The other day, I read that all this green initiative in Ontario will add $100 per month to a homeowner's electrical bill. Not true; It just gets worse.
At Sustainable Circular Economy, is a boutique firm in Vancouver that helps First Nations and businesses through the morass of the circular economy, leading to informed decisions based upon truth and consequence. In everything we do, we do to do the world a world of good and that includes addressing each issue with honesty and integrity.
Some may say we are blowing are own horn, but we are willing to stand up and defend everything put down on paper. I will leave it at that, but what I am learning more of each day is, what I am now calling the “big lie.” I believe government is not telling us the truth about issues that are some of the most important in our lives. In fact, if we make the wrong decisions, it could mean our lives.
Independent Electric System Operator (IESO)
The other day, I read a report from the IESO suggesting there would be a monthly rate increase from going green in Ontario costing about $100 per month on each homeowner’s hydro bill.
I took that at face value and thought “ouch,” and “suck it up buttercup.” For the betterment of the environment, I thought “OK,” I guess we will have to live with that. You may have an alternate opinion but that is where I thought we were at with this issue. Not the case.
What happened?
An engineering friend of mine grabbed the information and put his critical mind to analyze what the IESO had suggest. Following is the detail of his analyze and I hope you are sitting down:
Amortizing the $400B cost over 30 years (solar panel technology has about a 20-year life span) at 4.5% would be a monthly payment of $1.7B, which equates to a monthly payment of $1,427 per person.
The amount attributable to a family of 3 will be ($1,427 x 3) - $4281/month for this green infrastructure.
Who Will Pay?
Someone has to pay and no matter what anyone says, it will be us - the consumer. Some may think that government will cover it, but where does government get their money - from our taxes. It could be raising corporate taxes, which companies will pass on to us. It could be GST (HST) increases, which will be passed on to us. Or, it could be direct tax increases, well, the story is the same, we pay.
Some may suggest government will increase their debt. Who will ultimately pay long-term debt? Our children’s, children, children……
Today, the Ontario long-term debt is $380.4 Billion. Amortize this over 20 years at 4% and the cost to each resident in Ontario is $253/month. Over 20 years, a personal burden of $60,270 per person. For the family of three, $759 per month and $180,810 over 20 years. The total debt, including interest will be $866.3 billion. Not something governments want to talk about.
What is the Impact?
I cannot suggest definitively what will be the impact and I am not favourable to using wiggle words such as “could,” “should,” “would.” All I can suggest is, if we personally lost 42% of our monthly household income, there will be a terrible impact.
How Have We Got into this Mess?
Quite simply, I believe it is because governments to not tell us the truth and consequence. Since about 1975 Canada has faced exponential growth in our debt.
This is all before the big spend on greening Canada. Don’t get me wrong, I care about the environment and doing the world a world of good - and practice what I preach by helping First Nation communities and businesses through the morass of decision making based upon the principles of a circular economy which promote reuse, repurposing and recycling for the betterment of the People, the Planet and Sustainability.
The concern though is the throwing of money at the problem without a plan. A simple example is the start of installation of EV Chargers in our apartment building. The project is underway with no thought to what will be the financial impact of needing larger electrical services. At some point in EV upgrading, the electrical grid will not be able to handle the loads - and an example at a larger scale is the Ontario report suggesting their upgrading costs will be in excess of $400 billion. Not something a government wants to talk about.
Where is This Headed?
Another day older and deeper in debt. Presently, we are at 42% debt. The spending for greening of Canada is just beginning.
My estimate of what will be required to 2050 (at the very low end of the requirements)
To upgrade infrastructure: Ontario needs $400 billion to upgrade its electrical grid. x 10 provinces x 50% = $1 trillion.
To provide subsidies, etc: Today, Canada spends 90 billion x 28 years = $2.5 trillion
Province of BC: At today’s BC cost, by 2050, 20.5 billion will be spent on subsidies, etc
For Canada, add another $200 billion.
In total, we will be looking at a minimum debt of $13, 270/month/person with a population of 45 million.
And this does not include new debt to fix our health care system, etc, etc. Another day older and deeper in debt.
The Ending
I am not suggesting we do not take action on climate change and global warming. My concern is, what are we going to be left with? A problem that is solved, or a problem that leaves us with a deathly legacy. The decisions we make today will have a lasting affect on our lives and the lives of our children’s children, and beyond.
We need to hold our politicians accountable before they run away with their pensions to some far off land like the Bahamas and leave us holding the bag.
Best wishes and Happy Holidays to all….
Corporate tax plays a crucial role in funding government operations and public services. It's essential for businesses to understand their tax obligations, plan efficiently, and take advantage of available deductions and credits to optimize their tax liability. Contact Tax Consultant Prince George for more details regarding tax.