Bob Chiarelli, Minister of Energy
    Toronto Board of Trade
    Tuesday, February 3, 2015
    The energy agenda for 2015?
    http://www.tomadamsenergy.com
    ——————————————————————
    The 11 companies article was posted awhile back. Maybe this can be re-posted again?

  • Barbara
    Posted February 4, 2015 3:33 pm 0Likes

    Probe International, Brady Yauch, c.Nov.25, 2014
    http://www.probeinternational.org/library/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/corporate-welfare-ontario-goes-green.pdf
    Pages 5-6 has list of the companies
    Or Google

  • Cathy Bowslaugh
    Posted February 4, 2015 7:02 pm 0Likes

    Thanks for the info!

  • Parker Gallant
    Posted February 4, 2015 10:31 pm 0Likes

    JT’s buddy was in Winnipeg so one must assume that JT has bought in!:
    Gerald Butts
    President and CEO
    World Wildlife Fund

    • Cathy Bowslaugh
      Posted February 5, 2015 9:29 am 0Likes

      Doesn’t surprise me at all! What a scam!

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  • Barbara
    Posted February 8, 2015 12:42 pm 0Likes

    Carbon taxes are just another kind of rationing or demand side management.

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