Hydro One Not For Sale Campaign Finding Significant Support Among City, Town, and Village Leaders

TORONTO, Aug. 14, 2015 /CNW/ - A grassroots organization dedicated to stopping the privatization of Ontario's hydro system is expecting to find significant support during the Association of Municipalities Ontario (AMO) conference starting this weekend in Niagara Falls.

"Almost every single person in Ontario stands to lose if we let the provincial government sell off our public hydro system. We know that a lot of municipal leaders understand that, and we expect they'll be adding their voices to our campaign," says Rosario Marchese, who is one of the people behind the Hydro One Not For Sale campaign.

With members and supporters from across the province, the campaign is hoping to convince the government to abandon its scheme to privatize Hydro One before it's too late. That's because the evidence clearly shows that in other jurisdictions where public hydro utilities have been privatized, the results have been:

• Higher hydro rates for people and businesses
• Serious problems with outages
• Loss of government revenue that flows instead into private hands
• Less money for public services such as schools, hospitals, and roads

Already, more than 130 municipalities from across Ontario have passed resolutions demanding that the provincial government stop its scheme to privatize Hydro One.

"Municipal leaders know that people and businesses in their communities are already struggling," says Marchese, who is one of almost 20 community leaders serving on the campaign's advisory committee. "We're confident that when they realize that privatized hydro is only going to add to those struggles, they'll join our calls to stop before it's too late."

Participants in the Hydro One Not For Sale campaign will be hosting an information booth (Booth 119) for the 1,600 delegates to the AMO conference, which is being held Aug. 16-19 at the Convention Centre on Stanley Avenue in Niagara Falls.

SOURCE Citizens Coalition Against Privatization

For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact Rosario Marchese at 416-418-7367 or [email protected]