The Fraser Institute: Ontario Government Contracts Can Be Changed or Cancelled Through Legislation
(firmenpresse) - TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 10/22/14 -- Provincial governments have the power to change or cancel legally binding agreements, notes a new released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.
"Government contracts are not the ironclad agreements they appear to be because governments may change or cancel them by enacting legislation," says Bruce Pardy, Professor of Law at Queen''s University and author of .
Pardy''s conclusion is particularly relevant for Ontario where the province has locked itself into a number of long-term contracts with wind and solar power companies, resulting in escalating electricity prices.
A Fraser Institute study to be released Thursday, Oct. 23 spotlights Ontario''s skyrocketing electricity prices and the extent to which provincial government contracts with renewable energy producers are responsible for the increases.
But if the Ontario government cancels electricity contracts, wouldn''t it be required to pay compensation?
Not if the Ontario legislature passes a statute explicitly denying the right to compensation, which would nullify the robust compensation clauses contained in Feed-In-Tariff contracts. (Only foreign firms could then seek compensation under NAFTA or other foreign investment protection regimes.)
"No negotiations between governments and companies can eliminate the risk of future legislated changes, so when the state controls the market, as the Ontario government does with electricity production, the only real options are to accept the risk or pursue a different venture altogether," Pardy said.
"If democratically elected governments are to establish their own policies, they require the ability to make unilateral changes to agreements made by previous governments. If they cannot legitimately do so, then their predecessors can control policy decisions beyond their democratic mandates."
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The Fraser Institute is an independent Canadian public policy research and educational organization with offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, and Montreal and ties to a global network of think-tanks in 87 countries. Its mission is to measure, study, and communicate the impact of competitive markets and government intervention on the welfare of individuals. To protect the Institute''s independence, it does not accept grants from governments or contracts for research. Visit
Contacts:
Media Contact:
Bruce Pardy
Professor, Faculty of Law, Queen''s University
613-929-0050
For more information, contact:
Mark Hasiuk
Media Relations Specialist, Fraser Institute
(604) 688-0221 ext. 517
(at)FraserInstitute
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Datum: 22.10.2014 - 04:15 Uhr
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News-ID 1311791
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