TORONTO, ON: Documents obtained by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) reveal a dramatic increase to the cost of electricity to the Sault Area Hospital since 2013.

The documents, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show that in the last four years, the hospital’s electricity bill has shot up from $2.2 million in 2013 to $2.6 million in 2016. The increase reflects $443,917.56 increase to the bills over just four years, which is a 20.5 per cent increase.

“How can Sault Area Hospital afford electricity bills rising by $100,000 per year? The more the hospital has to spend keeping their lights on, the fewer resources they have for patients,” said CTF Ontario Director, Christine Van Geyn.

Ontario has seen dramatic increases to the cost of electricity, with bills for residential consumers more than doubling in the last decade.

“Families across the province all feel the pain of rapid increases to the cost of electricity when they pay their home electricity bill. But what many people don’t think about is the cost of the Ontario government’s failed electricity policy to the institutions we all rely on, like the Sault Area Hospital,” continued Van Geyn. “Instead of paying more than $400,000 for higher electricity bills, the Sault Area Hospital could have paid for eleven heart procedures for newborn babies this year. That’s something that Ontario families really need, rather than wasting money on this government’s hydro rip-off.”

The documents detailing Sault Area Hospital’s electricity bills can be found HERE.

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is currently running a campaign opposing the Green Energy Act and cap-and-trade at www.StopHighEnergyBills.ca