The Liberal government has announced that hydro bills will take yet another increase on January 1, 2016, Chatham-Kent-Essex MPP Rick Nicholls said today.

“What that means to Ontarians is if your hydro bill is $126 per month today, you will be paying an extra $53 per month more. That’s an increase of 42%. This is totally unacceptable and I will continue to challenge this Liberal government’s reckless energy policy,” Nicholls said.

Premier Wynne said in her visit to Chatham last week that her government will cancel the Clean Energy Benefit causing the average hydro bill to rise again by $180 per year starting in 2016, with an additional $11 a year increase to fund a new hydro subsidy for low-income earners.

According to Nicholls the cancellation of the debt retirement charge will save households an average of $67 a year but when you do the math, consumers are losing.

“It’s a shell game. They’re taking away a charge with one hand and removing a credit with the other. At the end of the day bills are going to continue to increase,” Nicholls stated.

Nicholls is also concerned that the Liberals have failed to discuss global adjustment on hydro bills, saying this charge can be increased monthly with little explanation for fluctuations.

“The global adjustment charge is killing jobs across southwestern Ontario and the rest of the province. A local business showed me their bills for last year where they paid over a million dollars in global adjustment fees alone. They want to expand operations in a region that’s desperate for jobs but they’re being handcuffed by these energy costs,” said Nicholls.

“I will continue to meet with local residents and businesses to discuss their hydro bills and bring their stories to Queen’s Park. The government needs to hear how its energy policies are hurting Ontarians,” Nicholls said.