Nova Scotians deserve protections from higher energy costs: NDP

HALIFAX – Today Opposition Leader Claudia Chender is urging the Energy Minister to step in and make sure consumers are protected from Nova Scotia Power’s (NSP) increasing costs and billing changes.

This afternoon, the NSNDP will also intervene to the Nova Scotia Energy Board on Nova Scotia Power’s submission to prorate bills.

“Trust between Nova Scotia Power and the people of the province is broken. The data breach, the over-billing and the rising rates for bad service are not what people expect from an essential utility,” said Chender. “There are things that the Premier and Energy Minister, Tim Houston, can do to ensure this isn’t yet another expensive mess for Nova Scotians. He needs to take every possible step including beginning a full review of the company and putting in place an affordable energy rate.

“The Energy Minister can’t just sit back and hope for the best — Nova Scotians need proactive protections and restored trust in this essential service.”

In their submission to the board, the NSNDP asked the Energy Board to deny NSP’s request to pro-rate bills and ensure that ratepayers only pay for energy they actually use. The submission also made a clear request that any costs in implementing changes be paid for by NSP not Nova Scotians.

“Nova Scotians already pay far too much for electricity,” said Chender. “Once this rate hike goes ahead, the average Nova Scotia family will be paying almost $600 more per year for power than when the Houston government first took office.

“Ratepayers should not be asked to pay higher prices for power they used before the rate hike went into effect. This is fundamentally unfair and amounts to unethical price gouging.

“While we believe that the rate hike should not proceed at all, both the board and the government have to do everything in their power to protect consumers; this includes making sure unnecessary costs aren’t passed along to ratepayers and making sure the billing process is clear and accurate.”

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