Morning Brew: June 27th, 2007

Seriously, keep your AC down ... we put at at 25/26, as recommended by Toronto Hydro, when we use it (and we make great efforts not to) and it feels great -- not cold, but normal, comfortable. I hate it when people crank up their AC so they "can feel it working", just like the people who heat their house so they can walk around in shorts in January.

Your AC is working its intended purpose when you're not drenched in sweat. Stop turning your house into an ice box, guys!

Some people think that by turning the thermostat down to 18oC, it'll cool the house faster. Then they forget that the A/C will keep running until the interior temp actually reaches 18oC.

OK, first...I AGREE completely with you guys. But there is a part of me that laughs when the energy companies ask US to take it easy on THEM. We pay them for a service and cold winters and hot summers are nothing new. They know there are people who are going to crank the A/C (I'm not one of them). Shouldn't they be upgrading the grid with all of those record profts they're posting. Also, given the high energy prices, what is their response when we ask them to take it easy on us? "Well, we provide a service and people have to pay for it". Now, that is just a tiny selfish, irresponsible thought...but just a small one. Don't jump on me...I do conserve..in fact, I'll bet more than most. I've replaced all my light-bulbs with the new ones. A/C and fans are on timers (I have a dog at home).Since I'm single and the only thing in my fridge is ketchup, water and a 1/4 full bottle of Gin;-)...I have filled and placed giant jugs (not those kind) of water on the shelves so the fridge isn't working overtime to cool the empty space.

I agree with Steve on this one. Hydro raises the rates when demand is high. And when we conserve, Hydro raises the rates again to keep their profits up.

We pay for more than enough capacity to cover the normal summer heat waves and winter deep-freezes. If we're not getting the benefit of what we pay for, Hydro is failing in its role as a public utility and needs to be overhauled.

And while conservation should be common sense for everyone, it's wrong to tell seniors and families with small children that they should sit sweltering through a heat alert while The Eaton Centre is kept at 19C 24/7. (BTW, The Eaton Centre's response to this complaint is that these people should just come shopping.)

Comments in order of the post:

That "Please walk on the grass" sign is very Torontonian!

Will hydro rates go up again because we are conserving and Toronto Hydro is losing money?

Are 600 randomly phoned Ontarians really qualified to say without any thought if the boards should merge?

The Celebrate Toronto Festival was the gay pride equivalent for straight people.

Let's also think about who is being asked to conserve and who may actually BE conserving. I have a small one-bedroom and even still, I have curtained off my bedroom where the air conditioner is (gives an Austin Powers nod and says..."Ladies?": - ) Anyway, the people with large houses with 3 cars, one Hummer and a boat in the garage...do they care about what they're footprint is? How many large houses have you driven by and every light is on? I can tell you, I highly doubt the wealthy are suffering or sacrifing, while people who are barely making it as it is are sweating their nads off. Rich people don't die in this kind of weather.I conserve for selfish reasons also....I just want to give as little money as I have to to these companies.

The City had nothing to do with funding LuminaTO. If the city is not funding the Street Fest "because of LuminaTO", it's not due to funds. And if it's a scheduling issue, I'd like to point out that LuminaTO has been over for a few weeks now. There's always a lot going on the July Long Weekend, but if the Street Fest is an 8-year tradition drawing a million people, there shouldn't have been a problem.

My favourite was when I got a bill from the power company advising me that the previous owners of the power company had saddled them with debt, so the customers now had to pay an extra "debt repayment fee". Um, what?!

Now that parents of kids with disabilities who attend private schools are suing on the basis that they don't get the Ontario supports that kids in Catholic schools get, the Constitutional amendment required to remove the support of Catholic schools (as was done in Quebec for language reasons) should be expedited. McGuinty did the right thing (in the end) on de-recognising religious family court structures but will he be willing to antagonise Catholics who voted Liberal last time out?

There should be a single public school system under the direct control of the Education Department through public school boards. Anyone who wants to educate their kids in religious schools can face the costs of this themselves. Opponents usually point to public schools being overwhelmed - this can be done on a phased basis as was done with double cohort (in fact if Grade 13 was brought back it might help solve that problem).

"My favourite was when I got a bill from the power company advising me that the previous owners of the power company had saddled them with debt, so the customers now had to pay an extra "debt repayment fee". Um, what?!"

I had to go into debt (well, overdraught) to pay my last hydro bill. Perhaps I can deduct my own "debt repayment fee" from my next hydro bill.

Better still, I'll tack on a "service charge" for writing the cheque, and a "delivery fee" for walking it to the mailbox!

Crossroads went unsolved for the FIRST time in over 50 puzzles! It's High Park Ave (just north of Bloor).