Essex calls on OEB to pick power supplier and stop holding Sellick Equipment 'hostage'

Officials from the Town of Essex are pushing the Ontario Energy Board to stop holding Sellick Equipment "hostage" and make a decision on who will provide power to the company's new facility in Harrow, Ont.

The company has been waiting for more than a year for the electricity authority to rule on whether they can stay with their current supplier, E.L.K. Energy, or if they must switch to Hydro One and accept 45 per cent higher set up costs.

The new 120,000-square-foot plant is just down the road from the old location, but is in Hydro One's territory.

Essex Deputy Mayor Richard Meloche said the OEB hasn't even hinted at a timeline for its decision.

"We haven't been told that it's going to be a week, we haven't been told that it's going to be three months or even six months, for that matter, but we do know that they need to make a decision sooner rather than later," he said. "They shouldn't be holding them hostage."