HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News Record, 2016-01-06, Page 5Wednesday, January 6, 2016 • News Record 5
www.clintonnewsrecord.com
editorial
Wynne's new year hydro price shock
Postmedia Network
Electricity bills for the
average Ontario house-
hold are going up by
another $120 per year.
That's the net result of
the latest hocus pocus by
Premier Kathleen Wynne's
Liberal government.
While the hated debt
retirement charge —
which should have been
removed years ago — is
finally being deep-sixed,
saving the average house-
hold $67.20 per year, the
province is also ending its
10 pecent clean energy
benefit subsidy, which will
see bills rise by $180 a
year on average.
Throw in another
$11 -per -year charge on all
hydro consumers to subsi-
dize rates for low-income
individuals and families
who apply and qualify for
a new government pro-
gram, and it works out to a
$120 annual hike for aver-
age consumers.
But that's just on the
first day of 2016 and
doesn't include, for exam-
ple, looming price hikes
by Toronto Hydro.
Further unacceptable
rate hikes are inevitable
due to the Liberals' disas-
trous management of the
province's electricity sys-
tem and their continuing
expansion of expensive,
unreliable, inefficient and
unneeded wind and solar
power.
Neither wind nor solar
were needed to replace
coal-fired electricity,
which the Liberals did
with nuclear power and
natural gas.
Two Ontario auditors
general — Bonnie Lysyk
and her predecessor, Jim
McCarter — have spent
years ripping apart Liberal
claims of competence on
the hydro file, relentlessly
exposing their renewable
energy schemes as a
multi -billion -dollar train
wreck.
Due to Liberal incompe-
tence, hydro bills skyrock-
eted 70 percent between
2008 and 2014 alone, with
no end in sight.
Meanwhile power out-
ages are increasing in fre-
quency and lasting longer
because Hydro One isn't
replacing $4.5 billion
worth of transmission
assets "that have exceeded
their planned useful ser-
vice life'.
The Liberals' answer is
to sell 60 percent of Hydro
One to the private sector
for a quick cash fix, a
move which will put the
provincial utility beyond
the scrutiny of the auditor
general.
Meanwhile, the Liberals
stumble on in a state of
denial, seemingly oblivi-
ous to the mess they've
made of Ontario's electric-
ity system, where skyrock-
eting rates are driving out
businesses and throwing
more and more families
into fuel poverty.
Clearly, Wynne's govern-
ment is out of ideas on how
to fix the disaster the Liber-
als created. Ontarians can
only hope it will soon be
out of time, as well.
FROM THE ARCHIVES
15 years ago...
• In its first month of operation,
the Clinton Racetrack Slots brought
in revenues of over $1 million. As
the second quarter for the fiscal
year 2000-2001 was completed at
the end of September, and the Clin-
ton facility did not open until
August 26, figures were available
only for just over one month of
operation. From August 26 to Sep-
tember 30, the gross gaming reve-
nue for the Clinton Racetrack Slots
was $1.15 million. From this reve-
nue, 10 percent goes to the Clinton
Raceway, and 10 percent to the
purses for the 2001 race season.
Information regarding revenue to
the municipality was to be released
later in the month.
• Across Ontario, New Year's
babies of a different kind were born
on January 1, 2001. These babies are
new, larger municipal governments
created from the amalgamation of
townships, villages and towns. On
Monday, January 1, a new munici-
pality named Bluewater officially
assumed management of five former
townships and villages. The Town-
ships of Hay and Stanley and the
Villages of Bayfield, Hensall and
Zurich have been amalgamated and
a new municipal coulcil was elected
to lead nearly 10,000 people into the
next millennium.
• Reeve Carol Mitchell expected to
get down to business quickly in the
Township of Central Huron. The
most difficult task for the new coun-
cil will be to work as the one munic-
ipality of Central Huron, which is
comprised of Clinton, along with
Hullett and Goderich Townships. All
business for Central Huron will be
done from the Clinton office.
25 years ago...
• Some gifts are more controver-
sial than others. The certificate of
approval for the re -located Mid -
Huron Landfill Site is one of those.
As of December 22, the certificate
had not yet come through, despite
the fact that the old site was due to
be closed December 31. The certifi-
cate of approval gives "four and a
half" municipalities (the Town of
Goderich, the Town of Clinton,
Goderich and Colborne Townships,
and the Vanastra area of Tucker -
smith Twp.) permanent use at the
new site. It also provides service on
n emergency basis for one year for
the other "three and a half" munici-
palities that were using the old site
on a similar basis.
These municipalities are Lucknow,
Seaforth, Bayfield and the rest of
Tuckersmith Twp. The Seaforth
landfill site, which served a number
of these municipalities, closed in
late 1988. The board plans to seek
approval to include the above
municipalities on a permanent basis
as they had been using the Holmes-
ville site on an emergency basis
since early 1989.
• The late Percy "Poss" Livermore
of Clinton was remembered by
friends and family on December 22
when more than 60 people attended
a reception to dedicate a new trophy
case to the Clinton Arena in his
memory. Tribute was paid to Poss
Livermore for his dedication to
hockey, baseball and the Clinton
Recreation Committee for many
years.
35 years ago...
• The Peat, Marwick study on long
term care planning commissioned
by the hospitals in Huron and Perth
shows that about 20 percent of all
the senior citizens being cared for in
some sort of an institution, are
improperly placed. The study was
made public at the December meet-
ing of the board of Alexandra
Marine and General Hospital in
Goderich. Of the 397 patients
inappropriately placed, 76 were
assessed as needing psychiatric
care, nine as requiring home care,
and 31 requiring no care (25 of these
in rest homes). A further nine resi-
dents in rest homes were assessed
as requiring extended care. Two
more in nursing homes were
assessed as requiring chronic care.
Statistics in the report also showed
that 29 percent of all nursing home
occupants were not residents of
either Huron or Perth Counties. All
counties adjacent to Huron and
Perth, with the exception of one,
have identified the need for addi-
tional nursing home beds. The fifth
county is currently undertaking an
examination of long term care
health needs.
• Although pushing the snow from
your driveway out onto the road after
the snowplow has filled in your drive
may seem logical to some Clintoni-
ans, doing so in the future could cost
you up to $300 in a court fine. That's
the summary of a tough new bylaw
passed Monday night by Clinton
Council to control residents from
throwing snow onto the travelled por-
tion of the road. The new law not only
makes it illegal to throw, push or
place any snow onto the road, but it
also makes it an offence to even push
the snow across the road.
if it's local, it's here clintonnewsrecord.com