Progressive Conservative MPP Bill Murdoch is blasting the provincial government for changing the rules surrounding solar power production by rural residents.
During the Canada Weekend, the Ontario Power Authority quietly announced that a program for small producers of solar electricity had vastly surpassed expectations with 16 thousand applicants, so the rate being paid would have to be slashed.
Most of the applicants are farmers hoping to cash in by building ground-mounted solar projects in their fields and selling electricity to the grid for a subsidized price of 80.2 cents per kilowatt hour.
The OPA now says only 58.8 cents per kilowatt hour can be paid for such power while still forking out 80.2 cents for electricity generated from the roof-mounted solar panels more in urban areas.
That has Murdoch livid, saying once again this proves the Liberal Government does not care about rural Ontario and quote, “they will screw us every chance they get”.
He says many farmers who have invested up to 100 thousand dollars in Solar technology are going to be hurt by that reduction in what they get paid for their power.
Murdoch is especially upset with the way the change was announced, on a Friday afternoon of a holiday weekend when nobody was really paying attention.
He says the Government should have been more up front in making this announcement.
Murdoch says this something rural votes wont forget come the next provincial election.
