While it is true that…

While it is true that Ontarians have been faced with rising electricity costs over the last decade plus, it is a mistake to aim directly at the Green Energy Act and conclude that it is the key reason for the increases. It is also a mistake to assume that that the Green Energy Act is bad policy, just because rates have increased during the same timespan.

The Ontario Government has shown progress over the last fifteen years in making provincial energy production cleaner. It is important to call out and recognize the great benefit that shutting down coal fired plants has been to the environment, and to all of our health.

That said, Ontario needs to continue to evolve and move into the future, and meet the needs of our planet. As a province, we have too much reliance on nuclear energy, as opposed to clean, renewables energies including solar and wind. Many people think that nuclear power is clean, green, and good for the environment, but it clearly is not. To put it quite simply, nuclear power creates nuclear waste, something that is dangerous to human health and the environment for thousands of years. The process of mining and refining fuels for nuclear reactors is also tremendously energy intensive; fossil fuels are generally used for mining and refining fuels, putting carbon emissions into the atmosphere. While nuclear reactors may not directly expel carbon emissions, nuclear power is still not clean, not green, and most certainly, not good for the environment.

The Green Energy Act was brought in to do many things. First and foremost, it was intended to create less reliance on traditional energy production, and move the province into clean energies that would help the province move into the future, lower carbon emissions, and fight climate change. It was intended to create investment, and provide everyday Ontarians the opportunity to invest in their future and make a reasonable return. It was brought in to help build up an industry, create green jobs and create small businesses. It did all of these things, and while there may have been some impact on energy rates, it is unfair to point blame directly at the Act. According to the Ontario Energy Board, as of the end of 2017, 2.2% of Ontario's energy came from solar, and 7.2% came from wind. Given that under 10% of the energy comes from solar and wind, it is hard to see the logic in attributing the price increases solely to the Act. I realize that the energy sales rate is higher than the energy consumption rate so I understand how people say that we are overpaying for energy, but this is exactly how you provide a return on investment to investors.

I take issue with the recent words of Minister Monte McNaughton, "Well-connected energy insiders made fortunes putting up wind farms and solar panels that gouge hydro consumers". I am a middle-class guy, a family man, in a single income home. Last year I made the decision to make an investment in my family's future, and put up some money to get a rooftop solar system. We were one of the last contracts signed under Microfit. We have our panels now and have been connected to the grid and selling our energy since April. We are not well-connected energy insiders. We are not making a fortune. We borrowed the money to buy the system, so even the money that we do get from our production is less once we remove the loan repayment and income tax. We installed a system to help support the fight for our planet and to help contribute to a solution that can contribute to the fight against climate change.

As we continue to look climate change right in the eye, we need to be strategic and think beyond party lines. We can't solely look at the pocketbook issues such as taking any and all measures to reduce energy costs. We need to continue to build a more environmentally friendly electrical system. We need to continue to encourage home and business owners to make investments in the planet and support the Ontario green energy industry. Small businesses are the backbone of the Ontario Green Energy industry, and given how much I know that this Ontario Government believes in small businesses, this should be another key reason to make green energy a priority.