Ontario PCs release "Paths to Prosperity: Affordable Energy"

Queen's Park - May 15, 2012 - It’s time for action in Ontario. Without an integrated plan to expand our economy and balance the budget, our province will continue to face high deficits, struggle to cover the cost of essential public services, and fail to create jobs for the more than 500,000 Ontarians looking for work.

Ontario must tackle both its deficit problem and its economic growth problem simultaneously. We must reduce the size and cost of government, but also remember that Ontario can’t cut its way out of the tough situation it is in. We need government policies that will encourage growth, not slow it down.

That’s why it’s time for a fresh approach to Ontario’s power sector, one that recognizes that affordable energy is a fundamental element of Ontario’s future economic success. We need policies that will keep prices under control for entrepreneurs, industry, and households alike, while ensuring that the system is reliable and sustainable.

Affordable energy is a cornerstone of economic growth. The provinces that have taken the right steps to assure a steady supply of power at fair rates are well positioned. Those like Ontario, where power rates are being driven up by expensive energy subsidies, are not.

We need to change that. Government must get back to its proper, limited role. It should provide strong and independent regulation, conduct long-term planning, and establish a system where power is provided by companies competing to offer the best prices and most efficient technologies. Government does not need to micromanage every decision made in the power sector.

Power prices affect all consumers and virtually every element of the provincial economy. High power prices cost jobs, they don’t create them. In order to expand the economy, our goal must be to generate affordable power.

We won’t reach that goal by conducting business as usual. We need a new approach. The good news is that Ontarians have a lot of expertise and ideas to offer. That’s why the Ontario PC Caucus has produced this Paths to Prosperity white paper – the first in a series – to pull together some of the best ideas we’ve heard so far and to focus the discussion on finding real solutions to the problem of rapidly escalating electricity prices.

Together, we can fix this problem and make power prices a job creator, not a job barrier.

Tim Hudak,
Leader of the Official Opposition

For more information, we encourage you to read the White Paper or download online.