What Kathleen Wynne isn’t telling you about hydro bills

Premier Wynne says she’s being ‘fair’ but she’s not telling you everything… [PostMedia photo]
The Premier of Ontario put out a news release on March 2, claiming the government was going to reduce Ontario’s electricity or “hydro” bills substantially.
“I’ve heard from you loud and clear,” Kathleen Wynne said in her statement. “Nobody should have to choose between keeping the lights on or buying groceries.”
The Ontario Liberal government still claims the high electricity prices were because of improvements it “had to” make to the system. The news release concluded with these statements.
“We are – and always will be – committed to making Ontario a fairer and more inclusive place for everyone. And fairness means ensuring government investments don’t disproportionately affect today’s electricity ratepayers. One generation of ratepayers should not have to pay for the sins of the past and for a system that will benefit Ontario for decades to come. So our plan reduces costs today and stretches out costs over the long term so rates are fairer for everyone.”
Fairness. We’ve heard that before, like “transparency.” But again, the government is being disingenuous. Its latest move is simply stretching out the costs of its policy decisions, not taking action to reduce costs. (Our favourite pronouncement on this comes from electricity analyst Bruce Sharp who calls this tactic, “delay and pray.”)
Not reducing costs
The truth is, the government has signed more expensive wind power contracts for power the province doesn’t need.
At the moment, these six contracts, awarded in 2016,  total $3.3 billion in costs over 20 years. In addition, there are five more contracts for wind power projects that were approved but which are not yet on the grid –including White Pines, Amherst Island and Fairview Wind which are all in legal contests– that add up to another $1.8 billion.
The total for wind power contracts awarded, which represents new costs no yet on Ontario electricity ratepayer bills, is $5.1 billion.
That is not “reducing costs today”.
The government needs to cancel the 2016 wind power contracts (which contain clauses for pre-construction liability should the government cancel), and buy out of other contracts.
 
2016 Contracts and 20-year costs
Otter Creek Chatham-Kent– $218 million
Romney Wind Chatham-Kent– $$261 million
Strong Breeze Dutton-Dunwich — $250 million
Eastern Fields The Nation Twp — $$139 million
Nation Rise North Stormont — $436 million
Henvey Inlet Parry Sound — $$2 billion
Source: IESO

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Related Stories: Kevin Libin in The Financial Post: http://business.financialpost.com/fp-comment/kevin-libin-kathleen-wynnes-sleazy-desperate-hydro-ploy-to-fool-ontarians-is-well-brilliant
Steve Aplin: http://canadianenergyissues.com/2017/02/23/torstar-inadvertently-hamfists-a-headline-thats-true-they-had-it-right-the-first-time-no-one-cant-you-read-that-right-cant-make-electricity-cheap-again/
Video of Kathleen Wynne announcement: http://news.nationalpost.com/full-comment/national-post-view-kathleen-wynnes-liberals-bail-themselves-out-with-public-money-again

 
 

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20 Comments

  • Bert
    Posted March 4, 2017 7:49 pm 0Likes

    Kathleen is as the reckless alcoholic, always excuses and smooth talking like everything is alright, in the mean time borrowing more money for booze and leaving the debt to the children and grandchildren to pay.
    She just added 25 BILLION tax money to the tab! trying to save her ass.

  • Bert
    Posted March 4, 2017 8:20 pm 0Likes

    She has her mouth full of FAIR, she is so FAIR that she pushes Industrial Wind Projects on NOT willing host communities.
    This is not FAIR Kathleen, this is RAPE.

  • whooper
    Posted March 4, 2017 8:20 pm 0Likes

    WHY does the liberal government care more about wind industry profits than ratepayers, future ratepayers, people’s health, quality of life, property value, communities, water quality, birds and bats, the environment etc.?

  • Bert
    Posted March 4, 2017 9:16 pm 0Likes

    The ONLY thing Wynne and the Liberals care about is power. The Liberals do everything to keep in power. Everything!

  • Maks Zupan
    Posted March 5, 2017 10:35 am 0Likes

    Stupid and costly dogma against reality. As with other unproven dogmas, even the most ridiculous lies are justified by the defending fanatics.
    Like intelligent design versus evolution.
    Every effort should be made to elect our politicians with at least an average IQ and with the grade 4 understanding of the arithmetic.

