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Toronto-Municipalities that represent nearly 5 million Ontario residents have now passed a resolution urging the provincial government to cancel the opening of the electricity market on May 1, and to stop the sell-off of Hydro One.

Last night, Toronto city council passed several resolutions calling on the Conservative government to rethink the privatization of hydro. Councillors spoke passionately about the important role, low-cost, reliable electricity has played in providing Ontario industries with an economic advantage and residents with a stable source of power.

In addition to the City of Toronto, other municipalities that have endorsed resolutions calling on the province to rethink the privatization of electricity include: Windsor, St. Catharines, Kingston, Welland, Oshawa, Kingston, Ramara, Fort Erie, West Lincoln, Niagara, Caledonia, Hagersville, Adjala-Tosorontio, New Tecumseth, Wainfleet, Prince Township, MacDonald, Merideth & Aberdeen, South Monaghan-Otonobee.

Municipalities now considering calling on the province to delay or stop the electricity sell-off include: Peterborough, Thunder Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, and Temiskaming.

Local councils understand that at-cost, reliable electricity helps local economies thrive. Only one of the 24 municipalities that have so far voted on a motion supporting public power and asking the province to shelve deregulation and privatization has defeated the resolution,” says Paul Kahnert a spokesperson with the Ontario Electricity Coalition (OEC), a province-wide non-partisan group opposed the sale of Hydro One and electricity deregulation.

In California, deregulation of electricity has resulted in recurring brownouts, higher rates and a damaged economy. Last month, the state re-regulated the industry.

We want our new Premier to take a lesson from California and the other 22 U.S. states that have re-regulated electricity. He should also be listening to the millions of Ontarians who want to keep power under public ownership and control. And he should be learning from the painful lessons of U.S. states and scrap this ill-thought-out scheme,” says Kahnert.

This week, in a series of province-wide ads in daily and community newspapers, the OEC is encouraging Ontarians to call their MPP and Ernie Eves, the new Premier, and tell him to keep power public, and stop electricity deregulation and privatization.

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For more information please contact:
Paul Kahnert, Ontario Electricity Coalition
(416) 407-0077
Stella Yeadon, OEC Communications
(416) 578-8774

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