Houston should focus on helping the vulnerable instead of letters to NSP regulator, Chender says
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“What Nova Scotians want is help getting through the winter and there are lots of ways that the premier (Tim Houston) could do that,” said Claudia Chender, characterizing as “disappointing,” the premier’s recent letter to the regulatory board urging it to dismiss the settlement agreement on rates that Nova Scotia Power struck with customer representatives.
“He could introduce a universal service program so that low income Nova Scotians could be charged a different (NSP) rate, he could expand the home heating assistance rebate program, which they have been hinting at for some time but haven’t done yet," Chender said.
“Instead, he’s picking a fight with the independent regulator and I’m not sure who’s going to benefit in the end.”
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Chender said the government knew full well when it passed the bill legislating a 1.8 per cent cap that it did not include fuel costs.
“The settlement agreement does include fuel costs and Nova Scotia Power is voluntarily coming forward and saying we’re going to cap fuel costs, so in fact it (rates) would have been much higher than that (14 per cent over two years) and this government knew that. The premier knew when he introduced legislation and said we capped everyone’s rates at 1.8 per cent that it was not accurate.”
Chender said Nova Scotians were always going to end up paying a whole lot more for electricity.
“Now that’s in the public eye and that’s embarrassing to the government to expose that they didn’t protect consumers in the way that they said they would, again they are not taking the opportunity and the power that they have to protect consumers in a real way by expanding the relief to the consumers,” Chender said.
“There are lots of tools at their disposal, legislative tools and policy tools, but instead they are writing letters.”
Chender said the appropriate Public Utilities Act amendment for the government to have made would have permitted the NSUARB, as regulator, to come up with separate residential rates for power. In that way, Nova Scotians mired in energy poverty, low-income households that spend over six per cent of income on energy, could be charged a lower rate for electricity than other residents. Currently, all ratepayers in the consumer rate class must pay the same amount, unless the legislation is changed to allow the NSUARB to apply separate rates.
“The premier has lots of leeway to influence that, but instead of doing that, finding out how to make sure that Nova Scotians know that they will be able to afford their power and that there utility is working for them, he’s picking a fight and he’s interfering in an independent process,” Chender said.
“So far, we don’t have much to show for it except for a cold winter and a lot of people who are really struggling to pay for stuff. Meanwhile, this is the premier that said he was going to fix health care and we’re heading into a period of real fear and uncertainty around health care.
“That letter was his own reaction to the settlement offer but really as premier, he can do a lot more than write a letter and I think that is what people are looking for him to do and we’re still waiting.”
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Chender said there is no recourse for low-income Nova Scotians.
“We have a heating assistance rebate plan but it is only available to select few Nova Scotians,” Chender said. “The thresholds are very low and it’s only up to $200. We have been consistently calling on the government to expand that program.
“We’ve seen right across the country governments doing a lot to help Canadians make it through these inflationary times, and directly related to energy. We are not seeing very much at all from this government and I think people are left wondering why.”
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