Ontario Farmers “Significantly” Impacted by Hydro Increases

Oct 15, 2012

Ontario PC Survey Indicates 60.7% of Farmers Reported Hydro Cost Hurting Business

The Ontario PC Party Critic for Agriculture, Ernie Hardeman MPP for Oxford announced today the results of a survey conducted to gain feedback from farmers to indicate some of the biggest challenges facing their farm businesses and 67.7% of Ontario farmers indicated that the increasing costs of hydro posed a “significant” impact on their farming operation.

“97% of farmers said they have been impacted by increased hydro costs and 60.7% of those said the impact has been significant,” said Hardeman “Farmers are working hard to make ends meet and grow their businesses but they are struggling with the impact of government policies like spiraling hydro rates.”

It has been forecasted that the cost of hydro is going to increase by 47% over the next five years, which has been attributed to green energy subsides for wind and solar projects in addition to the recently discovered costs of relocating two power plants that left taxpayers on the hook for $900 million.

The survey was part of an initiative by the Ontario PC caucus in order to identify some of the key challenges that farmers are facing so that the PC’s could assist with advocating for farmer’s needs. While 60.7% of farmers listed the rising cost of hydro as a significant impact, a total of 97% of farmers said that they have been impacted by hydro costs.

Video: The All-New Kubota SVL110-3 in Action

Break New Grounds: Make short work of rugged bush, uneven ground, or a challenging job site. The new Kubota SVL110-3 is faster, stronger, and tougher than ever before thanks to increased horsepower and high-performance attachment capability. Key new features: Increased performance: It’s not just a new model. The SVL110-3 is equipped with a range of innovative new features that are designed to increase performance while maintaining operator ease and comfort. Easy maintenance and cleanouts: Save time and effort when doing maintenance: the cab can be tilted 72° without having to lift the arm, allowing easy access to the hydraulic pumps, valves, lines and hydraulic tank. The SVL110-3 has three clean outs on the bottom of the chassis and one on each side to clean out material from the loader arms area.