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Premier Kathleen Wynne and the Liberal Party of Ontario faced an onslaught of fake news from a hostile press back in March when they released their Fair Hydro Plan.  How else could they respond to the disinformation campaigns waged by outlets like the CBC and Toronto Star than by spending $5.5 million and rolling out ads for the next two years to let all Ontarians know what's actually going on?

As Treasury Board president Liz Sandals explained to dishonest reporters at Queen's Park last week, "We want to make sure that people actually know what's going on."  Someone has to cut through the BS "negative coverage" on the Fair Hydro Plan.

Sure, Wynne could threaten some more lawsuits, but does she want to come across as a vexatious litigant?  Also, it's not like the media out-and-out lied like a petulant Patrick Brown did, they just presented alternative facts to what really matters to Ontarians about the Fair Hydro Plan.

Ontarians don't need to know that the reamortization of hydro debt will cost an additional $25 billion in interest payments to the banks or that the lost revenue will need to come from taxpayers one way or another; they only need to know about the dollars and cents they'll be saving each month now on their hydro bills.

That's why when the Toronto Star distracts from these vital facts when reporting on the Liberals spending $5.5 million on Fair Hydro Plan ads, instead of reporting on Ontarians' lowered hydro bills and the real facts like they used to do, it's important the public can see for themselves just how informative the ads are by watching one of the informative videos in an ad placement at the top of the article:

"Ontario has come a long way.  Upgrades to our electricity systems have made it more reliable for all Ontarians.  And we all enjoy cleaner air thanks to the elimination of coal plants.  By this summer, household electricity bills will be more affordable.  An average of 25 per cent less and electricity rates won't rise above the rate of inflation for four years.  Learn more at ontario.ca/fairhydroplan."

The ad starts off by letting Ontarians know just how swell Ontario is doing now that the Liberals have been in power the last fifteen years.  Never mind about incomprehensible abstract numbers like the $11.6 billion in interest payments our government forked over this year, and how it's the fourth largest budget expense area for the province at over 8 per cent of the overall $141 billion being spent this year.  Ontarians don't need to be frightened by fear mongers telling them we're the most indebted sub-sovereign borrower in the developed world.  That helps no one.

The ad then informs Ontarians about how the electricity system has become more reliable, notwithstanding the bills' numbers, and that we enjoy cleaner air to boot.  Never mind the insufferable cynics whinging about there only being minor reductions in pollution or that Hydro One is now going to be a proud owner of coal plants again.  Investing billions of dollars to get enough of a massive surplus of unreliable renewable energy to ensure a reliable flow of electricity and slightly cleaner air was worth the price.

The ad continues by letting Ontarians know the most vital information of all: they already got sweet relief of 25 per cent off their hydro bills this summer.  Ontarians need to be informed of this for two years, so they don't forget.  Some people might have noticed their hydro bill dropped in July, but they might not have known who to thank.  This ad let's them know whose praise to sing.  Never mind that the reduction was only an additional 17 per cent in July, as the 8 per cent provincial HST had already been dropped at the start of the year, the point is people get to pay less on their bills now.

According to recent polling, 79 per cent of informed Ontarians agree with the Fair Hydro Plan.

So everytime the media gives unfair negative coverage to the Fair Hydro Plan over the next year-and-a-half, the government can make sure their ubiquitous ads are there to help properly inform any still confused Ontarians.

Photo Credit: Toronto Sun

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