As far back as I can remember, Ontario Hydro has been mismanaged. Now, in an effort to gain some much needed capital and to shelter Ontario Hydro from public scrutiny, the Ontario government under the leadership of Kathleen Wynne has sold 30% of our stake in this public utility without even bothering to consult its owners, Ontario residents. It seems immoral to sell off assets without consulting the people who actually own those assets. Goverments should not be able to make decisions to sell Crown corporations without having a public referendum. Afterall, we are the shareholders in these public companies.
It is mindboggling to see the stark contrasts in the way Ontario Hydro has been (mis)managed compared to its two neighbouring provinces. These provinces offer they citizens electrical power at about half the rate that Ontarians pay. This begs the question, why don’t we just purchase our power from Quebec and Manitoba? Promoting green energy is a worthy goal, but when we subsidize these sources so that for profit companies can make money, it seems ludicrous.
Furthermore, the ill-advised decision to change virtually every single electical meter in the province to ‘smart’ meters cost us millions in labour and material with very little financial gain. Now everyone, including businesses, who pass their new costs on to consumers, pays more. Why would a manufacturing company be willing to set up shop in Ontario, where we have some of the highest electricity prices on the continent, when they could go next door to Quebec and pay have the price? Small wonder Ontario has become a have-not province.
The creation of Ontario Hydro was one of the few good things a Conservative government has ever done for Ontario. Ontarians deserve to keep their public utility; it should be under the Ombudsman’s oversight and it should be run in a manner that guarantees Ontarians a prosperous future.