BARRY’S BAY – With their signs in hand, around 100 people marched to the Hydro One office in Barry’s Bay to protest the publically-owned utility.
It was one of three marches held around Renfrew County, with others participating in protests in Eganville and Renfrew that day.
In the Bay, everyone gathered in the Paul J. Yakabuski Community Centre to rally before they made their way to the Hydro One office.
Linda Neuman, councillor for Madawaska Valley Township, encouraged a peaceful protest.
“We are here today to let Hydro One and our government know that we are angry, that we are frustrated and that we are upset with the way things are happening with our hydro bills. We are not going to sit back and take it any longer,” she said.
Neuman encouraged people to bombard the province with emails and letters.
“The more people we can get to let them know we are not happy, the better it will be,” she said. “Rural Ontario is having a great deal of trouble. We are dying because of all of the costs put towards us. We cannot afford it.”
Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke MPP John Yakabuski, who attended the speech-portion of the rally before heading to the other protests countywide, said everyone has to vocalize the same message to the province.
“This is an opportunity to send a very clear message to the provincial government that this is getting to be out of hand,” he said. “Something has to be done to change the direction that we are going with regards to the cost of electricity.”
Get your April 9, 2014 edition of The Valley Gazette to read this full story.