  • Sommers
    Posted March 5, 2017 11:38 am 0Likes

    This is why I keep saying that we need competent experts in the various relevant fields to work together to deliver safe, affordable energy to everyone In Ontario.
    If they don’t do the job they are paid to do, they’re fired!
    Safe, affordable energy is an ethical imperative….an absolute necessity.

  • Stan Thayer
    Posted March 5, 2017 2:44 pm 0Likes

    Windmills cannot support industry!
    Obviously the Liberal voters want only residential power in Ontario for those wealthy enough to buy up the bankrupt properties. Liberal legislation has caused clear cutting to grow more corn for water based ethanol and according to Statistics Canada numbers now we burn approximately 4 liters of diesel to make 1 liter of ethanol.
    Properties have been sequestered to protect endangered species not native to Ontario.
    Windmills are subsidized by taxpayers to destabilize the power grid we depend on.
    Health practitioners instructed how to operate.
    Babysitting designated a professional trade.
    And on, and on, and on.
    The Liberal voters should try to realize what they have created. The increase of duplicate government departments cannot continue because the tax base is bottoming out. Some of the Liberal lovers will have to be left behind with no entitled government jobs, promises or none.
    The Ontario power grid is on life support thanks completely to Kathleen Wynne’s reelection!
    Stan Thayer Alexandria On.

  • Steve Woolfrey
    Posted March 6, 2017 12:16 pm 0Likes

    To Wynne, fair is about hucksters, rides, livestock and pie

  • whooper
    Posted March 6, 2017 1:04 pm 0Likes

    I thought this was a very quick and accurate assessment in a recent editorial in “nugget.ca” entitled:
    Wind Turbines a Government-Backed Ponzi Scheme
    To the editor:
    All you people out there complaining about your hydro prices need to realize some important facts about the Kathleen Wynne government.
    1. The global adjustment charge on your hydro bill is to pay for the giant industrial wind turbines Wynne has placed all over rural Ontario.
    2. Wind turbines a useless technology that destroys our rural environment, ruins people’s health and poisons our drinking water aquifers.
    3. The only reason these turbines were erected was so Liberal insiders and their friends could get filthy rich.
    4. Wynne will not cancel the turbine projects or reduce the subsidies because the turbine lobbyists know where the political bodies are buried.
    5. Wynne has taken away the democratic rights of the people for her own financial and political gain.
    6. Wynne has sacrificed the health of rural citizens just so her friends can get rich.
    7. In a few year’s time, when it inevitably collapses, this wind turbine scam will be revealed for what it is: An enormous government-backed Ponzi scheme, founded on greed, corruption and stupidity.
    Leonard Vandenbosch
    West Grey, Ont

    • Barbara
      Posted March 8, 2017 2:47 pm 0Likes

      Renewable energy mandates at the provincial/state level are an example of policy making at the sub-national level.

  • Notinduttondunwich
    Posted March 6, 2017 7:15 pm 0Likes

    Would just like to invite all Ontarions out to the Invenergy PUBLIC COMMUNITY MEETING….. you know the one that has hired Stantec Consulting Ltd. …. well this PUBLIC COMMUNITY MEETING brought to us by Invenergy and Stantec is “Designed with Community in Mind” says so right at the bottom of the Notice of Meeting letter they sent to my friend that sold the piece of land to the farmer next door 6 years ago!!! So this meeting is at 1 Erie St. In Dutton Dunwich on Friday March 24 from 6pm till 9pm 2017…. Very interested in this meeting… really hope the leaseholders are gonna be there after all… it is a COMMUNITY PROJECT right!!! Hope they’re there to answer the publics questions… we will not be able to find out if the wind company has thier 75% of neighbours signatures because apparently an “anonymous” 3rd party has blocked our request for the names through the FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT” that’s right folks blocked from obtaining information on our own COMMUNITY PROJECT…
    We will be setting up a protest site right at the community center for OUR COMMUNITY PROJECT MEETING ….. the one that’s DESIGNED WITH COMMUNITY IN MIND!!!!
    I would love to meet anyone here on WCO that night…. I’ll be hanging around the coffee, hot chocolate and goodies tray….
    We have contacted all the usually media outlets and papers…. well be having a donation bin there…. we ask you bring 1 (one) used rubber tire for us to later throw on the fires that are going to be burning our here very soon…. lol just kidding!!! No I’m not!!!!! bring me the tires!!!! I know I said I wouldn’t post any more cause I think that Tracy…Barbara.. Sommer…. Richard Mann…. Whooper….. Bert… Stan…. and 9 others are the only ones that read this ….. hope I’m wrong…. see you in Dutton on March 24 2017 from 6 pm to 9pm… love to meet you folks… we could compare notes on how to stop this madness…
    Thanks again everyone!!!

