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Let's have an honest look at the source of the problem.
In 1998, the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario (PC) government of Mike Harris passed the Energy Competition Act which authorized the establishment of a market in electricity. In April 1999, Ontario Hydro was re-organized into five successor companies: Ontario Power Generation, the Ontario Hydro Services Company (later renamed Hydro One), the Independent Electricity Market Operator (later renamed the Independent Electricity System Operator), the Electrical Safety Authority, and Ontario Electricity Financial Corporation. The two commercial companies, Ontario Power Generation and Hydro One, were intended to eventually operate as private businesses rather than as crown corporations.
By 2001, Hydro One had acquired 88 municipal utilities. In December 2001 the provincial government announced the intention to sell Hydro One under an initial public offering, however by April 2002 various groups in opposition to the plan were able to successfully challenge the government in the Ontario Superior Court, forcing a halt to the IPO.[5]
In 2002 an electricity market began operating. However, critics questioned, among other things, whether the market was truly competitive or could ever become competitive, given that an electricity grid is not a private good. Public dismay at an increase in prices led the government of Harris's successor, Ernie Eves, to freeze electricity prices for residential and small business consumers. This freeze was maintained after the Liberal Party of Dalton McGuinty replaced the PC government in 2003. The freeze was removed and prices were raised in April 2004, and have been increased again subsequently.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydro_One
It is way too easy to blame the current or recent governments for the increasing electricity cost problem. It really started over fifteen years ago, under Mike Harris, in a misguided effort to restructure and sell Ontario Hydro - to generate funds to balance the provincial budget and give high income earners and large corporations a tax break, after having cut welfare payments to the needy by 22%.
Valve, Pierre was talking about how our Hydro got into the predicament it is now in. The turbines are a separate entity and although I agree they are wrong to be FORCED on people and municipalities and their reliability and performance is highly questionable, the big question is, what are you going to do about it? I say 'you' because you have always been a Conservative backer and what do you think Hudak is going to do? What has Hudak said he will do? The answer to both is 'nothing". What Hudak will do is start slicing and dicing everything he can and we will end up in the same disaster as when his trainer Harris was in power, plus we will still have the high hydro rates and all Hudak will say is "not my fault the Liberals did that". Do not forget that both Hudak and his wife worked for Harris and the branch doesn't fall far from the tree.
Am I happy with the Liberal government? Absolutely not. Do I trust Hudak? Absolutely unequivocally not! So in the political game we are forced to play who is left? The NDP and deep inside I still don't trust them in many ways.
I wish we would get away from this forsaken party system and vote for all independents as well as a separate vote for the Premier. I think we would get better politicians and leaders because they refuse to fit into the party mold and tow the party line and not be faced with punishment if they go against the gang and their leader.
There's always something that can be done. It just takes a little imagination.
"The NDP had their chance with Bob Rae as Premier. "
True
But the Conservatives had their chance with Mike Harris and he also blew it. That does not mean that Ontario will never again elect Conservatives. Ontarians may just do that in the next election.
Canadians are quick to forget the mistakes of some political parties. Take the Conservatives and Mulroney. It only took fifteen years or so for the Conservatives (under Harper) to come back to power. Or the scandal plagued Liberals in Quebec - back with a majority in less than a year!
Yes, folks forget and forgive. The same may also happen to the NDP. Who knows?
Anyone in their right mind wouldn't vote for Hudak. His mentor and that of his wife was Harris. They are both dyed in the wool Harris Conservatives.
Harper/Mulroney were far apart and Harper is not a true Conservative, even Joe Clark openly said that. And Harper never would have got elected in the first place if it were not for the Liberal/Quebec mistake. Then after that Harper couldn't get a majority even with two contenders who had as much appeal as squashed Timmies cup on the highway. Increasingly I find more and more people tired of Harper. They want to see real changes and more good jobs instead of his constant selling them off with trade deals to countries like China. Trudeau the elder came into power during a time when people desperately wanted a change and a new future and Trudeau the younger is providing the same. Short of making a huge mistake, Trudeau is going to give Harper a real run for his money. Even in the farmland with traditional Conservative supporters, I'm hearing more and more people who are tired of Harper, his treatment of democracy and his secretness hidden under a perfect suit and hair.
