Tory Leader Patrick Brown says Liberals hydro plan falls short

Premier Kathleen Wynne set a "very low bar" for hydro savings with plan to cut rates 25 per cent, says PC Leader Patrick Brown

Thestar.com
March 9, 2017
By Rob Ferguson

The Wynne government’s plan to cut hydro rates 25 per cent sets a “low bar” for fixing Ontario’s expensive electricity system, Progressive Conservative Leader Patrick Brown says.

As his party prepares to release its own plan in the “near future,” Brown said Thursday it will delve deeper into problems than the Liberal effort in which lower rates will cost $25 billion in interest over 30 years.

But Brown - who will square off against Premier Kathleen Wynne in the provincial election just 15 months from now - refused to set a target for any savings he’ll offer ratepayers.

“I think the Liberals have set a very low bar when it comes to simply smoothing out the burden and they’re not addressing any of the structural issues,” he told reporters after a luncheon speech to the Toronto Region Board of Trade.

Those issues include a surplus of electricity, expensive 20-year contracts for renewable energy and new projects now being built under contracts signed before a moratorium on renewable projects was declared last fall.

“It’s the definition of insanity when you’re going to keep on committing the same mistakes that got us in this position,” Brown said.

“Not only do we believe we should offer relief but we need to make sure that the same mistakes that were committed before are not repeated,” Brown said, charging the Liberal plan “largely misses the business community.”

Brown was outflanked last week as the New Democrats unveiled their hydro plan, pledging to cut rates up to 30 per cent, followed by the Liberal pledge several days later.

Energy Minister Glenn Thibeault has warned that cancelling contracts could cost taxpayers billions and send a dangerous signal to businesses looking to invest in Ontario.

In an email to supporters Thursday, the minister defended the Liberal plan to kick in this summer as “the largest cut to electricity rates in Ontario’s history, and the right thing to do.”

“The costs of building the clean, reliable energy system of tomorrow have hit household budgets particularly hard today ... so, starting this summer, we’re spreading those costs out over a longer timeframe.”

In his speech to about 270 people, Brown tried to set the ballot question for the next election in June 2018 as “who will make it easier for you and your family to makes ends meet and get ahead?”

After 13 years of Liberal government, he said “Ontarians work hard, Ontarians pay more, Ontarians get less ... I want Ontario families to work hard to pay less and get ahead.”

Those lines were repeated several times during Brown’s 23-minute address, in which he called the Liberal plan to eliminate annual deficits in the coming fiscal year a “false balance propped up by one-time hydro money,” referring to the partial privatization of Hydro One.

He made several accusations, saying the Scarborough subway is a “promise broken” by the Liberals and that the government is spending more on annual debt interest payments than on hospitals, transit and children.

Liberal officials called foul on those claims, saying provincial funding for the Scarborough subway remains on the table as Toronto city council hashes out its plan for getting the project underway.

Debt interest now costs $10.9 billion annually, compared with combined spending of $82 billion on health care, transportation, education and children’s services.