After years of increasing electricity rates, a Stirling, Ont. resident recently released a comedic music video targeting the province’s hydro system that appears to be resonating with many on Facebook.
Dave Bush, a 50-year-old self-employed landscaper, published The Hydro Song Thursday evening. As of early Sunday afternoon, the video has been shared almost 34,000 times and has close to 725,000 views.
“The big orange-and-white corporation is one messed-up combination, on behalf of Ontario we’ve had enough,” Bush sings after showing his Hydro One bill at the beginning of the video.
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Bush, who has only been singing publicly for a couple of years, enjoys writing funny songs that touch on real-life situations. Concerns about hydro are something he has heard about.
“It’s certainly relevant and topical, which is important when you’re getting ready to write a song to perform and this one caught people’s attention,” Bush said, adding he has been overwhelmed by the support he has received since releasing the video.
“I think the main message people are saying is, ‘Dave, you hit it. You hit it right on the head.’ They all feel the same pain, the same topics and there’s a lot of frustration out there.”
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Bush, who lives with his partner Janice and two of their six children, said they run “a pretty tight ship” by showering during off-peak times and using a clothesline “just to save those pennies.”
He said rural Ontario faces different challenges and hydro costs can have a major impact on local businesses.
“Large companies – there aren’t that many out here. So if we lose one because of operating costs, it really hurts the rural economy. We’re agricultural based, I mean we’ve got lots of farm operations here,” Bush said.
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“It’s just making it really, really challenging and the frustration is growing.”
Meanwhile, Bush is looking to release more songs in the near future.
“Life is short. I love to laugh, I love getting in front of an audience and making them laugh, and this (hydro song) has done that.”