NDP: Ford’s Conservatives want to raise Ontarians’ energy bills

TORONTO – Official Opposition NDP critic for Energy and Climate Action, Peter Tabuns (Toronto – Danforth), has released the following statement in response to the Conservative government’s legislation to maintain a costly charge on energy bills that subsidizes Enbridge’s expansion plans:

“Ending this subsidy would mean over a billion in savings for customers, who will now be stuck paying more than $300 on top of their current utility bills simply to help Enbridge’s bottom line. Ford’s Conservatives walked away from a win-win-win situation: lower energy bills for Ontarians, lower carbon emissions, and a future where homes can start converting to heat pumps.

"At a time when the world needs to move towards green energy, the Conservatives are using their majority to drive up carbon emissions and gas bills.

"They had the option to put money back in people’s pockets and finally start addressing the realities of climate change. But they chose to stick to their interests: climate denial and lining the pockets of billion-dollar corporations like Enbridge.”

Quick Facts:

• $4,400 savings cited by the Minister are for homes where developers choose natural gas over electric heat pumps, will instead be added to the bills of existing gas consumers, representing over $1 billion in extra charges to gas consumers over four years.
• The OEB decision was about keeping these costs off people’s gas bills, but today’s legislation will add these costs back on.