NDP pledges public hydro
Horwath says party ww would buy back shares, end off- peak pricing
SUDBURY— NDP Leader Andrea Horwath says her party’s hydro plan will reduce families’ electricity bills and the NDP is the only choice to get Hydro One back in public hands.
Howarth outlined the plan Saturday morning outside the home of a young family who say tt they struggle with their elec- tricity bills — in particular over the extra laundry they now have after the birth of their twin boys. An NDP government would end time- of- use pricing, which charges higher rates during peak times and lower rates after hours, “so that people aren’t punished for cooking dinner at dinner time, so people can live normal lives and still afford their hydro bill,” Horwath said aa at a later campaign stop in Oril- lia, “so people can live normal lives and still afford their hydro bill.”
The pricing scheme was supposed to reduce prices and help smooth out demand for electricity, but has failed, she said.
In order to lower hydro bills, Horwath said an NDP government would buy back shares of Hydro One sold off under the WW Wynne government, which she said has led to higher prices and exorbitant salaries among executives. The NDP plan would also make sure rural families do not pay more in delivery fees than city dwellers, and curb the oversupply of energy to bring prices down. The NDP pledges to trim bills by 30 per cent.
Critics have said the NDP plan is too costly and will take a long time to implement.
“The NDP’s plan to buy back Hydro One and continue moving forward with a carbon tax will cost taxpayers billions,” said Melissa Lantsman, spokesperson for PC Leader Doug Ford.
“Only Doug Ford has a plan to reduce hydro rates and put money back in people’s pockets. We’ll reduce your hydro bill by 12 per cent.”
Ford has also said he will fire Hydro One CEO Mayo Schmidt, dubbing him the $ 6- millionman.
The Liberal government sold off a chunk of public shares of the utility to raise $ 9 billion.
But the party has been hammered during question period by opposition parties asking about families forced to “heat or eat.”
The Liberals banned utilities from cutting off customers in the winter months over unpaid bills, and also introduced a scheme to lower rates by 25 per cent — a controversial deal that ww will cost taxpayers $ 21 billion in t the long run.
If elected premier, Horwath aac also ent said news she that would Hydro look at One re- plans to acquire U. S. utility Avista.
“We’d be very responsible in terms of how we go forward,” she said, doing “our best to make sure that any deals the Liberals have allowed the private company to make that aren’t in the public interest, get dealt with.”
Buying back the shares would cost about $ 6.4 billion and could take two decades, critics have said.