TORONTO - Ontario's New Democrats would change the province's electricity system to find savings to balance the books if they win the election this fall, the party said as it released its campaign platform Saturday.
The NDP said it would merge Hydro One, the Independent Electricity System Operator, the Ontario Power Authority and Ontario Power Generation -- electricity bureaucracies with a combined operating budget $4.8 billion. The agencies carry too much waste, the New Democrats contend.
"New Democrats never supported the privatization and de-regulation of hydro in this province; Alberta is the only other province that went down this wrong-headed route," NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said.
"It's going to take us some work ... but we are pretty proud of saying we're going to turn that around and get back to a public power system in the province of Ontario."
The move may not lower electricity bills, Horwath said at a pre-election convention in Toronto, but it could stop the current spikes.
That was one of the key new ideas presented in the NDP plan, which promises to balance the province's books by 2017 while pouring $2.3-billion into program spending by their fourth year in power.
The platform also seeks to create savings by raising corporate taxes, cutting the use of consultants by half capping CEO salaries so that no chief executive in the public sector makes more than $418,000 a year -- or twice the premier's salary.
It's a move that will save $20 million a year, and bring CEO compensation in line with other jurisdictions.
Horwath said she will also work to ensure that any future large-scale generation is publicly-owned, as well as scrap plans to build any new nuclear plants, all while focusing on green energy.
"It's something that's more responsible and responsive to the rate payers," she said.
The NDP plan makes no mention of education or a strategy for the province's north, and barely touches on the environment.
It does promise, however, to cut emergency wait times in half, scrap Local Health Integration Networks and replace them with another local decision-making body, and eliminate the wait list for long-term care or home care by funding an additional one-million hours of home care over four years.
It also deals with the province's doctor shortage by forgiving the student debt of new doctors who practice in under serviced communities, bringing 200 new doctors over four years to those areas.
Overall, the party is promising nearly $1.8 billion in savings and revenues in the first year, going up to $2.6 billion by the fourth year.
Progressive Conservative critic Jim Wilson said he didn't understand why the NDP would want to put the energy monopoly back together again "and have all those bureaucrats in one big mess."
"We certainly didn't hear that from Ontario families, it was not a priority," said Wilson.
He also slammed the plan for failing to provide enough financial details, saying it will likely just lead to more taxes.
"There's something wrong when you put out your platform that you can't tell us exactly where you're going to find the savings to pay for your tax relief other than putting a tax on corporations that eventually will hurt Ontario families," he said.
Revenue Minister Sophia Aggelonitis said voters should find the platform disappointing, because it's nothing more than "glossy packaging."
Horwath took the criticism in stride, however, saying that while this was the bulk of her platform, there would be more surprises coming up over the next couple of months and into the writ period
"We're proud of our ideas, we put many of them out today," she said.
"But look, I'm a woman, I know you don't give it all up at once."
