NDP supports first step to reining in Nova Scotia Power

HALIFAX — Three years after NDP Leader Claudia Chender introduced legislation to require the performance-based regulation of Nova Scotia Power (NSP), the Houston government has finally taken the first step.

“Tying Nova Scotia’s profits to the quality of service they provide customers is desperately needed in our province,” said Chender. “We know that people are paying far too much for unreliable service and that there hasn’t been enough regulation to make Nova Scotia Power clean up their act. This is a step the government could have taken years ago but it’s encouraging to see they’re finally moving something forward.”

The government’s bill doesn’t provide a broader ownership and regulatory review of NSP, and the NSNDP have some concerns with the government’s approach. In the proposal brought forward today, the government ties the hands of the Energy Board by stating that their recommendations “must protect the interests of Nova Scotia Power” alongside the public interest.

“People have to be able to afford their power bills. They need services that they can rely on. Heat and electricity are not optional — all Nova Scotians need these services, and reliability and affordability must be this government’s top priority," said Chender. "The government's primary interest must be public interest and what is best for Nova Scotians."

New Democrats have long been calling for other considerations to be addressed by the government which should all be considered performance-based regulation including, equity, low income and energy poverty, outages and reliability, energy efficiency, environmental performance, customer satisfaction, and billing accuracy.

“This bill is a good step, but the Houston government has a long way to go to make Nova Scotia Power work for the people of this province,” added Chender.

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