Hillier Takes On Hydro … And Hudak?

Jeff Green | Aug 21, 2013

Lanark Frontenac Lennox and Addington MPP Randy Hillier has taken on one particularly unpopular opponent this summer, Hydro One.

On August 1, Hillier wrote a letter to the Ontario Ombudsman Andre Marin, in which he asked Marin to investigate Hydro One billing practices.

Among the issues he raised were billing accuracy on the new time of use meters that Hydro has installed over the last few years. The meters are set up to charge users different rates at different times, but the bill that hydro users receive includes only the total owing.

In his letter, Hillier compares this to receiving phone bills that don’t include a list of long distance calls, or bank statements that don’t include transaction details.

Secondly, Hillier notes that many time of use meters are unable to communicate with the Hydro One Network, so they have not resulted in the end of estimated billings, which are only reconciled with actual use when a meter reader is dispatched. “And, when the actual bills do arrive,customers are stuck with catch-up bills theycan't afford” Hillier wrote.

Hillier pointed to two other issues related to failures of time of use meters and Hydro’s inability to rectify mistakes in a timely manner, often resulting in unexpected high bills that customers struggle to pay.

“These issues are a majorconcern for the people inmy riding ... Given that everyHydro One customer is affected by the lack of transparency in Hydro One'sbilling/metering process, it ismy recommendation that your office investigate these practices of Hydro One.” Hillier concluded.

Two weeks later Andre Marin wrote back saying that a representative from his office would be contacting Mr. Hillier's office for more details and a preliminary assessment of the complaint will be completed in the coming months.

“I thought it was hopeful,” said Hillier, when contacted this week by phone from his office at Queen’s Park. “At least he found my argument had merit and was worthy enough to investigate.”

On the very same day that Randy Hillier sent his letter to Andre Marin, there were five by-elections in Ontario in seats that were vacated by retiring Liberal Party MPPs. The Conservative Party gained one of those seats; the NDP gained two and the Liberals held on to two. These results, after a year of scandal for the Liberals, did not reflect well for Conservative Party Leader Tim Hudak.

As a result, 10 PC party members put forward an amendment to the party’s constitution to the upcoming policy convention of the party. If passed by 2/3 of the members, the amendment would trigger a review of party leader Tim Hudak.

In a letter to the party president and executive, Hillier urged that the motion be allowed to come to the floor at the upcoming convention.

“Despite making tremendous gains in the last general election and winning a seat in Toronto for the first time in nearly two decades, there are party members and media pundits who have come out against Tim’s leadership, in particular since these last by-elections. This proposed amendment is evidence of that. Historically, publicly-expressed doubts, when they are left unattended, have proved most damaging to our leader's image and our party's morale …. The continued, un-addressed criticism of Tim will subject him to a death by a thousand cuts. To me our party and leader deserve more than that. This is why I am encouraging you to allow the proposed constitutional amendment to be debated at the September convention.”

After the letter was sent, reports in the Toronto newspapers, and last week in the Perth Courier have identified Hillier along with MPP Frank Klees as advocates for a review of Hudak’s leadership.

“Sometimes the media torque and distort things,” Hillier said this week. “I feel very comfortable supporting due process. I think it is our obligation to make sure the people who volunteer and raise money for the party have a right to express themselves.”

Hillier then said he has not had any interest in the leadership of the party since the leadership convention in 2009, which was won by Tim Hudak.

Both Randy Hillier and Frank Klees sought the leadership of the Ontario Conservative Party at that time. Hiller finished in fourth place on the first ballot.

The election used a multiple choice voting system. People voted for the candidates in order of preference. Before the vote took place Randy Hillier sent a letter to his projected voters, urging them to put Tim Hudak’s name in as their second choice. This helped Hudak increase his share of the vote from 33% to 39% after the Hillier votes were jettisoned after he finished in fourth and last place on the first ballot. Hillier received 10% of the vote on the first ballot.

“If most of my voters had not gone to Tim Hudak, he wouldn’t be party leader today,” said Hillier.

Although the majority of the party caucus and a number of others have said that the debate over whether a leadership review should take place will be divisive and unproductive, the party executive have allowed the proposed constitutional amendment to go to the floor of the policy convention.

If nothing else, it will give the convention more media attention than it would otherwise garner.