Ontario to charge off-peak rates for electricity while province is in modified Step 2 of reopening plan
Ontarians who find themselves spending more time at home amid the latest provincial lockdown will at least get a break on their electricity bills.
The Ford government has announced that it will lower the cost of electricity to the current off-peak rate of 8.2 cents per kilowatt-hour for 21 days starting on Jan. 18.
The decision to delay the introduction of the savings until the day after schools are supposed to resume in-person learning is due to the need to give local utilities time to implement the change, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Energy tells CP24.
The government says that once introduced, the reduced rate, which is less than half the cost of the current daytime rate, will be in effect 24 hours a day and will be applied automatically to residential accounts, as well as those belonging to small businesses and farms.
The Ontario government also lowered electricity rates to the off-peak rate during the second wave of the pandemic last winter but did not do so during the third wave of the pandemic in April.
Its decision to revive the flat-rate pricing now is part of a wider series of initiatives announced by the Ford government on Friday to support businesses and individuals through the latest mandatory closures, which will be in effect until at least Jan. 27.
The province is also committing to providing eligible small businesses subject to closure with a one-time grant of $10,000 to help them cover the costs. Small businesses are defined as any business with fewer than 100 employees.
“This is just another tool in our toolkit,” Minister of Finance Peter Bethlenfalvy said of the grants during an interview with CP24 on Friday. “We also announced the property tax (deferments) and electricity which are important cost inputs as well to businesses that are closed as a result of restrictions we have to blunt the spread of Omicron.”
Eligible businesses for the new $10,000 grant include gyms, museums, theatres and bars and restaurants.
However, the grant will not apply to other businesses, such as retail stores, that have been permitted to remain open at 50 per cent capacity.
The government has said that any business that received funds from the Ontario Business Costs Rebate Program during earlier waves of the pandemic will not have to reapply ands can expect to receive funds in February should they qualify for the support.
“This is certainly not enough, but it is good news,” Dan Kelly, who is the president and CEO of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, told CP24 on Friday. “The $10,000 will be a big help to a lot of businesses facing another round of lock downs in specific sectors but there are tonnes of businesses that are subjected to 50 per cent capacity restrictions (who won’t qualify) as well others like a supplier to the restaurant industry whose business will probably ground to zero over the next little while. The list goes on and on and on.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter banned from NBA
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has been handed a lifetime ban from The National Basketball Association (NBA) following an investigation which found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, the league says.
As GC Strategies partner is admonished by MPs, RCMP confirms search warrant executed
The RCMP confirmed Wednesday it had executed a search warrant at an address registered to GC Strategies. This development comes as MPs are enacting an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power, summoning one of its contractors to appear before the House of Commons to be admonished publicly for failing to answer questions related to the ArriveCan app.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Attempt to have murder charge quashed against alleged serial killer dismissed by judge
A motion filed by the man accused of killing four Indigenous women in Winnipeg to have one of those murder charges quashed has been dismissed by the judge – weeks before the start of his trial.
Government proposes new policy for federally regulated employees to disconnect from work
In their 2024 budget, the federal government wants to amend the Canada Labour Code, so employers in federally regulated sectors will eliminate work-related communication with employees outside of scheduled hours. If implemented, this would affect roughly 500,000 across the country.
Earthquake jolts southern Japan
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 hit southern Japan late on Wednesday, said the Japan Meteorological Agency, without issuing a tsunami warning.