Brown wrong on energy
Dear Editor,
Recently, it was reported in this paper that Patrick Brown visited the area to support Lorne Coe. He repeated the mandatory talking points on energy costs.
Is this a conservative thing, the misrepresentation of facts? Not of the Robarts and Davises, but of latter day pretenders. Not too long ago, we were treated to a similar Gish Gallop in this paper of erroneous claims by Monte McNaughton.
Mr. Brown recites the mantra of the “gas plants” without, of course, revealing that he and his party also planned to close those plants for the same political advantage.
Mr. Brown claims incompetence and scandal and cites the Auditor General’s report in support. He ignores the many rebuttals to that report by qualified experts. The Auditor General was counting beans instead of fruit and ignores all the factors that do not have a number beside them.
Mr. Brown talks of the cheaper prices in Manitoba and Quebec, but does not say how Ontario can alter nature and create sites for cheap, large hydro installations. He also claims that this is not about green energy, but does not say how closing down coal plants and replacing them with non-emitting and non-polluting sources is not about green energy.
Mr. Brown talks of selling energy at less than the cost to produce it. He does not say that this is surplus energy at certain periods, when demand drops and that it is a better choice than wasting it. All forms of production will have this at times and will sell it on the spot market. Market price is irrelevant here, and the amount is not significant in total.
He criticises Ontario’s push for green energy and the cost of that. However, much of that cost is in the closing of coal plants and the refurbishing of nuclear plants, not the actual cost of production of wind and solar – a source that is still disappointingly small in the total. Further, it places Ontario ahead of the competing markets in the change that they must now make to meet their commitments to emission reductions. These jurisdictions will need to buy Ontario power in the near future. We need to redouble our efforts and take advantage of what is now the cheapest form of generation, wind and solar, and prepare for the inevitable future: a future in which we are positioning ourselves as a leader.
There is much more to this question of pricing. Not least the cost of repairing infrastructure that was neglected by the previous Conservative government and the long-term contracts, some of which were entered into by that government. Part of those is for future infrastructure costs. Energy pricing is a complex subject.
Mr. Brown should heed the adage of H.L. Mencken: “For every complex problem, there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong.” He owes it to his position to aid in bringing to Ontario that future we can have.
John Peate