NEWS:

Rockland - Today, Ontario PC MPP Lisa MacLeod visited Rockland Hydro to talk about skyrocketing hydro bills and the impact on the cost of doing business in Ontario and the strain it has put on the family budget.

From smart meters, to the Green Energy Act, to massive subsidies to the foreign corporation Samsung, electricity bills are skyrocketing under Dalton McGuinty to pay for his expensive energy experiments. Under Dalton McGuinty's watch hydro rates have increased by 75 percent - or over 100 percent if your so-called smart meter has been activated. Worse yet, bills are going up further 46 percent within five years according to Dalton McGuinty's own lowball estimate.

Tim Hudak and the Ontario PCs believe energy policy should be treated as economic policy, and not as a social program. An Ontario PC Government will deliver a long-term, pragmatic energy plan for Ontario that puts consumers first.

QUOTES:

"In January, usually it's the credit card bill families are most afraid to open when it arrives in the mail. This year, it's the hydro bill. We must place the consumer's ability to pay at the forefront of all energy sector decisions and respect that they pay the bills."

- Lisa MacLeod, Ontario PC MPP

"When you add in the impact of the HST and other rate increases, rising hydro bills are forcing many families to make difficult decisions such as whether they can afford to keep the kids in minor hockey or figure skating or go on family outings that help to bolster the local economy."

- Lisa MacLeod, Ontario PC MPP

QUICK FACTS:

• A typical Rockland family pays about $122.86 a month in hydro expenses.  According to analysis conducted by the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, Rockland area residents will see this bill rise to $183.86 a month over the next 5 years -- representing an increase of $732 a year.
• A recent survey of nearly 3,400 small businesses by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business found electricity prices topped the list of provincial policies affecting their ability to earn a living. 
• Tim Hudak and the Ontario PCs have called on Dalton McGuinty to make time-of-use pricing optional for families and announced that he will create a Consumer Advocate at the Ontario Energy Board to ensure all decisions reflect the consumer's ability to pay.