ONTARIO'S SHELL GAME ON HYDRO COSTS CONTINUES

But this wouldn't be a proper Wynne government gift if it didn't come with a few asterisks. The first: this 25 per cent reduction in hydro rates is actually a 17 per cent reduction, considering it includes the eight per cent rebate on the provincial portion of the harmonized sales tax on hydro bills, which came into effect Jan. 1. The second: that eight per cent rebate isn't really a rebate at all, since it is effectively cancelled out by the added costs of Ontario's new cap-and-trade program — which is estimated to cost the average household an extra $156 per year.