String of changes awaits Ontarians next year

From changes to electric bills to new smoking laws, here’s what’s on the docket

Just as the Christmas bills are rolling in, Ontarians will be getting another jolt as the provincial government scraps a 10-per-cent rebate on electricity costs starting Jan. 1.

There will also be help for low-income households needing assistance with hydro costs, as the Ontario Clean Energy Benefit, which saved consumers an average of $17 monthly, comes to an end.

“It’s always bad timing,” Progressive Conservative MPP John Yakabuski, his party’s energy critic, said of the increased cost for most ratepayers, which will be offset slightly by an end to a smaller charge for the debt of the former Ontario Hydro.

Those measures and new rules for motorists and cyclists — who will have to be more patient at pedestrian crossings, among other things — are just some of the many changes that are taking effect for Ontarians on Jan. 1.

Smokers of e-cigarettes are getting a break to start the new year as the province delays a ban on vaping in public places where smoking has been outlawed for years.

Vapers were supposed to face the same restrictions as traditional puffers starting Jan. 1, but that fell apart when the Liberal government retreated from an initiative to let people smoke medical marijuana anywhere they want.

Premier Kathleen Wynne says that controversial proposal has gone back to the drawing board so officials can devise a comprehensive plan for vapers, whether they prefer tobacco or pot.

“We know that we’re going to need to bring in regulation, and possibly legislation, to make sure that all the rules that apply to smoking cigarettes — tobacco — will apply to smoking marijuana whether it’s medical or otherwise.”

Until then, however, employers and business owners have the legal right to prohibit medical marijuana users from vaporizing on their premises.

The new policy is expected in a few weeks, but in the meantime, the province is sticking to its ban on selling e-cigarettes and flavoured tobacco to minors under 19 starting New Year’s Day. Fines for selling to youth are also being increased under the Smoke-Free Ontario Act.

As well, no smoking will be allowed anywhere on the grounds of hospitals and psychiatric facilities.

As the government ends the Ontario Clean Energy Benefit, brought in years ago at the cost of $1 billion a year to offset consumers’ electricity bills as more costly green energy sources came on stream, there is a new initiative called the Ontario Electricity Support Program.

But families must have a combined household income after tax of $52,000 or less and make an application in order to qualify for the program.

The Ministry of Energy says it will save low-income families as much as $75 a month depending on their circumstances, including the number of people living in the home and whether they have electric heat or use energy-hungry medical appliances such as oxygen concentrators and mechanical ventilators.

Processing the requests with supporting documentation takes six to eight weeks. About 500,000 households are expected to qualify, but it appears many don’t know about the program because applications have been slow to come in.

To help finance that subsidy, there will also be a new charge of about $1a month on electricity bills, the Ministry of Energy says.

The new year means an end to the “debt retirement charge” on all residential electricity bills, saving the average user about $5.60 a month on the fee that went to paying down stranded debt from the old Ontario Hydro. Businesses, however, will continue paying the debt charge for two more years.

At crosswalks and school crossings, motorists and cyclists will now have to come to a full stop until pedestrians finish crossing the road. Under previous regulations it was all right to move forward if pedestrians had crossed half the roadway.

There’s more onus on pedestrians, too, with a requirement that they not enter a crosswalk if an approaching vehicle is so close it can’t stop.

Ontario is also allowing driverless test cars for pilot projects on roadways as companies pave the way for new automated vehicle technologies and try to carve out a stake in the emerging industry. The vehicles must include a driver who can override the automated system.

The move, requiring companies to apply online for permits, puts Ontario in competition with California and Nevada, where Google’s podlike car and Mercedes’ sleek F015 are attracting attention.

Many automakers are adding automated features such as parallel parking to their vehicles, with fully driverless models expected within10 years, according to some industry estimates.

“Our roads are going to be very different 10 years from now, 20 years from now, 30 years from now,” Economic Development Minister Brad Duguid said in October.

“We’re going to need to bring in regulation, and possibly legislation, to make sure that all the rules that apply to smoking cigarettes — tobacco — will apply to smoking marijuana whether it’s medical or otherwise.”

PREMIER KATHLEEN WYNNE