News from the Park : Hydro Secrets
Algoma-Manitoulin NDP MPP Michael Mantha
Northerners can’t get a break from their rising hydro bills. Whether you are trying to stay warm in the winter or cool in the summer, the bills continue to skyrocket. Tens of thousands of Ontarians signed petitions, demonstrated at Queen’s Park and across the province, joined Facebook groups, wrote letters to the Premier and their local MPPs. Ontarians sent a clear and simple message: Stop the sale of Hydro One. We did not vote for this. Hydro One belongs to Ontarians and Premier Wynne has no mandate to sell it off. But alas, the Liberal government of Ontario did not listen to us.
Now the details of the sell-off of Hydro One are being kept a secret from the public.
Ontarians paid over $7.5 million to consultants and a government panel has received detailed studies of the Liberal sell-off of Hydro One, but Kathleen Wynne and the Liberals are keeping the results of those studies from the public. The Liberals are also keeping expert submissions made to the Clark panel from the public. Ontario New Democrats are calling for their immediate release.
Through Freedom of Information New Democrats requested the “detailed valuations and due diligence” that were completed for the Clark panel (pg. 8), as well as the submissions made to the Clark panel. We believe these records could shed real light on what the sell-off will mean for Ontario families and businesses.
Ontario taxpayers paid for Hydro One. We deserve to see those studies; we deserve to know what this sell-off means for rates and reliability. Experts gave their opinions to the panel. Ontarians deserve to hear that advice. For families who expected better from Kathleen Wynne, this is pretty disappointing.
Access to the work completed on behalf of Ontarians was denied citing the fact they were part of “cabinet deliberations”, however Tabuns noted that Cabinet completed its deliberations, and their decision is now public. New Democrats also requested third-party submissions and input made to the panel. These were also denied.
Ontarians own Hydro One. Not the Liberal Party of Ontario. There was detailed work done, paid for with public dollars. We deserve to see it. Instead of listening to Ontarians, Kathleen Wynne is selling-off Hydro One. Kathleen Wynne promised to be open and transparent, but she’s keeping these reports secret and she’s keeping Ontarians in the dark.
As always, please feel free to contact my office about this issue, or any other provincial matters. You can reach my constituency office by email at mmantha-co@ndp.on.ca or by phone at 705-461-9710/1-800-831-1899.
MPP Michael Mantha, Algoma-Manitoulin
