Liberals need to clean up their mess

Re: “Coal plants needed to be closed,” Jan. 25, 2017

Dear Editor,

In a letter to the Oshawa Express, Liberal Energy Minister Thibault trashes an extremely thoughtful exposé written by Guelph University Professor Dr. Ross McKitrick on the Liberals phasing out of coal-based power generation. Hydro charges have risen sharply as a result of the phase out and the Wynne government has no credible plan for relief!

Here’s how the carbon fees work: Companies selling fossil fuels must buy greenhouse gas allowances under the government plan to cap carbon emissions, and can trade carbon credits for profit if they come in below their limits.

The Wynne plan penalizes efficient energy users and inefficient energy users alike.

The Liberals have warned homeowners to expect an extra $5 on natural gas bills. However, Enbridge, for example, says its carbon fee will be closer to $7 a month, or $80 a year for the typical natural gas consumer. Add that to 4.3 cents per litre in carbon fees that gasoline companies can charge motorists — just over $2 per tank.

Unfortunately, for taxpayers, Wynne and Trudeau seem to be on the same page when it comes to taxing everything and they want to hide the cost of the carbon tax in the delivery line of our electric bills.

Rather than downgrading this helpful exposé, Thibeault, Wynne and Trudeau should start to clean up the horrendous mess which they have created in their own backyard.

If they are not able to do this, they should step aside, and let a new team take charge!

Doug Hawkins, MBA