Ontario politicians are being asked to commit to a power framework, drafted by the Windsor and Essex Chamber of Commerce and the Ontario Electricity Stakeholders Alliance.
“The rising cost of electricity, up to 400 per cent in the past number of years, has made it the number one issue for businesses across Ontario,” said WERCC President & CEO Matt Marchand.
Marchand says the Power Framework, which consists of eight recommendations, provides the roadmap Ontario needs for smart electricity decisions that achieve the best outcomes for electricity consumers through the principles of transparency, competition, objectivity and independence.
The hope is the political parties will adopt these ideas to help ensure power is cost effective.
The Ontario Electricity Stakeholders Alliance is a group of 19 energy consumers, businesses, producers and distributors from across Ontario.
The group is asking each political party to commit to its Power Framework, which focuses on:
· Transparency: A plan to build confidence in an open, accountable system with an engaged Legislature and rules that respect the public’s right to be informed;
· Competition: A commitment to competitive processes, wherever feasible, that help support lower costs for both government and electricity consumers;
· Objectivity: A commitment to smart electricity decisions informed by rigorous cost-benefit analysis and objective procurement criteria that ensure Ontario ratepayers are getting the best value; and
· Independence: A process where independent agencies like the IESO, OEB and Ontario Electricity Safety Authority are appropriately resourced to make independent decisions and be held accountable by the provincial Legislature.
The report says Ontario’s electricity sector governance and planning framework should be revised to reflect these fundamental principles
