Bruce-Grey Owen Sound MPP Bill Walker responded today to the Liberal Caucus release regarding the Ontario PC's voting against Bill 132, the Fair Hydro Act.
Walker says the Liberals plan is simply deferring the rates, and the costs will skyrocket later for rate payers.
"The rates a merely being deferred. This is like you not paying your credit card for 2 or 3 years, and moving it out, and then saying 'I did a good job.' You still have to pay the piper, there's no getting away from this. At the end of the day, it's going to be 12 percent higher to pay that back at this point."
Walker says he couldn't vote for the bill to temporarily relieve hydro rates and then dump more debt on rate payers later.
"I just can't accept that. We're here in our backyard closing rural schools, but they can find 25 billion to borrow to give you a bit of rate relief, which they created. They caused this challenge. I just can't in good conscience put more debt on the backs of our kids and grandkids."
The Liberal caucus release yesterday asserts the PC's have no alternatives to the bill, but Walker says that's a deflection of responsibility.
"They have been government for almost 14 years. They've doubled our debt in 12 years, more debt than we've ever had in the history of ur province. They have created this colossal nightmare in our whole hydro field. They're borrowing and borrowing, they're overspending. They're desperate to cling to power, they'll do anything."
Walker says it makes no sense to borrow 25 billion in temporary relief when services and rural schools suffer and Ontario municipalities are struggling.
"We spend over a billion in interest payments alone today, and they just added 25 billion, and yet they can't find any money to keep our schools open. Our hospitals are being challenged now, many of our municipalities are struggling because they're funding is getting cut. This is purely a budget, and they're trying to use this as a wedge."
