News Flashes about our Lake and our Community:
On March 7, 2017, the MPOA informed their membership about the possibility of hydro rates soaring due to the province's potential plan to change the classes of residential electricity users by eliminating the seasonal (cottages) class. See the article below in grey for reference to last year's article.
It has resurfaced again in the news. Here is a link to the article in the CBC Ottawa News and it is troubling! The latest news notes that our hydro bills could increase by as much as 129% next year when we come back to the cottage! The Ontario Energy Board has proposed that the class under which most seasonal customers have their hydro fees assessed be eliminated. As reported in MPOA’s last update, the elimination of the Seasonal Residential Class may affect up to 70,000 seasonal customers.
Issues surrounding the cost of hydro, especially in rural areas, have been a hot topic in Ontario. The MPOA are members of FOCA, the Federation of Ontario Cottagers’ Associations, an incorporated non-profit organization that represents over 500 waterfront property owners’ groups, with over 50,000 member families. For over 50 years, FOCA has spoken on behalf of, and supported, Ontario’s 250,000 waterfront property owners – the vast majority of whom are electricity customers of Hydro One.
The province is planning to change the classes of residential electricity users by eliminating the seasonal (cottages) class. Please see the links below for FOCA’s information about Hydro Rates, including a letter that was sent last month to the Premier of Ontario, Kathleen Wynne, and Ontario’s Minister of Energy, Glen Thibeault, on behalf of FOCA (the Federation of Ontario Cottagers’ Associations) strongly urging reforms on the electrical pricing file. In this letter, they note that low-use customers in Ontario will see their electrical delivery charges increase by over 200%. While permanent rural residents will receive a monthly credit of $60.50, seasonal customers will be excluded and will see their monthly fixed delivery cost increase in excess of $117 (phased over 8 years), up from the current $36.28.
https://foca.on.ca/news-rising-electricity-costs-feb-2017/
https://foca.on.ca/utilities-and-rural-services-overview/
https://foca.on.ca/decision-on-hydro-ones-2015-2019-distribution-rates-application/
On Saturday, March 4th, 2017 at FOCA’s Annual General Meeting Bob Lake (P. Eng., Independent Utilities Professional) talked to the FOCA members about Electricity Rates in Ontario. In the next week or so an event summary will be available for all FOCA Members and it will include the current updates we received on Hydro Rates.
The MPOA have a FOCA rep on our MPOA board of directors. We will stay tuned to the FOCA Elert and website for more current updates.
