NDP freeze hydro rates

[Hassel99]

*removed*

[Cactusflower]

BC Hydro rates have gone up by more than 24% in the last 4 year, and by more than 70% since 2001. It's taken 16 long years to have someone come in and stop this runaway train. Can we expect Fortis rates to be frozen as well?

Big difference between the 2 utilities, ones a crown corporation the other is privately owned.

Yes, and it's too bad, since their rates should be frozen as well.

[ferri]

*Stay on topic and don't make it personal please! Thank you!

[Cactusflower]

Seems like some commenters on this thread didn't read the media reports today, even the one on Castanet. It states right there that BC Hydro rates have increased by more than 24% in the last 4 years, and more than 70% since 2001. Unless you think there's some kind of conspiracy going on in the media, I suggest you accept their reports. The 28% I came up with since 2010 was an estimate of how much the rates had increased since 2010, and that was a very conservative estimate.

[maryjane48]

*removed*
We the people. Want lower bills . Bclibs would not lower hydro but would infact raised rates .

[Jx3]

My monthly BC Hydro bill in 2010 when I bought my house was $107/month on equal payment. Seven years later it's currently $110/month.

Runaway train indeed! [/sarcasm]

So how do you explain that? Everyone else's hydro bills went up about 28% since 2010

Do you have anything to back that claim up? You know, like a link to a reputable source. I don't regularly discuss utility bills with friends and acquaintances but the odd time it has come up in conversation I have never heard of anyone saying their bills have gone up significantly.

Either you're pulling a Christy Clark election campaign whopper, or you've done some major retrofits in your home.

While I don't give a hoot whether some anonymous interwebz poster believes me or not I would be happy to post redacted copies of my bills if it'd make you sleep better at night. The only thing different in my house over those seven years has been the replacement of old incandescent lights with CFL's and LEDs, otherwise no changes at all.

[maryjane48]

No one cares what your bill is . Proves nothing. We want lower bills period. Bclibs want to raise them . Ndp will freeze then lower them .

Its isnt rocket science. Its called listening to the voters . Not rightwing scam artists

[Retrosnap]

*removed*

Pay now, pay later, either way you're gonna pay. Just not yet.

From the minister herself...

https://www.vicnews.com/news/province-t ... dro-rates/

In debate on her ministry’s budget Tuesday, Mungall cited a B.C. Hydro esitmate that cancelling the Site C project would translate into a 10 per cent rate increase for the utility, or additional debt of $4 billion to cancel the dam project and return the site to the state it was two years ago when construction began.

[Cactusflower]

Does anyone want to publicly refute the media reports that BC Hydro rates have gone up 24% in the last 4 years, and by more than 70% since 2001? Is there some info somewhere that disproves what the MSM has reported?

BTW, I think you misunderstood what the Minister said.

[Urbane]

Well now. This is interesting. From Keith Baldrey on Twitter:

Keith Baldrey‏Verified account
@keithbaldrey

BC Greens are arguing NDP's Hydro rate "freeze" isn't real because it can only happen if the govt. orders the BCUC to freeze rates next April. Such direction would violate terms of Greens/NDP "CASCA" deal, Green leader Andrew Weaver says. #bcpoli

[generalposter]

My monthly BC Hydro bill in 2010 when I bought my house was $107/month on equal payment. Seven years later it's currently $110/month.

Congratulations.

Either your meter is faulty or you are using less electricity. Your personal billing is not a reflection of rate increases, it only reflects what you are consuming. You also failed to give us the details of your reconciliation bill. I could pay $36 monthly for my hydro and then reconcile with $900.

[mikest2]

This just kills me ! Somebody explain who's team this Dr Weaver is on..............

November 8, 2017
For immediate release
Site C, Hydro finances demonstrate need to reverse trend of failed Liberal economic management: Weaver

VICTORIA, B.C. – Andrew Weaver, leader of the B.C. Green Party, is calling for an overhaul of BC’s approach to the energy file. Weaver says that the politicization of energy has got in the way of sound fiscal management and evidence-based policies that would protect ratepayers and allow BC to become a leader in alternative energy.

