Suggestions for Ontario’s power bill crisis

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Global TV News published a summary of opinions by several commentators on how the Government of Ontario might deal with the crisis in electricity bills, which is causing unprecedented energy poverty.
Wind Concerns Ontario was pleased to be asked to contribute to the special news feature found here and excerpted below.

The following is by both Parker Gallant, a retired banker who now analyses Ontario’s energy sector and is the author of the blog “Energy Perspectives” as well as Jane Wilson, the president of Wind Concerns Ontario.

The Ontario government undertook its program to add renewable power without proper cost-benefit or impact analysis.

Now we have electricity bills that are the fastest rising in North America. The rich contracts awarded to huge corporate wind power developers are a factor.

Here’s what we suggest:

Immediately cancel Large Renewable Procurement (LRP) II that is currently “suspended.” With its target of acquiring 1,000 megawatts (MW) of more renewable capacity — it’s not needed and will further add to consumers’ power bills.

Cancel the five wind power contracts awarded in 2016 under LRP I and save electricity customers about $65 million annually or $1.3 billion over 20 years. Cancellation costs will amount to a small fraction of the annual cost. Cancelling approved but not yet built wind power projects and the new FIT 5.0 program will also save money.

Cancel “conservation” spending of $400 million annually. Ontario has already cut back on power use by more than 12 per cent since 2005 when consumption was 157 tWh to 2015 when it had fallen to 137 tWh. Do this and save immediately on electricity bills.

Read More: Kingston Hydro cuts off single mom who chose groceries over utility bill

Move the Ontario Electricity Support Program to the Ministry of Community and Social Services, where this social assistance program really belongs. Electricity customers should not bear the burden of its costs. The move would create a budget shortfall so we recommend the following action:

Levy a tax on wind (and solar) power generation. The auditor general reported that 20-year wind and solar contracts exceed those in other jurisdictions — the tax would help correct that.

Last, reduce the Time of Use (TOU) off-peak rate. This would encourage the shift of power consumption from peak to off-peak time in order to flatten daily demand, with less waste of hydro and nuclear power, and intermittent wind.

Let’s stop adding expensive, intermittent power to our system and stop punishing Ontarians.

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9 Comments

  • notinduttondunwich
    Posted November 30, 2016 1:56 pm 0Likes

    Local OEB meeting workshop for London was a complete joke….. again the Liberal government has sent thier lackies out into our community for lip service……
    When a hydro one customer asks the OEB member last night what he could do to reduce his $400.00 a month hydro bill…..
    The OEB member stated that replacing existing hi effecientcy natural gas furnace with electrical heating baseboards or an electric furnace would save the customer thousands of $$$$/!!!!!!! The OEB even had a chart that stated it would be cheaper to heat with hydro than just natural gas or a combination of gas and electric heat!!!! WTF!!!!!!! Again our OEB who is supposedly the energy watchdog for the province is still lapping up the liberal governments koolaide still trying to convince the public to convert to all Hydro. …
    First Nations OEB representation had no clue that Dutton Dunwich IWT’S project was given approval by first nations 1000kms away….
    OEB representatives had no idea of the struggle DD is having to oppose IWT’S. … they didn’t even know where DUTTON DUNWICH IS!!!!
    When OEB couldn’t or didn’t know anything more than they were scripted to say we learned that the majority of the folks attending the meeting were from…….. get this…..
    TORANTA
    MISSISSAUGA
    BURLINGTON. …..
    quite surprised at that…… seems the folks of the GTA are not happy with thier hydro charges….
    Good job to Ange Thompson and crew of
    “Hydro one not for sale” campaign to eventually infiltrate the meeting spreading the word of the Dec 1 … 7pm…. meeting @
    Goodwill Industries255 Horton street east. London ontario…. support this group…. OEB did all the could last night to bar these folks from the meeting…. they finally infiltrated and got thier message out…. much to the OEB representatives disappointment…..
    Again as I stated before the liberal government has dispatched the OEB workshops to make the rural people of Ontario think that the wheels are a grinding to solve this problem…..
    We will see…..
    So in general a waste of time…..

  • That crazy turbine lady
    Posted November 30, 2016 10:20 pm 0Likes

    Now Liberal government, give us an incentive (a few bucks) to convert to electrical heating so we can pay even more $$ back in to the hydro scam.
    You’ve gotta give them credit for trying; after all, it wouldn’t be the first time Ontarians let them pull the wool over their eyes. We are becoming the laughing stock of the century Ontario.
    “Lights on, nobody’s home…”
    Sooner then later we’ll all be in the dark! Watch out for the boogie man!!! Oh..it’s Kathleen..

  • Barbara
    Posted November 30, 2016 11:05 pm 0Likes

    “Conservation” spending is money spent to promote demand side management of electricity use.

  • Barbara
    Posted December 1, 2016 9:54 pm 0Likes

    Insurance issue
    Canadian UNDERWRITER, April 1, 2014
    ‘Solar Haze’
    “The rapid growth of the solar energy market has created some cloudy issues for insurance coverage and claims.”
    More at: http://www.canadianunderwriter.ca/features/solar-haze

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