May 13 / 09 North Simcoe News
MPP DUNLOP: Queen’s Park Report

I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Happy Canada Day. On Wednesday, July 1, our country will celebrate its 142nd Birthday. I hope that everyone is able to take part in celebrations. We should be especially proud of being a Canadian and what we represent.

I would also like to remind you about my Annual Constituency Barbecue and Family Picnic. It will take place this year on Saturday, July 11, from 3 p.m. til 7 p.m. at the Coldwater Curling Club. It’s a free event, with food, entertainment and socializing .All are welcome. 

On another matter I would also like to share my concerns with you about the Green Energy Act which will prove to be costly for all of us.

Dalton McGuinty and his Liberal government have been in office for six years now. Doesn’t it seem as though all they’ve done is find ways to make Ontarians pay more?

There was the so-called health premium, which was window dressing for the largest tax hike in Ontario’s history. Then there were added taxes on electronics and tires. And who can forget the most recent addition to the laundry list of Liberal taxes: Dalton’s new sales tax, which will hike taxes by eight per cent on everything from new homes to haircuts?

Well, it turns out there’s yet another new added cost coming your way, thanks to the McGuinty Liberals.

On February 23, the McGuinty Liberals introduced their Green Energy Act, Bill 150. It turns out that the “green” in Green Energy Act stands for the amount of “green” the Liberals will take out of hard-working Ontarians’ wallets.

Since the bill was first introduced, the Liberals have been less than forthcoming about the facts surrounding their energy act. They’ve left important numbers unsubstantiated, including how much more Ontarians can expect to pay on their energy bill.

When it became clear that the public wouldn’t get a straight answer from the Liberals, the Ontario Progressive Conservative Caucus commissioned the world-renowned London Economics International (LEI) to do an independent study on just how much Ontarians can expect to pay for the McGuinty energy act, once it’s fully implemented.

Members of the PC Caucus suspected that Ontarians would have higher energy bills under the new Liberal energy scheme, but we had no idea just how much higher until LEI submitted their full report last week.

According to LEI’s final report, by the time the bill is fully implemented, energy costs will rise by as much as $1,200 per household every year. That doesn’t even include the eight per cent that people will have to add to their energy bills, thanks to the new Dalton Sales Tax.

This number makes it clear that Dalton McGuinty is completely out-of-touch with the typical Ontario family.

The PC Caucus believes that a greener Ontario is a better Ontario. But it can’t be done by bankrupting the people of this province.

Dalton McGuinty has spent the last six years with his hands in Ontarians’ pockets. Now that we’re in the middle of a recession, isn’t it time he pulled them out?