Hydro bill to remain low until end of month

People have been charged evening and weekend prices since March 24

Ontario is keeping lower electricity prices in place until May 31as people stay at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, and extending all state-of-emergency orders to May 19.

There have been dozens of emergency orders, including closures of non-essential businesses and parks, limits on the size of public gatherings and penalties for price gouging, among others.

The extensions come even as Premier Doug Ford has signalled his government is getting closer to easing restrictions and opening up segments of the economy as the daily rise in new cases of the coronavirus is slowing. “Although we are making progress in our fight against this COVID-19 outbreak, we are not out of the woods yet,” Ford said Wednesday. May 19 is the Tuesday after the Victoria Day long weekend.

Emergency orders were extended on the advice of Ontario’s chief medical officer, Dr. David Williams.

Electricity rate relief was first brought in March 24 to save the average household $20 monthly with so many Ontarians at home all day with TVs and computers on, working and doing online learning or binging on Netflix.

Since then, ratepayers on time-of-use rates have been charged the evening, overnight and weekend price of 10.1 cents per kilowatt hour for 45 days in a measure costing $162 million in foregone revenue.

That rate is half the peak daytime price of 20.8 cents. It’s estimated the extension will cost another $90 million.

“During this extraordinary period, many people are struggling to pay the bills as they do the right thing by staying home, as well as our farmers and those whose businesses have closed or suffered reduced customer traffic,” Ford said in a statement.

“The extension of this electricity rate relief will leave more money in people’s pockets.”

PREMIER DOUG FORD

Small businesses and farms also got rate relief, saving an average of $150 and $300 a month respectively.

“The extension of this electricity rate relief will leave more money in people’s pockets until businesses can start to reopen and people can get back to work,” Ford added.

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business had been advocating continued rate relief, saying it would be a hardship for businesses to pay peak summer rates as they are trying to get back on their feet.

Ford promised during the 2018 election campaign to slash electricity rates 12 per cent overall.