On a fixed income and living alone since her husband Gerald died in 2010, Sharon Hill blocks off parts of her house from heat in an effort to save electricity costs.
The rising cost of electricity has forced Hill, a retired nurse, to be very mindful of how her energy usage is managed as those bills approach $300 per month.
“There’s only me here to feed. I am getting good at managing. I get along, I’m not getting way behind, but I have to work at it,” said Hill.
Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath visited Hill’s modest west-end home this morning to speak about the state of electricity prices in the province.
“People are doing their laundry at night time, running their dishwashers at night time. They’re doing everything they can to adjust their lifestyle to consume at the lowest prices in the off-peak hours and it adds insult to injury,” said Horwath.
Hill said one way she manages her bills is to do her baking and the laundry in the cheaper off-peak hours, which has forced her to do her chores at night.
“I never, ever do it until it’s 7 o’clock at night because I can’t afford to do it,” said Hill.
At 80 years of age, Hill says she sometimes forgets to wait until night to do her chores.
“At my age, I don’t know if being a nighthawk is a good idea. I need my rest,” she said.
Horwath said that Hill, a senior on a fixed income, represents just one segment of electricity customers struggling with rising electricity prices.
Some residents, Horwath notes, have to choose between paying the electricity or saving for their children’s education or, in some cases, eating.
A recent move by the Liberal government to rebate the 8 per cent Harmonized Sales Tax from electricity bills in the province is welcome, said Horwath, but not enough.
“(The Liberals) are continuing to make things worse with the sell-off of HydroOne. They need to stop that,” said Horwath.
So far, the Liberal government has approved a sell-off of about 30 per cent of HydroOne, said Horwath.
The problems, said Horwath, began in the 1990s when the previous PC government began deregulating the industry and privatizing power generation in the province.
“We saw the Liberals continue to sign lucrative deals with the private sector in terms of generation, both traditional types of power as well as renewables — and we are the ones who are paying the price,” said Horwath.
Should the NDP form government after the next election, Horwath said she would like to renegotiate existing contracts and take a second look at the Ontario Energy Board (OEB), which regulates electricity and natural gas utilities in Ontario.
“The OEB was supposed to be sort of a watchdog, but it’s not. It basically rubber-stamps the requests that come in for rate increases from the various power generators, and that’s not helping consumers,” said Horwath.
Hill is just hoping for a little relief.
“I think a little more compassion would be nice on the middle class and the little guy,” said Hill.