HawthorneVillager.com

Milton Hydro is applying for another rate increase. The ad will be published in the Oct 13th issue of The Mlton Champion. Also, the application is on the Milton Hydro Website. At about this time last year Milton Hydro applied and was granted an increase. The proceedings for this increase will not involve any public meeting in Milton. Milton Hydro has requested these proceedings be conducted in a written format. As in the past, they will be conducted in Toronto. The province mandated a reduction in Hydro rates, but you can see how easily and quickly that reduction can be taken away--just apply for a rate increase, which is always granted by the OEB. The Town of Milton is the only shareholder in Milton Hydro and receives in the neighborhood of 2 million dollars a year from Milton Hydro (a hidden tax). Personally, I can't afford to absorb increases in the basics (taxes, water hydro,) of "running" a house.
Joan

what can we do to stop it?

Don't vote for Dalton in the next...oh wait...crap.

Considering Town of Milton is the biggest shareholder, I'd aim the blame at the municipal government before blaming the provincial govt.

In this case, your absolutely correct.

Next year, when hydro rates get jacked by 10% across the province (and another 10% the next year, and another 10% the next…) – that’s when you can blame Dalton.

Vote with your wallet. If its too expensive, use less. Wash your clothes by the river, collect rain water and pour a bucket in the toilet. Use candle light instead of light bulbs.

That won't work though, when everyone starts to conserve they will really up the rates to make up for the lost revenue.

Perhaps you are not aware, but there are actual costs associated with the production of energy.

_________________
omnia dicta fortiori, si dicta Latina

But I'm only one man...

Thanks for that, I had no idea

That much was clear, hence the reason I pointed it out for you.

_________________
omnia dicta fortiori, si dicta Latina

Actually what RichardAndLiz says is correct, and if people conserve energy milton hydro won't just up the rates to make up for the lost revenue. The delivery/distribution price is highly regulated based on costs and gets scrutinzed very closely.

http://www.miltonhydro.com/pdf/homepage ... Models.pdf

FYI I'm on Milton Hydro Board, so if anyone wants to meet and discuss I'm available. If approved, the monthly delivery change would change by about $2 for a residential customer who uses about 800kWh per month

Also Joan the application is related to the delivery charge of getting the electricity to your door. It's not about the actual rate of the electricity, Milton Hydro doesn't set that portion of hydro rates. It's the delivery charge but not the actual hydro rate.

Going on a seperate tangent, you mentioned increases in basics like water, hydro, etc. Remember keeping them artificially low is also a nightmare for future generations. The municipality of Toronto is being faced with a huge water infrastructure problem where due to poor past practices and not collecting money to maintain the infrastructure now future generations are going to be faced with huge disproportionate bills. You can pay now, or you can pay later, but the bill eventually comes due and post-poning any increases just makes it that much more difficult to address in the future. Or not having increases means your artificially subsidizing low prices by taking the money from somewhere else.

I'm not suggesting carte blanche for willy nilly increases that aren't merited. Just saying that philosophically being against any change in utility rates can mean in certain situations your postponing problems for the future or your subsidizing it with money elsewhere.

For those who are feeling that their income is being stretched beyond their ability to absorb further increases in hydro, water, taxes, there are several things that can be done:
a) Contact your councillor and voice your inability to absorb further increases. The Town of Milton is the only shareholder in Milton Hydro and enjoys a 2 million dollar payout from them each year (a hidden tax). As any shareholder in a company, they can control the structure of Milton Hydro which should not be a for profit company but should be a not-for-profit company. The 2 million dollar shareholder payout can go toward producing and maintaining the electrical services needed in Milton.
b)Part of the 2 million dollar payment is for a "phantom" debt--a debt which was merely created on paper (the interest on this debt is paid by monies paid to Milton Hydro. It's remarkable how government can create paper debt, by the stroke of a pen, or should I say the tap on a keyboard.
c)Write the Ontario Energy Board to voice your opinion. When increases are considered, there is never any consideration given to the homeowners ability to pay Also, why aren't public meetings in regard to this hydro increase held in Milton, giving Miltonians an opportunity to voice their opinion, and to get a clear explanation as to why an increae is necessary? Why are they held in Toronto?

For those who think that energy rates should go higher, one can assume you have "money to burn". If this is the case, why don't you adopt a household who is struggling to pay the basic bills, and pay their hydro bill for them.

Hydro utilities are assets that many municipalities own. But there is movement where some municipalities look to privatize / sell them off. It was actually a topic in the past municipal election. If politicalize delivery charges instead of using the regulatory guidelines to set the price and we start artificially setting the rates lower, you just push municpalities into looking to sell off or privitize those assets completely. Milton Hydro does generate some revenue for the town, it is a financial asset. If you take it away, then we either need to look for municipal services and/or expenditures to cut or look for raising the money elsewhere (i.e. increase property taxes).

I disagree with the premise that if anyone thinks rates should increase it means they have money to burn. Someone could also say if anyone thinks rates should not go up no matter what the circumstances are it means you don't like children and want to push them and future generations deeper into debt. Self-entitlement like that eventually comes back to haunt future generations (look at Greece).