Comments on: Are we Losing Guelph Hydro?

By: commentator

commentator — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 08:42:42 +0000

FYI….from the Barrie Examiner – Feb 13/09

Energy minister touts Ontario’s new green plan

Says utility mergers will help province

Large, strong electrical distribution companies will help power the province’s new Green Energy Act, George Smitherman told a Barrie crowd yesterday.

“They will develop more renewable energies and create a culture of conservation in our province,” Ontario’s energy and infrastructure minister told a crowd of hydro workers at the Army Navy & Air Force Club.

Through the Green Energy Act, the province hopes to create 50,000 new jobs from green-energy projects such as wind turbines, solar panels and biofuel plants. It’s expected to be unveiled next month.

Smitherman was speaking to about 350 employees of the newly merged PowerStream-Barrie Hydro, the first staff get-together since the Jan. 1 amalgamation.

Ontario’s deputy premier also reminded yesterday’s crowd that it was the province which encouraged the merger, a union which created the secondlargest electrical utility in this province.

Utility companies in Ontario had until Oct. 17 to buy each other out or merge to get a provincial transfer tax holiday, a savings of 33 per cent on any transaction. Barrie Hydro’s merger with PowerStream was approved by city council in September.

“The consolidation is a consolidation in which two strong utilities came together to create one that is even more powerful,” Smitherman said.

Owned by the municipalities of Vaughan, Markham and Barrie, PowerStream- Barrie Hydro now has 315,000 residential and business customers in Alliston, Aurora, Barrie, Bradford-West Gwillimbury, Beeton, Markham, Penetanguishene, Richmond Hill, Thornton, Tottenham and Vaughan.

Utility officials say that for now, customers will continue to pay the current distribution rates. But in three-to-five years, Barrie customers are expected to see lower rates.

By: Doug

Doug — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 16:54:19 +0000

If one were to let the dust settle a little, it would be easier to see what’s really going on here and who stands to loose what.
As with many things in life, just follow the money.
City Hall is terrified at the thought of loosing one of it’s biggest cash cows.
The profits from Guelph Hydro are put into general revenue at City Hall rather than being given back to the customers in lower Hydro rates.
The loss of these profits to the New merged company will mean that City Hall will either raise taxes or reduce spending.
I wonder what they will do!

By: Linda Walsh

Linda Walsh — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 01:20:39 +0000

Thank you for posting a link to these articles. I don’t receive the Mercury so I guess I miss out on the absolute rubish that is Gerry Barker.I hope that this is NOT indicative of the caliber of journalism at the Mercury and I REALLY hope that nobody buys into this GARBAGE !!! what a complete idiot!

Mike, you guys are a FANTASTIC change from the incompetent, destructive collection of jesters that ran our fine city into the ground for the last three years.

Thank you for bringing some clarity to the real issues regarding Guelph Hydro. This will undoubtedly be a very difficult issue for our City council to deal with.

Thank god we now have a council that works together for the best interests of our City rather than the old one which based policy upon personal likes and dislikes of the other councilors rather than the issues! I have the utmost faith in you guys!

Keep up the good work.