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Tuesday April 19, 2016

 

2016-04-19Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday April 19, 2016

Hydro rates going up this summer, Ontario Energy Board says

Wednesday April 15, 2015Hydro rates are going up this summer, the Ontario Energy Board announced Thursday, a move that will add about $3 a month to the average household bill.

Time-of-use electricity rates have to go up because Ontarians used less power than expected during the milder winter, the OEB said.

The total monthly bill will rise 2.5 per cent for households that consume 750 kilowatt hours per month, the agency said.

  • Time-of-use prices will got up a half cent to 18 cents per kilowatt hour for the peak period, which runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays.
  • The off-peak rate, which is in effect between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. and all day on weekends and holidays, is going up to 8.7 cents a kwh.

The changes go into effect on May 1.

“Ontarians consumed less electricity than expected over the recent milder winter,” said a statement from the OEB.

Thursday December 11, 2014“As a result of lower usage, Regulated Price Plan (RPP) prices did not recover the full cost of serving RPP customers. One of the main reasons prices are increasing in May is to recover this shortfall.”

Time-of-use prices vary based on when electricity is used during the day. They encourage consumers to use power when electricity market prices are lower.

The OEB reviews electricity prices twice each year based on updated cost forecasts, and prices are designed to recover the actual cost of electricity over the forecast period. (Source: CBC News)

 

Tuesday, January 9, 2013

Tuesday, January 9, 2013By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday, January 9, 2013

Consultant’s PR gaffes spur online ridicule

It almost looks like a toy. A city engagement campaign botched at the launch by an Ottawa-based PR firm will be reviewed “in due time,” according to one city councillor.

“The problem is that we apparently retained an agency that is a stranger of competence,” says Sam Merulla in an email Tuesday night. “And we will be reviewing this issue.”
Merulla doesn’t indicate when a review might begin, only saying staff needs “to assess the continuation of the present course expeditiously.”

It started Monday afternoon, when the city launched “Our Voice, Our Hamilton” to gauge Hamiltonians’ views about civic services. The city hired Ottawa-based public engagement firm Dialogue Partners Inc. in April 2012 to lead the $376,000 campaign, which includes a website and online survey and a Twitter account.

But at 9:30 Monday night, “Our Voice, Our Hamilton” made its first gaffe. Responding to a question posed on Twitter about the HSR – one of the very services it is charged with reviewing – the campaign responded “Thks for the comment – what is “HSR” just so we can accurately capture your comment 🙂 Thanks!”

Hamiltonians soon spotted other discrepancies about the firm’s knowledge of the city. The main photo on the campaign’s website was quickly revealed to be a bike trail in Ottawa, not Hamilton. Several posts on the campaign’s Pinterest page – a website that acts as an online bulletin board – included photos of the courthouse in Hamilton, Ohio, and promotional T-shirts from Hamilton, Wash. (Source: Hamilton Spectator)

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