    • Barbara
      Posted March 6, 2017 8:49 pm 0Likes

      Hope the DD citizens have copies of the information posted at WCO that might pertain to their situation.
      There may be many who read the WCO information but don’t care to comment for one reason or another.

    • Barbara
      Posted March 7, 2017 12:37 am 0Likes

      Those who read the Canada IEA Task 28 Report know that both health effects from IWTs in Canada are mentioned along with the name of this website/organization but on different pages
      And the IEA USA Task 28 also mentions a health study by AWEA & CanWEA.
      This kind of negative “information” produced by the IEA, (Paris, France) has gone worldwide.

      • Barbara
        Posted March 7, 2017 4:41 pm 0Likes

        These two IEA Task 28 reports also disclose how IWT community meetings are set up.
        Have not looked at IEA Task 28 reports for other countries besides Canada and the U.S., and it might be interesting to compare information on other countries.

  • Notinduttondunwich
    Posted March 7, 2017 10:29 am 0Likes

    Yes we are all very well informed thanks to you all of you…
    Tracy…. Barbara…. Sommer… Richard Mann… Pat Cusack… Whooper…..et al…. and Wind Concern Ontario (Jane Wilson) Parker Gallant Energy Perspectives….Dutton Dunwich Municipal councillors (except for the councillor that opposes our opposition to Strong breeze) and Jamie Littlejohn with DDOWT…. thank you all for all your hard work and your tenacity… we would not be ready to oppose the strong breeze Winds project without your vast pool of knowledge you so openly and willingly share…. thank you all again for standing up to this takeover!!!

    • Sommer
      Posted March 8, 2017 10:14 am 0Likes

      Thank you for acknowledging that it takes tremendous courage and conviction to stand up to this wrong doing!
      There is a very dedicated group of people, all working intelligently from the perspective of their choice and within parameters that they feel they can handle. Some are more effective and compassionate than others toward the people being harmed. We each make our choices at a soul level.
      We will reach a satisfactory breakthrough, where people being harmed are once again safe in their homes and where Ontario has safe and affordable energy for all.
      After that, the focus will be on seeking justice for those who have survived this onslaught.
      Do everything you can possibly do to protect the people of Dutton Dunwich.

  • Richard Mann
    Posted March 8, 2017 1:33 am 0Likes

    The problem is Wind and Solar are not reducing C02 and our government will not admit this costly failure. Ontario’s professional Engineers, those tasked with generation, transmission and billing, have reported the problem. our government continues to build more wind and solar.
    Reference: “Ontario’s Electricity Dilemma – Achieving Low Emissions at Reasonable Electricity Rates”. Ontario Society of Professional Engineers (OSPE). April 2015.
    (Archived at: http://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.ospe.on.ca/resource/resmgr/DOC_advocacy/2015_Presentation_Elec_Dilem.pdf)
    Page 15 of 23. “Why Will Emissions Double as We Add Wind and Solar Plants ?”
    – Wind and Solar require flexible backup generation.
    – Nuclear is too inflexible to backup renewables without expensive engineering changes to the reactors.
    – Flexible electric storage is too expensive at the moment.
    – Consequently natural gas provides the backup for wind and solar in North America.
    – When you add wind and solar you are actually forced to reduce nuclear generation to make room for more natural gas generation to provide flexible backup.
    – Ontario currently produces electricity at less than 40 grams of CO2 emissions/kWh.
    – Wind and solar with natural gas backup produces electricity at about 200 grams of CO2 emissions/kWh. Therefore adding wind and solar to Ontario’s grid drives CO2 emissions higher. From 2016 to 2032 as Ontario phases out nuclear capacity to make room for wind and solar, CO2 emissions will double (2013 LTEP data).
    – In Ontario, with limited economic hydro and expensive storage, it is mathematically impossible to achieve low CO2 emissions at reasonable electricity prices without nuclear generation.

