Ontario's Eco-Energy

The best laid plans of mice and men do often go astray. Particularly when they're half-cocked, haven't done the due diligence of basic background checks, too busy with an eye on the next election and appearing to be up to date on environmental issues. Worse, if a government feels it has free rein to use and misuse the treasury because its a renewable resource; more coming in on an annual basis, as one of the two things most assured in life: taxes first, then death.

Taxes, it seems to many people, will be the death of them. The death, at the very least, of their dreams of balancing their personal budgets. Of hoping to be able, at some time, to live in comfort, with enough of an income to pay for all the necessities of life, and with luck, a little left over. Not, however, if the current Provincial Government of Dalton McGuinty has anything to say about it.

And he and his government have been prattling off about green power and their handle on it.

Ontarians must be prepared to pay the full cost of energy in a responsible society, Dalton McGuinty announced. And in every home 'smart meters' were installed, at a whopping price that would be more than returned once the program went into effect. Where time-of-energy-use whomped the energy user with higher wattage fees to 'teach' us to use off-hours energy.

And costs keep rising, creating real pain in the pocketbooks of Ontarians. One of his pre-election promises was that Ontario would get rid of its coal-burning plants. We're still using them, because they're needed, since massive infrastructure and plant remediative costs relating to our nuclear installations still haven't resulted in trouble-free, reliable energy.

Ontario's energy production is so well managed that when we are stuck with huge amounts of excess energy the taxpayer doesn't get a break, but other provinces and adjoining states do, with energy costs so cheap, it's being given away.

And now the provincial Energy Minister, Brad Duguid, has announced that the plans so celebrated by his government amounting to a massive outlay of a $7-billion energy deal for wind power contracted through the Korean company Samsung with Ontario Hydro may not represent such a great idea after all.

"There isn't a lot of science in freshwater offshore wind. We need some time to review the science and we don't have it today."

Not a lot of science? Didn't check on available data before committing? Problem with windless days, and an inability to store wind power? Problem with protests, because people hate the sight of those massive wind towers and their sound? Problem with rumblings of health impacts with proximity of wind towers?

And what's this? After concentrating on assuring people that the province would buy from them their stored solar power generated through solar panels, encouraging commitment by farmers and enterprising urban self-starters to generate their own power by trust and investment, it's suddenly come up against a roadblock?

Hadn't considered the difficulties inherent in connecting all those rooftop solar panels to the power grid? Um, that is a problem.

It works in Germany, old sod, where thousands of home-owners have invested in solar panels for their roofs, and they seem to be able to add to the community's energy grid. Why there, not here? Have you enquired, looked into things from the angle of pursuing the matter in a country and within communities that have experimented with the issue to great acclaim?

So it's a no-go? Good work, Dalton, old boy. Can we expect more of the same before you troll for the polls?