Electricy sector merger a liberal red herring

By News on the Net —— Bio and Archives April 18, 2012

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QUEEN’S PARK – Today’s announced merger of the Ontario Power Authority (OPA) and the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) is all show and not about saving real dough, charged PC Energy Critic and Nipissing MPP Vic Fedeli.

The Energy Minister announced today that the consolidation of the agencies, which requires legislation to be approved, would save up to $25 million a year. “This is a drop in the bucket and won’t realize any real savings for ratepayers or taxpayers,” Fedeli said. The Ontario PC party would scrap the OPA altogether. It was formed seven years ago as a 15-person ‘transitional’ body created by Dalton McGuinty’s Liberal government to manage Ontario’s energy supply. Today it’s a 235-person permanent entity where 87 people earn over $100,000 and the CEO earns over $570,000. In just seven years, it has burned through over $375 million in expenditures, and its expenses have risen from $14 million in 2005 to $76.4 million today. “By shuffling bureaucrats down the hall and creating one super agency, this move proves Dalton McGuinty still doesn’t recognize the severity of Ontario’s debt crisis,” Fedeli said.