Toronto has a dearth of power plants and an aging grid. By the end of 2013, we’ll have the highest hydro rates on the continent. And the reasons are purely political
(Photographs: City of Mississauga, Getstock, Reuters)
Toronto is on the verge of a major energy crisis. With our limited supply and decrepit distribution system, we’re more vulnerable to outages than any other large urban centre in North America—especially during peak summer periods. The problem is most acute in the booming southwest GTA, where electricity demand has doubled in recent years, while the area’s power generation has been cut in half.
Keeping the lights on isn’t the only problem. Ontario’s power plan has been bungled so badly that by the end of next year, we’ll have some of the highest electricity rates on the continent. By 2010, the price of hydro had already doubled under Dalton McGuinty’s Liberals, and it was expected to go up another 46 per cent by 2015, largely thanks to the government’s green energy plan. Given the inextricable link between electricity prices and economic performance, and the fact that the province is already struggling with an enormous debt load, the projected increase is perilous.
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Last week, two dogs were 
In a blow to empty-but-well-meaning symbolic gestures everywhere, Toronto’s involvement in Earth Hour last weekend saw a considerable drop over last year. In 2009, Toronto’s eco-savvy reduced the amount of energy consumption by about 15 per cent. This year, Toronto Hydro recorded a power drop of 10 per cent, which, we suppose, is still nothing to shake a stick at, especially if one got that stick by ripping it off a tree. Hilariously, the decline in support for the no-power-hour seemed to disappoint Earth Hour booster the Toronto Star, which, full of hope and wonder, published the headline “Toronto goes dark for Earth Hour,” only to update the article two hours later with the headline “Toronto stays bright for Earth Hour.” It was the latter article that made it into the print edition. 
