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In a long background document put out separately, the government spells out the thinking: “Rate relief is a responsible way to ensure people truly are able to benefit from their investment in a 21st century low-carbon grid to power Ontario’s future… With the government’s economic plan steadily strengthening Ontario’s economy and fiscal position, the province is in a position to make another responsible, fair decision by further reducing the price that households and businesses across Ontario pay for electricity.”

Who knows what this means. If the economy was weak before, presumably it was less able to carry the burden of high electricity prices. But they have to say something and it can’t be, “We’re scared hydro prices will kill us in 2018, so this is what we’re doing.”

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How will the election-year budget be balanced with this big hit to government revenue? Not clear. What will it mean in later years? No clearer.

The provincial government can’t unilaterally take part of the federal-provincial sales tax off hydro bills, so it’ll add a line with a negative number on it that makes the total charge smaller rather than larger. Conveniently that’ll also put it in your face every time you open a bill. It’s an amount you’ll notice.

Promoting efficiency and conservation would be honest ways of reducing household bills. A billion dollars a year would buy a lot of LED bulbs and water-heaters wraps and pull a lot of old fridges out of basements. Instead we get a blanket price cut for citizens and small businesses; only large consumers get a program to help them use electricity at cheaper times of day, details to come.