NDP leader says high electricty puts Central Algoma communities at risk

Community hubs in Central Algoma are at risk.  That’s the word from NDP leader Andrea Horwath who visited the area and said skyrocketing hydro bills are putting them at risk.  The arena in Desbarats is a hub for the region but high hydro bills are putting a lot of pressure on the facility.   The rink now pays $52,000 in annual electricity and that bill makes up more than 40 percent of the facility’s costs.  Also, the water plant in Desbarats has seen its hydro bill jump 30 percent in one year.  Horwath says services in Desbarats are a community hub for Central Algoma and things like the rink could collapse under the strain of hydro.  She, and riding MPP Mike Mantha met with municipal leaders in Central Algoma who told the NDP how hydro is creating problems for them.  They mayors told the NDP many facilities in their communities won’t survive because of expensive hydro.