Ontario Hydro utiilities to raise rates to pay fines

[Scotty]

So Ontario power utilities overcharged people, and the courts ordered them to stop charging illegal interest rates on unpaid bills, so the government in the person of the Ontario Energy Board then gives them permission to raise rates in order to pay for the cost of the legal fees and fines!

I swear, if people vote for McGuinty again they deserve whatever they get.

[Shwa]

A link is helpful; from the Star:

Opposition parties calls Ontario Energy Board ruling a ‘scam’

The government is standing idly by as electricity ratepayers get hit in the pocketbook again, opposition parties charged Wednesday in the wake of the latest Ontario Energy Board ruling.

This time it’s a decision that local electrical utilities — on the losing end of a Supreme Court case for charging interest rates of over 60 per cent on late bill payments — can get the $18 million back from customers across the board.

...

“It’s a scam,” Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak shot at Energy Minister Brad Duguid in the Legislature’s daily question period, saying the Liberals have turned the energy board into “another McGuinty tax collection agency.”

“Why is it when Ontario families even win in the courts you still make them pay the price of illegal activity?”

The typical residential customer will see an extra 20 to 30 cents a month on their electricity bills for two years.

Duguid said the government has directed its transmission utility Hydro One not to charge the money to customers it serves directly and that he “strongly recommends” local utilities across the province will follow that lead.

[Topaz]

The following article I found says that Hydro One customers are not affected by the increase, that good for me but still there are many families still hurting from the recession. http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/McGuinty+chided+over+hydro+increases/4329731/story.html

[Leaf_Fan]

This is just another in a long line of massive F'ups by the Ontario government when it comes to energy. And I thought selling Wind power to the US for half of what it costs us to produce it was bad, but this is right up there as well.

[Oleg Bach]

Five dollars of actual and 100 bucks worth of fabricated attatched other costs smacks of pure usery and corruption.

[guyser]

The following article I found says that Hydro One customers are not affected by the increase, that good for me but still there are many families still hurting from the recession. http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/McGuinty+chided+over+hydro+increases/4329731/story.html

This is what bugs me about the whole thing. (and I know its 20Cents but ...)

The money they collected they were not entitled to collect as it was an overcharge. So it wasnt on the books as income against operating costs.

So they lost in court and had to pay it back , yet they get to collect it again even tho they shouldnt have in the first place.

Ahh...Ontari-ari-ari-OOOOO . COuldnt happen to a better province.

Ahh but did you know, the cottage property is getting a rebate this year to offset the costs of rising hydro rates. Why? Now how the F would I know.

[Oleg Bach]

Is it privatized or is it public? I really can't tell - can you?