We clearly don’t care – and yet we should. Not only should we care but we should be very concerned about the direction and mandate we gave our governments. Ontario’s Auditor General, Bonnie Lysyk, just delivered a scathing report on the Ontario Liberal parties attempt to better the environment, and more to the point, manage electrical power in the province of Ontario; as well as their handling of all government agencies. The Auditor General took the Ontario Liberal government to the verbal woodshed, and gave them a spanking that was rightly deserved. There was no sugar-coating the truth or leaving room for spin.

Most of us are accustomed to hearing about government waste. Regrettably, government waste has become like death and taxes. Fight it all you want, rile against it, but you’ll always finish in second. But when an audit is released, which rivals that of FIFA’s (international governing body of football), all of us should be very worried about finishing second. Here’s an excerpt from today’s National Post:

“By ignoring their own energy planning legislation, the Liberal government has cost consumers billions on their hydro bills. The average electricity bill rose 70% between 2006 and 2014, at least in part because the government ignored its own expert advice, the report notes. That has already cost consumers $37 billion in payments to power generators under what the government calls Global Adjustment.  By 2032 they will pay another $133 billion or $170 billion over 26 years”. 

It’s almost impossible to square those numbers, and to rationalize it because it’s so outlandish.  To make matters worse, when your own experts have been telling you not to do this and that your plan is horribly flawed, but you chose to ignore the council for ideological reasons, it is the highest form of tax payer contempt. Also from the National Post:

“There’s much to learn from the report.  Most importantly, its account of Ontario’s handling of the provincial electricity industry should serve as a red flag to all Canadians. At a time when governments at all levels are planning to embark on massive infrastructure and climate projects – from mass transit in Toronto to carbon control extravaganzas in Alberta – the electricity reports suggests Canada’s political regimes may not be up to governance levels required”. 

The only issue I take with that position is the use of the word “may”. Clearly the word should be changed from “may” to “are”, and drop the “be”. 

Show of hands, who wants fresh air and clean water?  Not surprisingly, everyone does.  But who is going to manage the process, effectively?  What are the real costs associated with “clean” energy?  What are the unintended consequences?  Very little is spoken about the flip side of the coin. Yet elections are won today, across this country, by simply saying we have to save the planet. I’m in total agreement that we all have a responsibility to mother earth. I am not a climate change denier. But zealots, of any stripe, always concern me. I’m prepared to do my part, case in point: I just purchased an electrical car. I have green licence plates; the Ontario government issues those for green vehicles. I love the car, and I get some satisfaction knowing that while I’m driving I am not contributing to pollution levels. But what I would like to know is: will I be able to afford a car in the future? Because my standard of living may take hit because of flawed government policy and management. I say that with tongue firmly planted in cheek, but when taxpayers needlessly pay multiple billions of dollars, I think it’s hard to argue there’s a cause and effect.

With regard to a reference I made above, comparing FIFA and their executive to the Ontario Liberal government, I was way out of line. My apologies… to FIFA.

Until next time,

Cheers.