TORONTO - Ontario is facing a provincial election this upcoming fall and it is becoming clear that a focal point of the campaign will be the much-maligned Green Energy Act.

This was a controversial Act, brought into being by a controversy-plagued government. The stated goal of the Act was to outfit Ontario's energy infrastructure with 2,500 megawatts of wind and solar capabilities. Noble. Noble and expensive.

It seems that Premier McGuinty may have been more concerned with his legacy as a green-friendly, forward-looking sage. Unfortunately, these types of energy/infrastructure initiatives should never be rushed into. When government's make poor investments it is the taxpayers who really get fleeced.

In this case, we do not even know how badly we have been fleeced - nor what, specifically, we should be up in arms about. Indeed, the provisions of the Green Energy Act relating to costs etc. have remained secret. That is right - we know that the government entered into a questionable arrangement with Samsung and Korean utilities companies. We know that special payments were made to incentivize Samsung. We know that taxpayers are paying massively inflated rates for this green electricity. We just don't quite know how much.

That's right, there has been a great deal of bluster and obfuscation - and Ontarians have certainly seen their hydro rates skyrocket - but it is unclear what the endgame is. When will this end?

Another, democratically important question looms - how can the Ontario PC party and the Ontario NDP mount a successful opposition to the Liberals without full disclosure? Indeed, such considerations are especially important with an election looming, but they deserve consideration at all times. How can Ontarians be sure they are getting value when the opposition parties cannot raise effective questions in the House of Commons?

As mentioned, one part of this deal that Ontarians have uncovered involves a special "economic development adder" given to Samsung. You may be unfamiliar with that term - and for this I would not blame you. It appears that the McGuinty government is far more committed to finding ways to obscure the truth than they are to disclosing it. This special 'economic development adder' was a direct payment of $437-mlllion to Samsung, designed to encourage Samsung's investments in Ontario.

Politics in Canada can be difficult - with competing jurisdictions and legislative authority. Pre-existing contracts can further handicap future governments' abilities to act - just as the HST foisted on Ontarians cannot be effectively removed until 2015. In this case, it is not known at all how much the government (read: taxpayers) may have to pay to get out of this contract. More than $400-million has already been handed over to Samsung, along with untold billions more already spent on these initiatives.

It is time for disclosure and streamlined access to information in Ontario. How else can citizens and politicians hope to make informed decisions?