As the provincial election heats up we asked the challengers in the Kenora-Rainy River Riding their take on energy costs, health care and regional economic development. This week we asked:

What is your practical plan to lower energy costs for Northern Ontario residents if elected?

Sarah Campbell, New Democratic Party

Sarah Campbell

For the past few years we’ve seen the cost of energy skyrocket due to privatization attempts by the Mike Harris Conservatives and McGuinty Liberals.

I’m proud of the work I’ve done with the Dryden-based Facebook group Join the Fight Against Hydro One Rates, who made sure that this issue is at the forefront this election.

I’ve helped people who are struggling to put food on their table because of their hydro bills.

The first step is to take the HST off of home heating and hydro. These are essential services that should never be taxed. While the Liberals and Conservatives were busy making a backroom deal and doing their best not to talk about it, I was raising awareness of this tax through door-to-door canvassing and information tables at trade shows and hockey games. The NDP was the only party that spoke out against this regressive tax and we are the only party that will prevent essential goods from being taxed.

What the Liberals and Conservatives don’t want to tell you is that more than half of our electricity bill has nothing to do with the cost of production. They are subsidies for large industrial producers in southern Ontario, and the cost of an expensive bureaucracy created when Mike Harris tried to privatize our system. Northwestern Ontario produces some of the cheapest electricity in North America, yet our rates are the highest, because of mismanagement by the last two governments. The NDP has a plan to ensure the price of electricity is based on the actual cost of generation, which would make them some of the lowest in North America.

We are also committed to meaningful grants that will allow modest and middle-income earners to retrofit their homes and appliances to keep their electricity costs down.

Jojo Holiday, Green Party

Jojo Holliday

I would reinstate the retrofit program that was discontinued in March of this year that offered incentives and grants to retrofit your home. This would extend to tenants as well. I would begin to investigate why there is millions of dollars of profit with Ontario Hydro and the ACH while families and individuals struggle to pay the high cost and why we are selling our excess energy at a lower cost to other countries. I would like to initiate small non government energy companies to create micro hydro projects in our northern communities to build an economic base as well as a more affordable choice of energy. I would also begin to examine the old grid and the 20 per cent loss of energy in dead transmissions. I believe it is time to rebuild to a smart grid.

The newly installed smart meters should be used by the homeowner as a measure of energy output and how savings can be made within your home giving the home owner more responsibility on their uses. This would benefit with the Green Party’s platform on offering incentives and credits for good use of energy. The Ontario Energy Board has decided to cap funding for natural gas efficiency programs. To the Green Party this seems to take away from programs that invest in energy conservation and efficiency.

Anthony Leek, Ontario Liberal Party

Anthony Leek

I feel that one of the first things we need to do is strengthen our electricity system throughout Northwestern Ontario. Making sure that we can have a solid system for all residents as well as businesses like mining and forestry is vital to the economic prosperity of Kenora-Rainy River. The other thing is to look at what is possible. By getting information from those that are involved in the energy industry, we can ascertain what is possible to bring down costs. I don’t think we can promise lower energy costs when we do not have specific information on the grid system, how it plays out in the region and with the province as a whole. The 10 per cent off of Hydro bills is a start and conservation whenever possible is also important. I want to work with individuals and business to find out exactly what we need and see if something can be worked out with the province. What is most important, however, is to make sure we have someone at the table so we can actually work towards something like this. We also need someone that is able to work with people from all levels to provide the best possible solution. Making sure that families and business can afford the utilities they use is important to me and I want to work towards providing solid energy infrastructure.

Rod McKay, Progressive Conservatives

Rod McKay Photo courtesy Fort Frances Times

We will reduce tax burden on families and make energy more affordable in the North. We will do this by removing HST from your hydro and home heating bills. Heating our homes in Northern Ontario is not a luxury.

We will remove the Debt Retirement Charge from your hydro bills. As of 2010 the amount owed had been paid off. Yet the Liberal government has extended the charge to 2018. That is an unfair tax grab and we will stop it.

A Tim Hudak, PC government believes that it should be your choice whether or not you wish to have a smart meter.

Finally, we will stop the expensive energy experiments. We will end the feed-in- tariff program that, in some cases, pays up to 15 times the usual costs. We will honour all existing contracts but there will be no more sweetheart deals.

We will reduce the expensive bureaucracy at the Ontario Power Authority and invest in an affordable clean energy supply mix.

I am committed to working with Ontario’s next government to execute solutions that work for Northern Ontario that will put jobs back into our communities and help keep your money in your wallet.

Candidate answers compiled by Jennifer Thurbide/Northern Sun News