  • Notinduttondunwich
    Posted March 9, 2017 4:22 pm 0Likes

    Any one brave enough to calculate yesterday’s wind losses…. maybe too catastrophic for most to stomach…. just so everyone knows those turdbines that were shut down yesterday due to “HI WINDS” were still paid out for not producing….
    I was shocked to see on gridwatch that wind power highest was 12.8% …
    my good friend pointed out to me that paying them to sit idle on a windy day was actually less expensive than paying them to run and spill the hydro …. oh my dog!!!!! Makes so much sense!!!

  • Maks Zupan
    Posted March 10, 2017 2:12 pm 0Likes

    Special appreciation to Notindu and Richard Mann. 100% agree.
    Yesterday, I sent to our dangerously stupid premier this open letter, with copies to several papers. I will keep sending it to her until I get a relevant answer.
    OPEN LETTER #2 TO KATHLEEN WYNNE: STOP MISLEADING THE PUBLIC. YOU DO NOT LISTEN TO EXPERTS IN ENERGY FIELD.
    Ms Wynne, you and your government were not listening to experts such as engineers, accountants or businessmen- before spending billions of our money on your stupid, self serving and disastrous rush into “green” energy. And you are not listening now. Please read, among others, the article published by Mr. Lorrie Goldstein all over Ontario a few days ago
    (Generations will pay for Liberal hydro blunders)The author justifiably calls your dash into green energy “mad, reckless and irresponsible, without any understanding of what you were doing or its consequences.” As a professional electrical power engineer I 100% agree with his article.
    You have blindly believed – and repeated- the wind mills industry dogmatic propaganda – the worst lies to the public I have been subjected to since my youth under the communist system. You did not listen to the easy to understand, logical concerns by PEO ( professional engineers of Ontario), Ontario Auditor General, and many other critical thinking organisations and individuals.
    The long list includes yours truly. I sent to you my published article
    “OPEN LETTER TO PREMIER KATHLEEN WYNNE: 11 REASONS FOR ONTARIO TO END ITS WIND TURBINE PROGRAM” Easily obtainable from the web. Understandable to everybody, even to 12 years old kids I talked to. I sent you the article 3 times, in published print and by e mail. All what I received was your prepared, insulting cliché “thank you, bla bla bla” without even mentioning my name or the topic.
    Among others, I desperately tried to convince you to understand what the capacity factor of 17% means. ( or even 25 % according to some wind propaganda – still the same end result). So, I am now trying to explain this to an 8 years old child: The wind does not blow when we need it most. It does not blow most of the time. It does not blow on command like any other useful machine. 17% means that the wind blows , on the average, only 1 day per week. Like a drunk coming to work only one day a week ,but demanding a very high salary. Or coming to work for just a few hours or a few minutes. These intermittent politically correct bursts do not produce any useful power. They just create instability in the electrical grid. And we pay dearly for this disturbing of the normally steady flow of energy. The major part of the electrical energy, the base or steady load, is produced by the nuclear and hydraulic plants. Wind turbines back up is provided by the gas turbines. The irony: they are the real producers, not a backup ! To adjust to the politically correct wind gusts, they create more pollution . Like running, , starting and stopping your car all day long would. The more wind mills, the more “standby” gas turbines, the more pollution! PEO warned about everything I am explaining in this paragraph.
    Do you understand me now any better, Miss Wynne? If not, I think we should require a math grade 4 test from all those trying to became an MPP. Do you ever check the actual production of the electrical energy in Ontario by simply clicking IESO? You would see how insignificant and unreliable is wind and solar power. For this, you even do not need the grade 4 math!
    Most important, please stop systematically misleading the public. You are not world leader in green energy – you are the world leader in wasting public money for absolutely nothing. Communism imploded under the weight of their outrageous lies. Your government faces the same problem: no trust left.
    You made a big and costly mistake, admit it and do something more real about it rather than passing the responsibility to our young! Stop this wind mills costly farce right now. At any cost, best now than later. Create the legal tools to do it in the least costly way.
    Maks Zupan, P. Eng.

  • Dick Pullman
    Posted March 11, 2017 4:48 pm 0Likes

    According to one legal voice, the government can and has cancel any contract at any time without any cost or repercussions :
    https://ep.probeinternational.org/2016/09/20/lawrence-solomon-yes-ontarios-liberals-can-cancel-their-terrible-renewable-power-contracts-and-they-should-do-it-now/

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