My predication for Ontario is the Liberals will win but not a majority and the NDP if they get their ducks lined up may take a close opposition. Hudak, too soon after Harris and people just don't like or trust Hudak's demeanor. The biggest mistake the Cons did in Ontario is keep him. As much as Wynne and the Liberals are disliked, Hudak is her biggest asset. People will suffer with what they know, hoping for a better future, than jump from the pot into the fire with someone who has Harris written all over him.
Federally, it's a real tossup. NDP, not a prayer. Mulcair should have read the manual on politics, people don't trust political leaders with beards, but that's only a minor problem. Between Harper and Trudeau it's neck and neck and depends what Trudeau has up his sleeve as the election comes closer. Either way, Harper's majority days are over.
A long time ago a famous baseball coach called Casey Stengel once said.........."if you have complaints, you better have some answers to go along with them". (that's not verbatim, but it's close)
I'm not happy with the Liberals and well you know how I feel about Harper. The debt both in Ontario and Federally has risen massively. The immediate question is of course that one word "why" and albeit it's a simple and short word, it's not an easy word. We can talk about the cost of war in Afghanistan that in the end served no real purpose (be glad we didn't go into Iraq as Harper wanted to do). We can talk about the aging population and the cost for healthcare. We can talk about mismanagement and friendly behind the curtains handshakes including some that were 'golden'. All of these and more including what many would consider waste of money in some areas are all contributing factors, but they're there now and what as Stengel would say......is the 'answer'?
Here's my take on the Big picture........
First of all there has to be cut backs in many areas but not areas of importance such as healthcare. Other areas like mass or rapid transit are just vote getters for people who want more and more and more and then complain later how much it's costing them in taxes.
We an also cut more jobs and save money but remember that those working people pay taxes and you don't get taxes off people on unemployment, or welfare, or people who now find themselves working at Timmies for next to nothing. Our unemployment rate is too high as it is and even those employed are finding that the jobs they find just don't pay like they use to. So we can cut jobs on one end but lose on the other long term.
My view is our worst decision .........let me correct that........the worst decision of our politicians who went along with the wealthy of our society, was selling us a bill of goods and slight of hand on the different free trade deals. In the long run it did us and even the US no good. Oh it made the richer richer, but it did not help the average worker. We have lost a lot of jobs and manufacturing in Ontario especially, which at one time was the hub of manufacturing in Canada. Who benefits from this Free Trade, well of course the wealthy CEOs and the corporate owners and the investors, but also other countries. We are making other countries richer and richer and with that comes more power and believe me, this will come back and bite us in the butt later. Now I'm all for trade with other countries, it's been done since the dawn of time, but I'm not for trade using desperate workers for what are virtually slave wages and at the same time damaging and destroying our own manufacturing base. To me these big corporate leaders and politicians such as Harper who is going around the world working on even more free trade deals are as equal a traitor as someone who sells military secrets to another country. Those destroy us militarily, but free trade is quietly destroying us internally. What's even worse is the **bleep** that is being made in other countries is.......**bleep**! In N. America we use to make quality products that lasted but these days the garbage made in other countries to cut costs, are planned obsolescence.
So the end result is yes our politicians can't be trusted (as if they ever really were) but the real problem is our loss of jobs and loss of good jobs. With the loss of these jobs and good paying jobs, the average person is going increasingly into debt because the concept of 'if you can't afford it, don't buy it', is foreign to a lot of people, especially when the banks are offering people more credit cards and lines of credit and loans. We as a province and a country are in a mess and there is one answer in my books, bring the manufacturing back to the people.
No I am not happy at all with the increases and the future increase. I have a large shop and power tools and they run 8 hours a day.......you don't want to see my hydro bills! My earlier comment was not in defense of turbine power or the Liberal government's handling of all of this.......it's a Disaster! However, we have to do something when it comes to our pollution of the country and the planet and that was my point. The rest of my comment was the way money is spent in other areas. Everyone complains.......it's time for constructive 'answers' and it's not just get rid of the Liberals, we need much more than that.
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