N.S. Tories vote down proposal paving way to power rate assistance program

If the provincial government is serious about addressing energy poverty, it needs to give the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board the power to set different rates for low-income customers, MLAs heard Wednesday.

Five presentations to the legislature's law amendments committee regarding proposed changes to the Public Utilities Act noted that although the government is calling for energy poverty to be a consideration in the establishment of performance standards for Nova Scotia Power, the legislation currently prevents the UARB from setting different rates.

"The need for low-income programs to support universal access to electricity is more pressing than ever," Claire McNeil, a lawyer with Dalhousie Legal Aid speaking on behalf of the Affordable Energy Coalition, told the committee.

"We know that there are more rate increases coming and so it's an especially urgent issue here in Nova Scotia."

McNeil and others spoke in support of the amendments the government is advancing and the increased consideration for people struggling to pay their power bills at a time when Nova Scotia Power is applying for a 10 per cent rate increase.

Legislative barrier

But McNeil said the amendments as written won't go far enough. That's because of a section in the act that prohibits the UARB from setting a separate low-income rate, something that's been upheld by the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal.

The only way to change that, she said, is for the government to amend the act to remove the legislative barrier.

McNeil told the committee that when members of the Affordable Energy Coalition previously presented a suggestion for a rate assistance program, it was not Nova Scotia Power that stood in its way, but previous provincial governments.

The province has some of the highest power rates in North America, which "points to the greater need for meaningful access to electricity through rate assistance programs," she said.

The group presented a proposed amendment that would achieve that aim, which New Democrat MLA Claudia Chender put forward. Progressive Conservative MLAs used their majority on the committee to defeat it.

Natural Resources and Renewables Minister Tory Rushton told reporters that he's aware of the concerns voiced during law amendments and he's asked department officials to look into them.

Rushton said it's a topic he wants to see addressed by a new roundtable that will be created as part of the amendments to the act.

The minister said he's not expecting to bring forward any more legislation this sitting, but said more could come during the fall session. He noted that would happen before the hearing for Nova Scotia Power's rate increase application is complete.

"This is pretty serious to ratepayers, [to] all Nova Scotians," said Rushton.

"We want to make sure we cover all the ground for everybody, every Nova Scotian that is going to be impacted by these rates."

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