______________________

John Pickernell

Assistant Board Secretary

Ontario Energy Board

416-440-7605

Fax: 416-440-7656

Website: www.oeb.gov.on.ca

Official Correspondence: BoardSec@oeb.gov.on.ca



Address:

P.O. Box 2319

2300 Yonge Street 27th Floor

Toronto, ON

M4P 1E4

______________________





_____

From: James R Hutton [mailto:huttonfarms@bmts.com]
Sent: August 23, 2009 10:22 AM
To: BoardSec
Subject: EB-2009-0096




Hydro One Seeks Permission to Raise Distribution Rates 24.3% Over Two Years Cites Green Energy Act as Reason


by John Laforet
posted on August 17th, 2009 at 18:02:47 pm

Today it became public that Hydro One has asked the Ontario Energy Board for permission to raise the cost of distribution to all Ontario customers an average of 9.5% in 2010 and 13.3% in 2011 to cover $266 million dollars in costs relating to their four year Green Energy Plan for 2010 to 2014. By 2011 the impact of this $266 million will be an average increase of 24.3% over two years on the delivery portion of every Ontarian’s hydro bill. Because each public utility is a customer of Hydro One, it doesn’t matter who sells you your electricity – this impacts you.

In February 2009, George Smitherman told Ontarians that the cost to implement the five billion dollars of investment Ontario is expected to make in renewable energy as part of the Green Energy Act would result in an annual increase of approximately 1% per year on the average hydro bill.

Considering the cost of just 5% of Smitherman’s proposed five billion in investments will have an impact of 24.3% on your bill, you do the math and figure out how that other 95% of investment will impact your bill.

On it’s own the impact of these distribution increases over 2010 and 2011 will be crippling for Industry and citizens in Ontario and will have a devastating impact on many families. It will hurt any economic recovery that is underway in 2010 or 2011, and the worst part, it will be subject to the new harmonized sales tax, which will add an extra 8% to everyone’s bill as well.

Below is a press release I issued on this today, in hopes the media will pick up on this massive increase to the cost of electricity before it happens. Every Ontarian has the right to address the Ontario Energy Board on this issue and should if you believe this 24.3% increase in the cost of the delivery portion of your bill would hurt you financially. I will be posting the details on responding to this application by Hydro One – a 100% Ontario Government owned crown corporation to the Ontario Energy Board (an agency of the Ontario government) as a result of the Green Energy Act (a bill written by Ontario Liberal Party lobbyists and donors from the wind industry and passed by the McGuinty Government).

9.5% and 13.3% Increase to Delivery Portion of Hydro Bill in 2010/2011 – Result of Green Energy Act

Media Release

Hydro One is seeking permission from the Ontario Energy Board to raise the delivery portion of hydro bills in Ontario by 9.5% in 2010 and 13.3% in 2011, in an attempt to raise over 250 million dollars to cover increased distribution costs. Much of that cost is tied to its Green Energy Plan for 2010-2014.

This is in stark contrast to Minister Smitherman’s statement on February 23rd 2009, “We anticipate that associated with the investments that I’m speaking about today, [the increase will be] approximately one per cent per year.” – George Smitherman, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure discussing the financial impacts of the GREEN ENERGY ACT.

“This massive increase just deals with the increased cost of delivering wind factory produced energy. We aren’t even dealing with the increased cost of promising wind developers’ a price for their power which is three to five times higher than the current retail cost.” commented John Laforet, President of Wind Concerns Ontario, a coalition of thirty- four grassroots citizen groups spread out over twenty-one counties and the Cities of Toronto and Ottawa.

“Especially during the tough times Ontario industry and citizens are facing through this painful recession, it is the wrong time for these kind of increases, brought on by an irresponsible and ill-advised plan of our energy future by this government” said John Laforet in response to the impacts this will have on Ontario’s people and economy.

“The government needs to realize that this plan is unsustainable and unaffordable for Ontarians. Steep increases like these to our hydro bills, which will be subject to an additional 8% tax when the PST is harmonized are really going to hurt a lot of folks who are just barely hanging on.”

Wind Concerns Ontario is calling on Minister Smitherman and the Ontario Energy Board to keep his promise to Ontarians that electricity bills would not see increases of more than 1 percent per year and develop an energy plan that reflects that reality.

As a member of Winda Action Group Bruce County and Wind Concerns Ontario - I belive the Ontario Government and Minister Smitherman needs to keep his promise that electricy bills would not see an increase of more than 1 percent per year and develope an energy plan that feflect that reality.



Patti Hutton

RR3

Tiverton

519-368-5561

____________________________________________________________
Reduce Your Carbon Footprint, Please Think Before You Print.