NDP Leader Howard Hampton said today that though the McGuinty Liberals talk the big talk on co-generation and small scale energy production they have broken their promise, made two years ago, to hire a Co-generation Facilitator.

Hampton was responding to an announcement made this morning by Minister of Energy Dwight Duncan that the McGuinty Liberals would encourage co-generation and small-scale green energy production.

“The McGuinty Liberals are in full pre-election mode. They are making promises that they have already made and failed to keep. If the Minister of Energy was serious about co-generation, he would have appointed a co-generation facilitator like he promised back in 2005,” Hampton said.

Co-generation can significantly reduce costs for large industrial users and result in operational efficiencies. It can also reduce energy demands. While the McGuinty Liberals have talked about co-generation they have taken no action to encourage it, instead focusing on big nuclear projects to meet Ontario’s future energy needs.

“Despite the urgency of the situation in manufacturing and the crisis facing hard working Ontario families, the McGuinty government still has not appointed a facilitator to look at cogeneration in Ontario’s troubled manufacturing sector,” Hampton said.

“Clearly real solutions to meet Ontario’s energy needs and to support our struggling manufacturing sector are not priorities for the McGuinty Liberals. Dalton McGuinty had time to give himself a $40,000 pay raise but has failed to keep his promises on co-generation,” said Hampton.