Energy ad campaign all charged up

By ANTONELLA ARTUSO, QUEEN'S PARK BUREAU CHIEF
Last Updated: September 23, 2010 6:38pm

The cost of a $3 million advertising campaign to encourage Ontarians to use less electricity is going straight to their hydro bills.

PC energy critic John Yakubuski said the ads by Ontario Power Authority (OPA) promote the Dalton McGuinty government’s viewpoint on energy.

“With all the money that families are paying for the OPA’s Liberal spin, are you thinking of changing the name to the Ontario Propaganda Authority?” Yakabuski said in the Legislature Thursday.

Tim Butters, of the OPA, said the radio and TV spots were produced at a cost of $400,000, plus the $2.6 million media buy.

The ads will appear on television until October 11.

“We cut costs for this campaign from campaigns of this kind in previous years,” Butters said in an e-mail. “It is a part of our efforts to build a culture of conservation in Ontario.

“Ontario has a target to reduce peak-demand by 6,300 megawatts by 2025,” he said. “Together with the local distribution companies, the province has achieved 1,700 MW of peak-demand reduction so far.”

The ad features a backdrop of wind turbines and solar panels, and shows individuals plugging into smart power bars and removing an old fridge.

“A cleaner Ontario is up to all of us,” the ad says.