Joseph Ben-Ami Campaign

Ben-Ami calls for an end to the transfer of Ottawa Hydro surpluses to city rather than rebating customers

OTTAWA, ON – TheNewswire - Sept. 6, 2022 – Joseph Ben-Ami, candidate for city council in Knoxdale-Merivale Ward, is calling for an end to the practice of transferring Ottawa Hydro surpluses to the city in the form of an annual dividend, saying the surplus should be returned to hydro customers as a rebate.

“Ottawa Hydro has transferred almost one third of a billion dollars in surpluses to city coffers since 2004,” Ben-Ami observed. “Last year’s surplus alone - paid to the city - was more than $20 million.”

“Using surpluses this way is a sort of tax shell game” Ben-Ami explained. “It is, in effect, a hidden tax, allowing politicians to spend more while taking credit for not raising property taxes or limiting their increase.

“Hydro Ottawa customers pay for the electricity they use and its delivery. Surpluses should be invested in increasing generating capacity or upgrading and strengthening infrastructure to prevent customers from going without power for days when there is a wind or an ice storm or an ‘animal contact incident’. Otherwise, it should be returned to those customers in lower rates or as a rebate.”

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