Houston government leaving Nova Scotians on their own to sort out Nova Scotia Power mess: NDP

HALIFAX— On Wednesday, Opposition Leader Claudia Chender called on the Houston government to step in and help Nova Scotians to address inaccurate, unaffordable power bills. While hundreds of Nova Scotians have reached out to express their frustration and confusion after being drastically overbilled, as the Energy Minister, Tim Houston has not given any assurances the government will act to make power affordable and reliable for Nova Scotians.

“All of us have to heat our homes and keep the lights on. Nova Scotia Power is the only option for most Nova Scotians. It’s crucial that the government makes this utility work for people,” said Chender. “As the Energy Minister, Tim Houston needs to answer Nova Scotians’ questions, take urgent action to lower bills, and launch a full review of Nova Scotia Power to restore public trust and help people afford their power.”

Since Tim Houston became Premier, families are spending $400 more per year on their power bills. Instead of reducing costs, in the last legislative session, the Houston government kicked 46,000 people off the home heating assistance rebate program, slashed hundreds of dollars from those who remained eligible, and refused the NDP’s proposal to lower everyone’s power bills by 10 per cent with a rebate.

In 2023, the Houston government quietly changed the law to allow them to put the HST back on people’s bills

“It’s shocking that the government has been making things tougher for Nova Scotians trying to afford their power bills and it’s even worse that they wouldn’t show up at committee and answer people’s questions,” said Chender. “People are still finding out that they’ve had their private information stolen in the data breach and now they’re being charged double their actual usage. The company says people won’t be charged interest or sent to collections but customers just don’t trust Nova Scotia Power and they’re getting radio silence from the government.

“People deserve a government who has their backs but, so far, we haven’t seen the new Energy Minister take action to lower bills or restore trust in this essential utility. People are fed up with this and they should be.”

Quotes:

“People are receiving bills up to four times what they were used to, with no answers. They're reaching out to me all the time, hundreds of them, concerned about being double- or triple-billed and unsure where to turn for help. People are frustrated with the real lack of reliable information and leadership. People have been having problems with NSP for a long time and things just seem to get worse. I started this group back in 2024 and more and more Nova Scotians keep joining as the problems continue to grow. The Premier is the Energy Minister now; he should be stepping in to help people with solutions.”

– Danielle Fraser, Westville town councillor and creator of the “Stop the NS Power Insanity” Facebook page

“My husband and I have lived in the same house for 32 years, and we always pay our bills. Now we've gotten a large bill from Nova Scotia Power saying we used four times more power than normal. I don't want to pay it because it doesn't make sense, but it says on my bill they will charge interest if I don't. We have tried to sort things out with the company on our own but they’ve been no help. The Premier has to do something, we just want things to be fair.”

– Shelley Tower, Bass River, Nova Scotia

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