Ratepayers late paying sky-high hydro bills threatened with cut off in dead of winter

TORONTO, ON: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) is calling on Hydro One to end the practice of sending phony cut off notices in the dead of winter to ratepayers who are unable to pay their hydro bills.

The crown corporation has a policy to not cut off hydro during winter months because of the risk it poses to individuals who rely on electricity for heat. But Ontario Ombudsman André Marin found that the policy has not stopped Hydro One from threatening ratepayers.

“We are deeply troubled by this offensive practice of threatening ratepayers who are late paying sky-high hydro bills,” said CTF Ontario Director Christine Van Geyn. “We are calling on Hydro One to immediately cease this practice, and to conduct an internal review to determine what decision making process led to these threat letters.”

Recent reports indicate that the premier Kathleen Wynne is contemplating a sale of the company. The details of a sale have yet to be confirmed, but the sale could represent either a majority or minority stake in the company.

“What Ombudsman Marin revealed is yet another bad practice by the poorly managed government-owned company,” continued Van Geyn. “This is part of a string of mismanagement at Hydro One. From sending ratepayers incorrect bills in the realm of tens of thousands of dollars, to CEO compensation scandals, the management at Hydro One has been an unmitigated disaster. Unless outside experts get operational control of the company, ratepayers should expect similar bad practices to continue.”