economist sunsuntribune business saturday feb 5 2005 blame bureaucracy ro hikes by patrick mangion staff writer hydro users will see their bills steadi ly rise by as much as 30 per year over the next few years and many may be surprised to learn why bureaucracy not uncapped hydro rates is the culprit in the latest hydro bill spike after announcing last fall ontario hydro consumers will pay an additional 4 a month for smart meters a device used to record power consumption on an hourtohour basis to encourage res idents to tailor consumption to lower- cost periods hydro users are now being saddled with a 39billion debt from ontario hydro after the govern ment took a loss on purchasing private power during the 1990s it could add 2 to 3 to the monthly bill of the average york region home owner using 1000 kilowatt hours of electricity monthly the price spike could remain on electricity bills for the next 15 years or as long as it takes to pay off the debt for powerstream customers which includes markham vaughan and rich mond hill that could translate into an average monthly hydro bill of as much as 97 to 101 however powerstream yorks largest shock to the system 39billion debt from ontario hydro after the government took a loss on purchasing private power during the 1990s utility is awaiting direction on how to collect the additional charges from the queens park company spokesperson eric fagan said i can tell you this much it wont come from the distribution costs mr fagan said about 18 per cent of every power- stream customers bill is dedicated to local distribution costs mr fagan said power generation a provincial responsibility accounts for as much as 56 per cent he said because hydro rates are not harmo nized across the south end of the region there will be small differences in hydro bills between markham vaughan and richmond hill ontario hydro bought power from asthma we can help call the lung association lung association this message brought to you asa commuriityservice of the ecofiotriist siinsun-tribune- utterly brilliant ottawa sun convulsed with laughter toronto star funniest man in canada victoria times explosively funny halifax herald ennnm mississauga living arts centre hammerson hall thursday february 10 800 pm reserved seating 3750 tax 250 sc incl box office 3066000 8888058888 wwwiivingartsonca shanterocpm ronjamesca 6 r for nominating us the best new car dealership in the area all of us at towncountry bmw really appreciate your vote of confidence and to celebrate this honor we are introducing the new 05 bmw 325i executive edition these special edition cars from bmw have been loaded with the most popular features that make the best car in the world even better hurry in to get the car of your dreams there are only a limited number available and once theyre gone theyre gone mi tw rftt t town country bmw hwy 407 kennedy sill utttii rail haitiib oiiirio private generators during the past decade ninety longterm contracts cost 797 million however die government was only able to sell the power on the market for 510 million because the power cost the public more than market value the contracts have been valued as a liability of 39 bil lion the average length remaining on the contracts is 15 years rather than ask taxpayers to foot the bill the debt was passed on to hydro consumers by premier dalton mcguin- ty in last springs budget some experts believe the debt could balloon to 375 million a year over 15 years following the 2003 election premier mcguinty broke his election promise to keep hydro rates capped the former conservative govern ments 55billion deficit was blamed the ontario energy board is expect ed to restructure its electricity pricing system in april hydro prices are expected to be based on when power is used peak demand periods will result in the high est prices currently consumers pay 47 cents per kilowatt hour for the first 750 kilo watts each month and 55 cents for every hour beyond that in pain frustrated with the long waiting times to see a specialist for your musculoskeletal pain suffering from headaches suffering from acute or chronic neck andor back pain suffering from hip knee and foot pain suffering from shoulder elbow and hand pain frustrated with the lack of results with your current care call dr moore or dr thomas for a no obligation consultation you will receive an honest assessment of your problem 9054711336 wwwmoorechiropracticcom we provide uptodate research based chiropractic techniques along with acupuncture active release technique art trigenics custom made orthotics ultrasound and electrical therapy moore chiropractic clinic 121 main st markham ontario l3p 1y2 9054711336 dinner dance live silent auction friday february 18 2005 at six thirty oclock pm angus glen golf club 10080 kennedy road markham tickets 140 per person black tie optional for tickets call evergreen 9054725014 toronto harbour sailboat cruise for 4 with crew lunch limo gourmet garden dinner for 8 with music by june garber wayne gretzks last game framed photo personally autographed deluxe 35 bottle wine cooler stocked with assorted premium wines award winning ibm thinkpad laptop and case proceeds fund evergreen hospice supportive care and bereavement services in our community lvemreen 4o6plce markham st0uffv tlle with your help we makea difference inmarkham and whitchurchstouffviue