Windsor's mayor has asked the province to provide relief in hydro rates for consumers.
Drew Dilkens sent a letter Monday to Ontario Energy Minister Greg Rickford asking the provincial government to consider providing a break for residents on time-of-use hydro rates. In the letter, provided to BlackburnNewsWindsor.com by the mayor's office, Dilkens asked Rickford to give additional relief to Ontarians dealing with a financial pinch in this time of self-isolation and work-from-home.
"It's time for the Ontario government to take additional action and relieve or reduce the burden on Ontario families and businesses and eliminate time-of-use rates for Regulated Price Plan (RPP) consumers," wrote Dilkens. "On behalf of the residents of the city of Windsor and across Ontario, I'm urging you to take swift action and issue a directive to the Ontario Energy Board immediately."
The RPP has been in place since 2005, according to the energy board. Prices are set based on a forecast of the cost to provide hydro to consumers over the following 12 months.
Premier Doug Ford has already indicated that relief for Ontarians on their hydro bills is coming. Ford told reports on Saturday that an announcement is forthcoming.
"You'll hear an announcement over the next few days, but we're going to move quickly on that," said Ford, according to Global News. "It's just one small way of helping people."
