Solar Power Change Leaves Farmers in the Dark
A change proposed under the Ontario Power Authority’s microFIT program has many farmers and agricultural businesses confused and upset at the latest flip-flop by the McGuinty government. After applying to the province’s Ontario Power Authority for solar power projects yielding a price of 80.2 cents per kilowatt hour, farmers across Ontario are now being told that this price will apply only to electricity generated from rooftop solar panels. Clearly, these price changes indicate the McGuinty government’s electricity plan is not working. For ground-mounted solar panels, the OPA is proposing a reduced price of 58.8 cents/kWh. This reduced price threatens the viability of many business plans as well as jobs and opportunities in the green energy sector. The Ontario Power Authority has announced a 30-day consultation period on this proposed new price category for solar power. In addition, two web-based information sessions have been held. I would encourage Ontario residents and solar power stakeholders to have their say on the latest provincial government mixed message on green energy. You can comment by sending an e-mail to microFIT@powerauthority.on.ca. Comments can also be mailed to the Ontario Power Authority, with postmarks no later than August 3, 2010. I would ask you to provide me with a copy of your comments.
Hidden Eco-Fee Hits All Consumers
Whether you call it a fee, a tax or a premium, the McGuinty government’s eco tax is more money coming out of consumers’ pockets. Along with the controversial HST that became law July 1, the provincial government quietly introduced “eco-fees” covering thousands of products ranging from hairspray to fire extinguishers. A few examples of products subject to the eco-tax also include: pharmaceuticals, camping fuel, fluorescent bulbs, drain cleaners and detergents and fire extinguishers.
Opposition Critic for the Environment, Toby Barrett, revealed earlier this month that, under the eco-fee, a 60-pound bag of cement which retails at $3.99 will be subject to an eco tax of $3.90, In other words, the eco fee for this product is almost 100 per cent the cost of the product itself. In the case of fire extinguishers, the eco fees vary from $2.22 to $6.66 depending on the weight of the unit. This extra fee for fire extinguishers is a threat to public safety as well as a cash grab. You’d think government would want to encourage rather than penalize those who buy fire safety equipment. What angers citizens the most is the fact that eco-fees were introduced without warning and with no explanation. After seven years of hikes on consumer taxes, income taxes, vehicle taxes, land taxes, and even tire and plastic bag taxes, the family budget of most Ontarians has been stretched to the limit. This government simply has a tax and spending problem when you consider the various licence, tax and fee increases it has introduced, in addition to HST.
Private Member’s Bills in the Ontario Legislature
You don’t have to be a cabinet minister with a battalion of advisors to introduce a Bill in the Ontario Legislature. Members of Provincial Parliament often introduce independent legislation through Private Members Bills. All it takes is a pencil and paper (Or, more likely, a computer and printer) plus a good idea, and support from other Ontario MPPs.
Bills introduced by an individual MPP don’t have the same weight as legislation backed by the entire government. But, in one sense, these bills can’t lose. If the bill is instantly recognizable as the right legislation, then the MPP has done his or her job on behalf of citizens. In fact, Ontarians might get necessary legislation passed a little faster than if it went the route of government-sponsored bills. With support from all three parties, a Bill declaring April 9 of each year as Vimy Ridge Day received first, second and third reading in a single day last spring.
When a Private Member’s Bill doesn’t pass, it can still raise awareness and spark public discussion. As was the case with my own legislation on cell phones and driving, the ideas in private member’s bills sometimes take on a second life when they are introduced by the government.
Private member’s legislation on which I am currently working includes: a tax credit for those who use public transit; protection of vulnerable people against the improper use of a power of attorney; the declaration of the first Friday in September as Physical Fitness Day in Ontario and the regulation of sewage sludge applied on agricultural land as a soil conditioner. Some of my past private member’s Bills have covered Year of Manufacture Licence plates for historic vehicles and the declaration of Irish Heritage Day.
Here’s a brief sample of some other private members legislation currently before the House: A requirement that landlords disclose to renters whether or not bedbugs have been reported in their apartments; Measures establishing the rights of citizens to access the shorelines of the Great Lakes and; An initiative to provide Ontario’s Ombudsman with a 10-year term.
Another private member’s bill would establish the rights of students to respond to diabetic conditions through injections, emergency sugar consumption etc. Yet another Bill calls for a climate change report card. Bill 47 calls for the third week of April to become Victims of Crime Awareness Week. Bill 7 requires citizens be notified when personal credit information held by banks and other agencies is lost or stolen.
The Ontario Legislature web site, www.ontla.on.ca, has a complete list of all legislation currently being considered. It has an archive of legislation from past parliaments that goes back about 15 years.
If you have an idea for a Private Member’s bill on a topic of interest to you, your organization or community, I’d be happy to hear from you. Please contact my Constituency Office at 905-697-1501 or 1-800-661-2433. I may be reached by e-mail at john.otooleco@pc.ola.org
