Houston says he'll intervene in future power rate increase applications if necessary
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NDP Leader Claudia Chender said she is concerned about the government inserting itself into a process that is supposed to be independent.
"The premier seems to want to run the entire government off the side of his desk," she told reporters.
"There are really good reasons why we don't run governments out of one office but we have independent experts who help us to navigate the big decisions and the big dollars attached to government funding and decisions."
Chender said the Tory legislation might bring short-term relief for Nova Scotia Power customers, but she said Houston is putting off a bill that will eventually come due the same way the Liberals did when they were in power.
The difference then was the Liberals prevented the UARB from hearing any general rate applications from Nova Scotia Power, while the Tories allowed the hearings to go ahead but stepped in to shape how the decision could look.
If the government wants to intervene around power rates, Chender said it should happen by allowing the UARB to consider a low-income rate based on people's income, creating penalties that can be used if the targets for getting off goal and increasing use of renewables are not met, and stiffening performance standards for Nova Scotia Power.
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