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The Sun-Tribune welcomes your let- ters All submissions mus! be less than 400 words and must include a daytime telephone number. name and address TheSun-Jflbumnserves the ttopuflhhornot pub andhedltforclar» ityandw lam-um. mun-m emu-ha W“ Innontmuxom £93m is compnsed of 100 community publications across OntatIOJ'he York Region Newspaper Group also “3:133, 806mm Citizenfme Emâ€"Banner (Newmflet/Aumra), Markham Economist ADVERTISING 905-640-2612 Classified: 1-800-743-3353 Fax: 905-640-8778 The Sun-Tribune, published every‘lhursday and Sunday, is a division of the Metroland Media Gmup Ltd., a whom-owned subsidiary ofTustar Corpomtion. Metmland Sun. Georgina Advocaaeflom Region Business Times, Noun of the City. yomwonmm and York Rayon anjng. Awaxnsmc Advertising Manager Stephen Mathieu DISTRIBUTION Circulation Manager Marketing Manager Mike Banville mbanuillerr-mgrom Carrie MacFarlane cmacfarlaneOynng.com Manager Dawna Andrews dwndmuszrmg. com smathieufiyrmgoom lETTERS POLICY Iim Mason jmasonOyrmg.mm Pnonucnon INTERACIWE MIA DISTRIBUTION 905-640-2612 905-640-2612 a: 905-640-8778 80mm EDITORIAL ' . Wâ€"Ti'ibune o NIN PUBLISHER Ian Proudfoot And, of course, we'll be up at mid- night wishing that uniform, so we can take advantage of the ofi-peak hydro rate, which I'm sure,_once you consult a certified chartered accountant, notary public or someone with :1 McGill MBA. will be reflected in your hydro bill, somehow. somewhere. some way. Youmayneedtotakeadayoffonce amonthtoxeadyourh billsoyou canunderstandwhyit gone upso mudll’msuremedetaflsaremmere. mpinmindifyouhaveaso-cafled HecangetupearlytoserveEgg McMufins or the breakfast burrito, or whatever it is power utility executives areeatingontherunthepedays. We'll have electricity to check the weather forecast on TV, get his McDon- ald’s uniform washed and dryed and keep his alarm clock beeping. I had been won‘ying lately about howlwas goingto payformytwo sons to go to university, with the oldest just a few years from post-secondary party- ing, er, rather, studiw. Now I’m thinking I should be sav- ing up to pay for power for the ootfee makey’rI'V and washing machine. 3 your head spinning, not unlike the spin cycle on your washing machine, when you try to wrap your head around what’s going with your hydro bill today and in the" ture? Time-0f- use billing like reading hydra-glyphics There are a few others I would like to point the finger at. For one, the Easter Bunny, who could lose a few pounds When I speed, it’s Santa's fault. When I break the law, it’s Santa’s fault. Imagine, our gullible chil- dren believing in a jolly, loving giving being! Over the years, 1, too, 3 blame old Saint Nick for of my bad behaviors. When I is to blame Re. Santa setting bad exam- ple? Letter to the editor by Bar- bara Brass Duncan, Nov. 25. So, Santa is an overweight, ex-smoking glutton, who has no regard for the law? Perhaps our children should look up to Ebenezer Scrooge. He has maintained his slim physique, abides by the law and makes no promises. He is straight forward and no hopes are dashed as he gives no one hope. Why stop at Santa? lETTERS TO THE EDITOR overindulge} should r a few Santa Perhaps her letter should have just stated Mr. Scrooge’s catchphrase; “Bah, humbug!" which is used to express dis- gust with many of the modem Christmas traditions. Let’s see how many people come to see that deceitful, grossly overweight lawbreaker at his parade today. Merry Holidays And then there’s that 'Iboth Fairy (perhaps a little too thin?) leaving money to our children for their teeth? What’s next?Will the kids think an appendix or tonsils will bring them a better rate of return? I hope Ms Duncan was pull- ing our leg because a world of not believing is a world in which no child wants to be. himself. Where does he get off leaving chocolate eggs for the kids and hiding theminamali- cious manner, which could be construed as devious? ’Ihisisallperfecdycleariup tothis point, contact? Meanwhile, rates are expected to double in the coming years, the province assumes us. in part At night. when you're asleep, you'get to take advantage of the off-peak rate smart meter for time-of-use billing, there is a summer and winter rate and a mid-peak, on-peak and ofl-peak rate, plus a weekend-and-holiday rate, which is the same as the ofl-peak rate. In the winter, you get the on-peak rate in the evening but in summer, you getfllennd-peakmeinmeevenmg. In the summer, you get the mid- peak rate in the morning but the on- peak rate in the afiemoon. But in the winter, you get the mid- peak rate in the afternoon and the on- peak rate in the morning. Christmas md to all Bernie O’Neill ANNA BRIONBS STOUFFVILLE Happy 1 good Cook meals at night, use power tools at night, vaocuum at night, use the elec- tric lawn mower at night and so on. It's easy and envfironmentally friendly! Some might say they can understand all this. that it's like paying less for late- night ice time (off-puck rate), a less tasty cut of meat (off-pork rate), your carinalotwaywayfarfromthekog- The upshot ofall this? Ifat all pos- sible, you should only wash your clothes in summer and at nlght. Other than that, yourbestbetistoweardirtyclothes or throw them out and buy new ones. If you're a PowerStream customer, there’s the customer service charge, the distribution charge, the network service charge, the line and transformation ser- vice charge, the wholesale market ser- vice charge, the special purpose charge, the standard supply service charge and debt retirement service 7 The change seems designed to make us feel better about our mysterious and ever expanding hydro bills, which, you might say, are a little like reading hydro- glyphics. Which is why the time for the olf- peak rate is being expanded and you will eventually be able to wash the breakfast dishes at 7 pm. instead of 9 pm. and still get the best rate. so we can pay many times the going rate for wind and solar power and cover the costs_of ghe mistakes of the past. I'mstiremeywachalfieoutofit. but I don’t. Our real challenge is to avoid brown- outs and blackouts at times of peak demand â€" the hottest days of sum- mer, the coldest days of winter, so we can avoid building entire new nuclear power plants tomeetour needsinearly August or mid-January. That could be done with the new peaker plant. Other than all ihat, We’re for the most part jump through hoops to trytolowerourb andiftheu’dlities’ revenues go down as a result, theyjust raisgmepflqasonmanywuy. A downtown oflice tower that leaves its lights on all night does nothing more than pay money to the hydro utility that it didn’t need to pay. But it didn't “use up” any power that could have gone somewhere else the next day. ers Centre (off-park rate) or washing whites and reds in the same load to save money (off-pink rate). You do your thing outside of prime time or prime conditions and save money. Correct? Still, I'm not convinced. For the most part the power is there, generated by nuclear power plants and water running over dams (hence the word hydro). It’s humming through the power lines all day long as we go to work and “use” tonnes of power. It’s also there at night, even as we sleep, and “use” very little. Duncan. REGIONAL Plenum, Cussmnn), TODAY'S Hons Debra Weller