Andrea Horwath says Hamilton hospitals hit hard by hydro costs

Ontario’s NDP leader is shining a spotlight on the soaring hydro costs facing Hamilton hospitals.

Andrea Horwath says the electricity bill at St. Joseph’s Healthcare has soared 105 per cent over the past six years, from $3.98 million in 2010 to $8.15 million in 2016.

Horwath argues that it is putting “even more pressure on patient care” at a time when health care is already at a “tipping point” in the province.

She adds that hydro costs are hurting families, not only when their own bill arrives, but also by damaging the services they count on like hospitals, schools and community centres.

The NDP recently released a plan to cut hydro bills by as much as 30 per cent, which includes putting Hydro One back into public hands.

The Liberal government, meanwhile, is currently running taxpayer-funded radio ads saying that people will receive an average of 25 per cent off their hydro bills this summer.

It adds that rate increases are being held to inflation for four years.