In the last year, most of us have seen prices for food rising. Some products have gone up as much as 35%. In my area Milk was $3.99 last year, this year it is 4.47. A 10 pound bag of Potatoes could be purchased for $1.99 now cost $3.99. There are several factors for this, commodity speculation does play a part, as does the cost of fuel, because everyone is being gouged at the pumps, add to that the 13% HST, so to get the food to your grocery stores costs more.

But don’t rule out the cost of electricity.... this is huge.

It impacts everything in our lives, budgets for hospitals, schools, government offices, retail stores, subsidized housing.. even the hydro to pump that over priced gas in you car...plus HST. And keep in mind, this will be reflected in your municipal taxes down the line as well as their operating costs rise. The people requiring assistance to make ends meet is growing fast, it isn’t just people on social assistance. People who used to give money to help those in need, seniors on fixed incomes, single families, low to middle income earners are now being forced to swallow their pride and ask for assistance from places like the United Way for aid to pay hydro and heating bills or going to a food bank for the first time in their lives. And it is only going to get worse if we follow the direction on electricity the Ontario Liberals are trying to sell you.

Electricity is a necessity. It is undeniable.

Our jobs rely on affordable electricity. TVs, radios, microwaves, toasters, food processors, computers, industrial manufacturing machinery. Consider what a auto manufacturing plant uses to produce vehicles. Or, what would a hospital do today without electricity? Even those rechargeable lawn mowers need power to charge.

There is no magic to the fact that people that can afford it in Ontario and from across the globe are coming to Ontario and buying farmland to take advantage of the FIT program. The profits are so great that the Ontario Liberals have made a Electricity Gold Rush in Ontario. People are indeed lining up because the Ontario Liberals have agreed to overpay by as much as 10 times the going rate for electricity plus you are paying massive subsidies to them to provide this electricity. Those that extoll the benefits of this program are making huge huge profits. They aren’t doing it out of the goodness of their heart or because they care about the environment.

You see these people can’t lose...protected high prices by as much as 10 times the going rate for 20 years even if prices drop, they are preferred producers and they even get paid not to produce electricity. 84 to 58 cents a kilowatt - when electricity is selling for 7 cents a kilowatt.

Everything is in their favour to earn profits.

Even the annoying human factor obstacles have been removed for them by the Green Energy Act. passed by the Ontario Liberals. Now one can buy land with no thought or consideration to the people that live there and put in 400 ft. high IWTs or Solar Panels, and whatever consequences occur to neighbouring homes, matters not at all.

People who are affected don’t even have the same quality of life protection you have in an apartment building if a neighbour is bothering you with a stereo. You can call your super, or a bylaw official, or the police. They are on their own.

The fight against the Ontario Liberal party isn’t about being against protecting the environment. It isn’t about being against alternate electricity. And although the media campaign used by the Liberals hides behind an environmental agenda, don’t kid yourself.

You can shut down all of Canada and stop producing electricity and stop making things, we can get rid of our cars and use horses for deliveries. And the fact is, there would be absolutely no impact on the global environment. Nothing.

Because at the worst of times Canada only contributed 3% of the globes greenhouse gasses which trees can easily filter.

We are at present at 2%. compared to say China and the USA produce 27%. each. Our emissions are 30|% less than Germany the leader in IWTs in the EU..

This is a statement made by Dwight Duncan, “It would be irresponsible for the province and taxpayers to continue to subsidize electricity consumption, because it jeopardizes our ability to invest in health care and education. This is simply not sustainable, nor is it acceptable. The people of this province deserve better.” Dwight Duncan (Ontario Hansard Volume B, November 26, 2003)

We are being snowed by a media campaign that has been going on the last 8 years that takes the focus away from the fact that the Liberals are handing our electricity production to business so they can make money. 8 years ago they promised to stop the privatization of our hydro system, if they were elected. They promised many things. To stop hydro privatization, no health surcharges, no taxes, no eco fees.

There are but a few promises they have kept. They have driven our cost of living up, and all the increase that the public sector workers have received have been clawed back in one way or another.

If you think you are ahead of the game...think again because the middle income earner has had the most money taken from them. Do the math.... you have been robbed.

And I feel we are being robbed now.

Should you have some reservations about what I am saying please read this: http://www.policyalternatives.ca/sites/default/fil es/uploads/publications/N ational_ Office_ Pubs/btn4 _1.pdf

There is a mountain of evidence refuting the Ontario Liberal claims to the benefits of their “environmental” direction for you. It’s not bad for those that profit to be sure, but for you it is disastrous.

This is but one you will find informative...but mostly it means energy poverty for you while producers have no trouble making ends meet..on your dime. http:// www.instituteforenergyresearch.org/201 1/05/09/the-wind-experience/

It has been estimated that in the next 4 years, electricity costs will rise by at least 100%, and will continue to rise. Plus the costs of everything that uses electricity.

The 10’s of billions of dollars that will be coming out of our pockets to support the alternate electricity business so they can profit off you and your children should be used to provide affordable subsidies to all of us to adopt some form of alternate energy It is our money.

Homes could put in solar, geothermal, as could business and farms. This industry gets 10 of billions of your dollars....and you get coupons for light bulbs.which of course require a disposal system paid for by eco fees.

We are against the for profit privatization of our electricity system. We believe it is unconscionable. We believe it only serves to benefit but a few and will only lead to energy poverty and lowering of the standard of life for all Ontarians. And certainly more job losses.

The next time you here someone from the alternate electricity industry talking about electricity or anyone in the Ontario Liberal Party defending themselves, please consider it comes with some bias. http://toronto.ctv.ca/ser vlet/an/local/CTVNews/20 101109/ ontario- energyp olitics-hudak- 101109/20101109/?hub=T orontoNewHome

Please help us help you and support our fight against for profit privatization of our electricity production by standing against large Industrial Wind Turbines and Solar developments and FIT programs.

Ask yourselves if you would pay $84 to $58 dollars for a loaf of bread if you could buy it next door for $ 7.

Ernest Horvath

Meaford