SPRINGWATER NEWS MARCH 5, 2009

MPP DUNLOP EXTREMELY CAUTIOUS ABOUT GREEN ENERGY ACT

Almost a year ago, Dalton McGuinty wished for a magic wand that would ensure Ontario didn’t lose anymore jobs.

Today, he thinks he’s found it. We know he’s wrong.

Mr. McGuinty foolishly believes that his Green Energy Act will be the cure-all for Ontario’s ailing economy. In fact, it is the worst thing that he could have done at a time like this.

The Liberal legislation piles extra taxes on Ontarians, from mandatory energy audits to rising energy costs. It leaves Ontarians on the hook for the Liberals’ $5 billion energy bill.

These are costs that many Ontarians can scarcely afford right now. Far too many Ontarians have lost their jobs or have had their salaries and benefits cut. Along with higher food prices and bloated property assessments, it’s the last thing struggling families, seniors or businesses need.

Energy Minister George Smitherman has pegged the cost of this new legislation at $5 billion. With 4.2 million energy consumers in Ontario, that price tag means an extra $1,200 for each. That’s a pretty penny that most of us can’t afford.

Even worse, this bill completely discourages business investment in Ontario. Now, discouraging investment in Ontario isn’t new for the McGuinty Liberals. They’ve been doing a good job of it for the past six years, with their tax-and-spend policies and mounting piles of red tape.

But when Dalton McGuinty said a few weeks ago that “we need to turn our attention…to strengthening our economy”, it seems a bit odd that he would turn around and introduce a piece of legislation which will do the opposite and weaken it further.

The dizzying part of Mr. McGuinty’s latest policy is that he is fully aware of the negative impact it will have on Ontario families and businesses.

In 1991, under the high-taxing, big-spending Bob Rae government, Bill 118 was introduced. It proposed to drive up hydro taxes and then-opposition MPP Dalton McGuinty spoke up against it, saying, “We have got to question the wisdom of the minister in introducing a bill in a recession which is saying to employers and investors, ‘Here comes an additional tax which we’re going to tack on to your hydro bill.’”

Sadly, the Ontario of today isn’t much different. We have a government at the helm that has driven our province into economic dire straits. And now we have a piece of legislation that will drive up the cost of energy for both individuals and businesses.

The only difference today is that Dalton McGuinty is on the opposite side of the floor, singing a different tune.