Tom Adams

March 13, 2002

Energy Probe’s complaints against the infomercial, "Ontario’s Electricity: Lighting the way to a brighter future, A special supplement on Ontario’s new electricity market," published in the Globe and Mail on March 11, 2002.

"Ontario’s Electricity" is presented as a journalistic product. However, the authorship of the piece is not disclosed and no opposing views are considered. Regular paid corporate advertising is included but it is not clear whether the advertisers influenced the content. From the tone and content, we can assume that some parts of the supplement were edited by the Ontario government.

The supplement also features some blatantly incorrect statements. For example, a bolded subhead claiming that "Customer protection is paramount." Two instances where actions by the Ontario Energy Board and the Ontario government have been directly contrary to the interests of ordinary consumers are the decisions on distribution rate increases for local distribution utilities and the decision to cross-subsidize the transmission costs of heavy industrial users. 

The decision to break its promise to stop special electricity subsidies to heavy industry, is another instance of the Ontario government acting contrary to the interests of ordinary consumers. In May, 2000, the Ontario government extended direct subsidies to heavy industry at the expense of ordinary consumers and taxpayers.

Another incorrect statement is "taxpayer protection – private capital rather than taxpayer guaranteed debt will build new generation facilities." The restart of the Pickering A nuclear station, a project that is now two years behind schedule and over its original budget by around 90 per cent, is being funded by taxpayer-backed investment. Taxpayer-backed electricity debt is not declining as originally promised but increasing. For more information see: http://www.energyprobe.org/energyprobe/index.cfm?DSP=content&ContentID=1448.

"Ontario’s Electricity" also relies on exaggerated claims. "New investment and jobs – over $3 billion in new generation projects have already been announced be the private sector." There is no acknowledgment in the material that, with only a few exceptions, the projects comprising these announcements have been substantially delayed and some may even be cancelled.