Despite a drop in electricity use, the hydro bill for London Health Sciences Centre has jumped 29% over a six-year period.
Between 2010 to 2016, the total annual hydro consumption dropped by 13%, however, the total billed amount for hydro rose from $6,740,666 to $8,694,742. The costs account for hydro use at Victoria, University and South Street hospitals.
"Health care is at a tipping point in Ontario... There have already been frontline workers laid off at many hospitals, and with skyrocketing hydro bills, hospitals are being squeezed tighter," said NDP Leader Andrea Horwath in a media release. "How can the hospital be expected to continue provide high quality patient care when Premier [Kathleen] Wynne is squeezing them like this?”
The cost information was obtained from LHSC through a freedom of information request by NDP Caucus Services. To view the document sent to the NDP, click here.
On March 2, Wynne announced that her government would take action to reduce Ontarians’ hydro bills by a further 17%, on top of the 8% saving that resulted from the lifting of the provincial portion of the HST on hydro.
The NDP also released its hydro plan in late-February. The party claims it can cut hydro bills by 30% by scraping time-of-use premiums, cap profits for private producers, have rural residents pay the same delivery charges as city-dwellers, and reverse the sell-off of Hydro One.
-With files from Scott Kitching