Rising Electricity Rates Should Halt Ontario’s Nuclear Plans | Unpublished
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The Green Party of Ontario is independent yet is philosophically aligned with other green parties in Canada and around the world. The GPO is fiscally conservative, socially progressive and environmentally focused, and begins with the basic premise that all life on the planet is interconnected and that humans have a responsibility to protect and preserve the natural world.

The Green Party of Ontario (GPO) became an officially registered political party in 1983, and has been developing in size and sophistication since that time, expanding its membership and rising in the polls. We have increased the number of candidates in successive provincial elections. In the 1999 provincial election, we fielded 58 candidates, and became the fourth largest party in the province. In 2003, we fielded our first nearly-full slate, 102 out of 103 candidates, and received 2.8% of the vote. The 2007 election saw Ontario voters support Green Party values with unprecedented enthusiasm. The GPO, for the first time in history, had a full slate of candidates and garnered over 8% of the vote.

In the 2018 election GPO leader Mike Schreiner became the first Ontario Green to be elected to Queen's Park. The party now has two seats and polls between 4-8%. 

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Rising Electricity Rates Should Halt Ontario’s Nuclear Plans

November 2, 2015
(Queen’s Park): Rising electricity rates should prompt an independent review of the costs of rebuilding nuclear stations according to GPO leader Mike Schreiner.
 
Ontario’s residential electricity rates rose by 3.4% on November 1st. According to an Ontario Energy Board report, 45% of the rise in Ontario’s electricity generation costs is due to subsidies for Ontario Power Generation’s (OPG) and Bruce Power’s aging nuclear reactors.
 
“Protecting our pocketbooks from nuclear cost overruns is clearly not a priority for the Liberal government,” says GPO leader Mike Schreiner. “It’s irresponsible for the Liberals to spend billions on rebuilding nuclear plants without conducting an independent review of costs and alternatives.”
 
The GPO is calling on the government to halt plans for new nuclear until an independent, public review of costs and alternatives is completed.  
 
Even though no nuclear project has delivered on budget or on time, Ontario has never conducted an independent review of nuclear costs or alternatives. Research indicates that Ontario could keep the lights on with lower cost alternatives to nuclear such as energy efficiency, water power imports from Quebec, and wind energy. 
 
“This government either ignores expert advice when it comes to selling off Hydro One, or doesn’t even ask for it when it comes to spending billions on rebuilding nuclear plants,” says Schreiner. “Either way, you lose when your electricity bill arrives.”
 
The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission begins hearings today on plans to rebuild the Darlington Nuclear Station.
 
The GPO is on a mission to bring honesty, integrity and good public policy to Queen’s Park.
 
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