TORONTO - As Ontario's next provincial election approaches in 234 more days (yeah, we are counting down) it is time to appraise what needs urgent attention in our province and what should be on the agenda come October.

It would be easy to say that EVERY area of Ontario's governance needs reappraisal - and this would not be wrong. When spending nearly doubles yet there is nothing to show for it, it is clear that a widespread problem exists. It is vital, however, to provide specific issues that need attention instead of only blanket statements of disapproval.

In this regard, it is Ontario's energy policies that need careful attention. McGuinty has recently announced that his 'green energy' policies are being reshaped once again - and taxpayers are worried. After all, all of McGuinty's 'work' on this file has yielded nothing except dramatically higher energy prices.

McGuinty's goal of shuttering all coal-fired power plants during his tenure was an awful idea, to be blunt. It is even worse, however, that he has spent billions of taxpayer dollars and accomplished nothing to this end. There are much better ways to waste a billion dollars.

Furthermore, the provincial government's last-minute manipulations surrounding the cancelled Oakville power plant have put the province in breach of contract. We have yet to learn how much this will cost taxpayers, but many expect it to be measured in the billions. Again, we will have nothing to show for this - the last minute cancellation reflected the overwhelming consensus that the plant should never have been approved to begin with.

What Ontarians really want from the next provincial government is a depoliticization of the energy portfolio. Of course no one can expect McGuinty's successor (or McGuinty himself) to mop up this mess overnight. To start moving in the right direction our politicians must pledge that the energy portfolio will not be used as financial instrument. Politicians must pledge not to tinker with monetary and social policy under the guise of energy.

With McGuinty now backing down from his wind and solar power initiatives, it is empirically unclear where his much-touted 'eco-jobs' will come from. After spending billions of dollars on fruitless efforts that have not materialized, it is time to say 'no more.' Our politicians are responsible for this outrageous increase in energy prices - should we continue to let them fiddle with these policies?