Today in the Ontario Legislature David Ramsay, MPP for Timiskaming-Cochrane introduced a private member’s bill to amend the Ontario Energy Board Act, 1998. This proposed bill would provide improved consumer protection from predatory door to door electricity and natural gas retailers.

“The social and financial damage on some of societies most vulnerable must stop,” said MPP Ramsay.

This bill is a result of dealing with hundreds of cases where people have lost their power and in some cases have had their children taken away because they could no longer heat their home.

By selling consumer higher cost energy as well as triggering cancellation fees on existing contracts, consumers are incurring debt which often leads to the disconnection of service.

“In many cases our social service agencies have had to intervene on behalf of clients causing undue financial stress on our government agencies,” said Ramsay.

This bill, if passed, would require retailers of energy and marketers of gas to provide a reaffirmation letter to the consumer that must be signed and returned to the retailer. The reaffirmation letter, which is the only means by which the consumer may reaffirm the contract, must contain the following information:

A)The price the consumer would pay under the new contract.

B)Any penalties that would be triggered by cancelling the current contract.

C)The price the consumer is currently paying.

D)The price the consumer would pay direct from the distributor.

In addition, if passed, this bill would prevent retailers from automatically enrolling consumers into a contract through the cashing of a cheque that was received through direct mail.

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Contact:

Michael Wilson

416-325-7137