(Nepean) - Today, MPP Lisa MacLeod announced that after years of failed Liberal hydro experiments, a PC government would remove the provincial portion of the HST from hydro bills.

In Canada, heating our homes is not a luxury. Dalton McGuinty's move to increase the cost with a surprise tax increase was grossly unfair. A PC government will remove the provincial portion of the HST from every home heating bill, including natural gas, home heating oil and propane.

A PC Government will also remove the so-called "Debt Retirement Charge" from residential hydro bills. Taken together, these steps will give a typical Ontario household $275 in immediate relief from rising energy bills.

In October, the choice is clear - a McGuinty government which will raise the taxes of Ontario families, or a Tim Hudak government which will provide relief for families on hydro bills.

QUOTES:

"Dalton McGuinty's failed energy experiments have hurt Ontario families where it matters most - in their pocketbooks. Tim Hudak recognizes that our families desperately need relief. By removing the provincial portion of the HST from hydro bills, hardworking families will get a major break from steadily rising costs. The choice in October is clear - a McGuinty plan to raise taxes, or an Ontario PC plan to lower taxes."

• - MPP Lisa MacLeod, Nepean-Carleton

QUICK FACTS:

• Under Dalton McGuinty, hydro rates have increased eight times since 2003 by a total of 84 percent, or a whopping 150 percent for families with activated smart meters.
• Despite promising Ontario families that his expensive energy experiments and Green Energy Act would only raise rates by 1 percent, Dalton McGuinty now admits in last year's Fall Economic Update that bills will rise by an additional 46 percent by 2015.
• Even the Ontario Energy Board acknowledged Dalton McGuinty's energy experiments were behind the latest May 1 hydro increase when they said new forms of power generation (as a result of the Green Energy Act) are costing more to produce.