The following comments were received by the City of Markham from residents through our online feedback form. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the City of Markham.

Anonymous

Very bad idea, too much risk and very little benefit to community. Loss of control of utility not worth the risk. Please don't merge, the savings are a joke.

Sylvia Smith

Keeping hydro costs down for low income seniors and families should be a top priority. I can't get over how expensive hydro is becoming. Utility companies need to become more financially prudent as I am not certain this is currently the case. Hence the consumer has to carry the mismanagement of utility companies.

C. Lige

DON'T DO IT!!!!! This will only bring higher salaries for the senior executives while regular staff get let go. The benefits they propose are whimsical and will not materialize..... Powerstream is already an efficient organization and has plateaued...further attempts at more efficiency will only mean grief in terms of more and longer outages, fewer staff, poorer service, and a lot of the capital money being sucked towards fixing Hamilton's failing electrical system....there will be fewer funds left to bring Markham's archaic electrical plant up to date which has always been the worst system in Powerstreams territory. What little influence Markham politicians have over Powerstream will be completely vaporized as the boardroom power will now shift to Mississauga and Hamilton.....leaving those in York Region underserved. the most high tech utility of all of the 3 is Powerstream and the utility will be taking a step backwards if this merge goes through. All of the effort Powerstream has made in smart grid will never materialize. Ultimately, they will want to sell it off to private interests and then watch the rate increases come! Maintaining ownership close to home ensures close scrutiny on the utility operations. Don't DO IT!!!!!

Mr. Rickesh Lakhani

Having been in the social services sector for over 10 years, and as a proud Markham resident, I believe that minimizing costs of household necessities such as food, housing costs and energy is vital to a successful community. Many families and households in Markham are living in poverty or close to the poverty line, and variances in their annual costs of living can have a significant impact, either positive or negative. If the proposed merger between PowerStream, Enersource and Horizon Utilities and the subsequent acquisition of Hydro One Brampton will result in reduced energy costs for households and families in the impacted regions, including Markham, that is definitely a positive and desirable outcome. In addition, reductions in operating costs for small businesses, which are owned and operated by residents of the region, will contribute to better financial success for these businesses that are an essential driver of our local economy, which will also positively impact all residents. In various roles, I have worked with PowerStream in their capacity as a corporate citizen, and they have demonstrated a genuine commitment and desire to see healthy and vibrant communities in the areas where they operate. As a Markham resident, I want to see our City on a path to continued success and keep gaining momentum on the provincial, national and world stages - for this to happen, it is essential that everyone in the community is given the best chance to succeed. Reducing the basic costs of living, including energy costs, is one important way in which to accomplish this.