The Ontario Liberal Government made news last week when it announced that it would be cutting hydro rates this year. Premier Kathleen Wynne has, in part, credited a provincial horse trainer with the reductions becoming a reality.
Libby Keenan operates the Sunhall Equestrian Center in Amherstburg. The facility’s primary focus is on developing solid and correct basics in Dressage; but Keenan’s viral letter focused on something that impacted all horse owners and Ontarians alike – high hydro rates. She wrote that increased hydro rates in the province would impact the sustainability of the equestrian centre.
Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne pictured meeting with Libby Keenan (CBC )
According to an article by the CBC, Premier Wynne had learned of the letter and eventually had a sit-down with Keenan to personally discuss the issue. Wynne had promised to address the cost of hydro in the province. On Thursday, March 2, before it was publicly announced, Wynne phoned Keenan and told her of the upcoming hydro reductions. The Premier stated that Keenan’s letter played a role in the decision.
"I thought it was respectful of her to call herself and not have an assistant make contact," Keenan stated via social media. "She gave me her word on these issues and she is making good on that. I achieved what I went for."
It is expected that the average residential hydro bill will drop by 17 per cent this summer. When further exemptions are taken into account, overall rate reductions could drop by 25 per cent.
Keenan told the CBC that she doesn’t care if the move is an election ploy or not, but that, "I care about my bottom line and it's going to improve."
(With files from the CBC)