Dear Editor

As a Candidate for the Trillium Party of Ontario I, like so many Ontarians, have grave concerns about what is happening with the debt of Ontario. This includes wasteful spending, questionable contracts and involves certain other parties making promises to people that the wind-turbines will be removed.

Having read through the Auditor General's (A.G.) Pre-Election report I find government is continuing with its "bogus bookkeeping" (the A.G.'s term), under the "Fair Hydro Plan" and it isn't merely the Liberals who will be keeping the "bogus bookkeeping" but the Progressive Conservatives (PC) as well. The NDP merely talk a "buy your vote" talk. The Fair Hydro Plan is one of the core angst of the A.G.'s report and to me this "Plan" is just wrong.

Consider this – if the sitting parties continue to govern the debt, of Ontarians within the next 3 years, will accumulate to $393 BILLION. This means that every man, woman and child will each owe $26,000.00 before they even get out of bed. Another perspective on this - if there is one person in your household that is $26,000.00; if there are two people in your household the debt is $52,000.00; if these two have a baby it is $78,000.00, and so on. If this were on one's Credit Card Bill, think how this affects the household budget.

The Fair Hydro Plan creates a debt because the consumer of electricity is not being charged the full amount on their electricity bills. This debt is then hidden as an asset under a government corporation called the Independent Electricity Systems Operator (IESO) and it is not shown as the debt it should be, but as an asset to a provincial corporation. As stated by the Auditor General, in her report:

"If the government had correctly included the expenses resulting from the Fair Hydro Plan ..., the forecasted annual deficits reported in Ontario's Medium-Term Fiscal Plan would be higher by $2.4 billion in 2018/19, $2.6 billion in 2019/20 and $2.8 billion in 2020/21."

Therefore, the people of Ontario are being misled by all of the sitting parties, as it would seem the parties are keeping the "bogus bookkeeping." This Plan also includes keeping the wind-turbines because the Act was created so electricity users will pay for these harmful, wasteful projects.

As for the NDP – why would they vote against a PC Bill (2016) that would stop the sell off of Hydro One and decrease the cost of electricity? Same for the PCs when the NDP (2015) presented basically the same Bill? None of the sitting parties "care" about the people of Ontario and, it would seem, the whipped vote shows how the back-room, for their own benefit, runs the parties against the people.

Elizabeth Marshall
Candidate, Trillium Party of Ontario
Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound