Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne did a 180 Wednesday, finally admitting that rising hydro bills across the province are an “urgent issue,” after downplaying the issue for months.
The change in tone from the Wynne government comes after extensive reporting by Global News on skyrocketing electricity rates, especially in rural areas, and the toll it has had on residents and businesses.
June 30, 2016
Global first reported on the dramatic increase in June, after the province began selling off their majority share of the transmission utility and rates had risen in the province 100 per cent over the past decade.
An investigation showed that ‘energy poverty’ was forcing rural residents to spend hundreds of dollars a month just to keep the lights on.
July 6, 2016
A follow-up story on the high hydro costs in rural Ontario focused on Bruce County.
Despite being home to one of the province’s largest sources of electrical power by way of the Bruce Power nuclear generating station, more than 200 people in the area were seeking assistance with their hydro bills.
One resident, who recently suffered a heart attack, told healthcare workers it would be better for his family if he passed away. In another example, a mom was told by a Hydro One official to have her children stop using computers or other ‘toy items’.
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