“Energy has been treated like a political tool in this province, depriving British Columbians of the leadership and sound fiscal management they deserve from their government,” said Weaver.

“Today, the NDP announced that they are freezing Hydro rates. B.C. Hydro is in a dire financial position due to the utter failure of the B.C. Liberals to responsibly manage our finances. They raided B.C. Hydro of more than half a billion dollars in dividends last year alone. ICBC is facing a similar financial mess for the same reason.

“Since the Liberals used LNG as a Hail Mary pass to clinch the 2013 election, they have been hell-bent on developing an industry that was never going to materialize. Due to Liberal enticements to LNG companies, British Columbians pay nearly twice as much as hypothetical LNG companies for their Hydro.

“Site C is yet another piece of this disturbing puzzle – it is billions of dollars over budget and was pushed through without proper oversight by BCUC to satisfy the LNG pipedream. BCUC, an independent body whose purpose is to protect ratepayers, was blocked from doing its job because of the Liberals’ blind pursuit to get to yes at any cost.

“The NDP is at a crossroads. They can continue down this path of reckless Liberal fiscal management, or they can keep their promise to be better. While I’m glad they’re reviewing BC Hydro, there are concrete steps they can take to reverse the trend of energy policy being used as a political tool. They can and should cancel the Long Term Royalty Agreement with Progress Energy, who, by the way, is responsible for the two largest unregulated dams in North Eastern BC. They can, and should stop the pilfering of BC Hydro by requiring dividends that, if not stopped, will amount to $2.8 billion by 2020.

“We cannot keep making political decisions while saddling future generations with debt. If the NDP truly want to make life more affordable, freezing hydro rates without developing an energy strategy – which will simply saddle our children with these costs – is not the solution. We have a generational opportunity to use this minority government to chart a new path for BC, one that takes us away from the BC Liberals fiscal mismanagement. It will require us to think big and to take bold action, but that is exactly what British Columbians deserve from their leaders.”


By the way Dr Weaver, your math is going the way of the NDP, BC Hydro's Large General service rate is $0.055 per kWh, did you mean to lie in the house today ?

[Smurf]

Cactusflower wrote:
BC Hydro rates have gone up by more than 24% in the last 4 year, and by more than 70% since 2001. It's taken 16 long years to have someone come in and stop this runaway train. Can we expect Fortis rates to be frozen as well?

Yes they have gone up with good reason, expenses have gone up, equipment needs maintaining, fuel has gone up, salaries have gone up. The government is stealing money from them, which by the way the NDP started. You cannot stop a business from recovering it's costs or you no longer have a business. The stupidity of freezing the rates is unbelievable given it is one of the reasons these increases are necessary. If they had not done this in the past and let Hydro run it's business properly we would not be in this bind where things have gone too long and now must be done.

Maybe the government should pay attention to their own spending and forget about trying to control others and prevent them from doing their job.

[Smurf]

Cactusflower wrote:

So how do you explain that? Everyone else's hydro bills went up about 28% since 2010 but yours stayed almost the same. Either you're pulling a Christy Clark election campaign whopper, or you've done some major retrofits in your home.

Mine have not gone up anywhere close to that except for the few times when I spend longer at home in the winter, which is understandable. Maybe people should look at how they are using their electricity, their appliances, bulbs etc. I am already sorry for people dealing with Fortis but they have said themselves that that will only get worse if they get to go ahead with their solar plans.

[Smurf]

maryjane48 wrote:
*removed*
We the people. Want lower bills . Bclibs would not lower hydro but would infact raised rates .

Nice NDP pipe dream, but common sense tells us that with expenses going up every day, the government stealing money thanks to the NDP, equipment requiring maintenance and many other things there is no way in the world bills will get lower. Impossible!