Kenora Rainy-River MPP Sarah Campbell

By Ally Dunham

Following the release of the Auditor General’s 2011 report, Kenora-Rainy River District MPP, Sarah Campbell has expressed some concern regarding multiple recommendations by the Auditor General (AG).

“I wanted to really talk about two main issues, as I saw it, that affect the riding and people in particular. Energy as well as MNR forest sustainability. I broke down the energy and three main issues with it that the AG highlighted,” said Campbell.

Campbell says her three main issues in the energy sector are the debt retirement charge, electricity retailers, and green energy.

“The problem with the debt retirement charge, when I was out canvassing this continually came up, isn’t the HST and how that really drives them crazy, it’s the debt retirement because it never seems to end,” said Campbell. “This Auditor General’s report really shed some light on that and basically Section 85 of the Electricity Act requires that the Minister of Finance determine the total debt from “time to time”. The AG used that in quotations, time to time, and to make some of these recommendations public. The AG found that the government is not complying with the act. It’s much of what we’ve known all along.”

Campbell says her constituents want to know why they were still paying this charge, and when it would be paid off.

“I can tell you I had a heck of a time getting a response (from the government) to these questions, and last year I found out that, it sounded like McGuinty had been adding to this and the latest projection was going to be 2025,” said Campbell. “The AG did give the government a chance to respond in the report and now it sounds like it’s going to be 2014 and 2018 which just so happens to be after the next election.”

Campbell also says the debt retirement charge revenue is not being used to put toward the debt, and the government department who collects the funds do not have structure as to where they may use the funds, and can use them anywhere they choose.

Campbell says that complaints are up regarding electricity retailers and something needs to be done by the government.

“The AG did say that complaints are up, they were at 1,400 complaints in 2006 and 4,300 complaints in 2010. Seventy to 90 per cent of those complaints about energy in general have to do with electricity retailers and only 15 per cent of people who have energy bills are signed up with retailers, so that is really skewed and disgusting,” said Campbell. “I think this report makes the case for us to just get on with it and outlaw these companies once and for all.”

Campbell also has issues with the way green energy has progressed. She says green energy is important but is too costly.

“The green energy direction that the McGuinty government has taken has cost us a lot of money on our hydro bills, whether we have the solar options or not, it’s costing all of us a lot more money. That’s something that the Auditor General has determined as well,” said Campbell. “Something I would like to see, is the Liberal government strike a balance between promoting the green energy and going down that route, and the higher electricity bills that we all have to pay regardless of our income.”

Campbell says the forest sustainability facts need to be highlighted and the AG found that some of the objectives are the crown forest are not being met including regeneration of the blocks.

“The province considers a one hectare harvest block to be regenerated if only 40 per cent of what the harvest block can accommodate is achieved. Now, those are pretty low standards, especially for an area that relies on the forest sector,” said Campbell.

Campbell also says that one in three licensed forest management companies have not reported the results of their forest management activities.

“So not only do we have low standards, but they’re (the government) not even checking up to see that it’s been regenerated properly,” said Campbell.

Campbell says the MNR needs more staff to take care of these problems, and the region will benefit tenfold if the government put more money into the solutions of these problems.