2011 Ontario Progressive Conservative Party Platform

The Ontario Progressive Conservative (PC) party released its 2011 platform this weekend.

One of things that emerges very clearly is that the PC’s see the high cost of electricity as a key election issue. The high cost of electricity is referred to throughout the platform and is a key element of PC Leader Tim Hudak’s speeches.

PC Leader Tim Hudak has signaled for some time that he is favourable to nuclear energy, and the document references nuclear along with natural gas and hydroelectric as “proven technologies that are effective, efficient and clean.” The platform also includes the line “Any investments in nuclear technology will, of course, be subject to the most rigorous safety standards in the world.” This was a line designed to reassure the public after Fukushima and Hudak considers our safety system to meet that criteria.

Energy/electricity: Key highlights:

• remove HST from home hydro bills
• remove the Debt Retirement Charge from home hydro bills
• end mandatory time-of-use pricing
• eliminate the Ontario Power Authority (OPA)
• eliminate the Feed-in-Tarif (FIT) program
• end the Samsung deal
• establish a Consumer Advocate at the Ontario Energy Board (OEB)

Also of note is a pledge to complete the closure of coal plants, as well as a pledge to revamp/modernize the apprenticeship program and create 200,000 more positions.