Joint Statement from Ontario PC MPPs on Today’s OEB Decision

The following is a statement from MPP John Yakabuski, Ontario PC Critic for Energy, and MPP Lisa Thompson, Ontario PC Critic for Environment and Cap-and-Trade, on the Ontario Energy Board’s decisions to hide the costs of cap-and-trade on home heating bills: 

“The Ontario PC Caucus is disappointed by the Ontario Energy Board’s decision to bury the cost of cap-and-trade in the Delivery Charge on consumers’ home heating bills.  We have been clear all along that any plan to reduce carbon emissions must be transparent and accountable to the taxpayer. Instead, the Wynne Liberal’s plan will make natural gas customers pay more, but won’t allow them to see exactly how much. To insult hardworking taxpayers further, this government wants to make Ontarians pay additional HST on their cap-and-trade cash grab – a tax on top of a tax.

Overburdened Ontario families deserve to know why their natural gas bills are going to go up. Yet this government has ignored the overwhelming majority of businesses and stakeholders who specifically asked for this simple transparent line on the bill, similar to jurisdictions such as California and Quebec.It’s clear the Wynne Liberals have made the decision to hide the impact its costly cap-and-trade cash grab will have on Ontario families by burying the evidence in their bills.  This is a government that wants all of the photo-ops, but wants to deal with none of the consequences of their reckless and unaffordable plan.”