HALIFAX: The N.S. NDP will intervene in energy hearings on behalf of Nova Scotians, its leader Claudia Chender said in a release on Thursday morning Oct. 22.
“The Nova Scotia NDP will be submitting our request to intervene in the Nova Scotia Energy Board’s hearing on securitization on behalf of Nova Scotians.
Thanks to Energy Minister Tim Houston’s abrupt reversal on securitization, Nova Scotians are at risk of being forced to pay the full remaining value of Nova Scotia Power’s stranded coal power assets for the next 30 years.
“This comes after the Minister’s own department said that shareholders should bear this cost in its closing submission to the Energy Board last January.
“Now, instead of following the department’s advice, the Houston government is paving the way for the financial burden to fall on Nova Scotian families and businesses.”
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Chender continued in her statement.
“The PC government’s policies are already costing families on their power bills and this is just the latest in a long line of decisions that make it more expensive for Nova Scotians to heat their homes.
“If this application goes forward, in 2027 alone the rate hike would be 2.9%, on top of existing rate increases, for a total of 6.8%. This will mean that power bills have increased by $650 a year for the average family since this government took office.
“The people of this province don’t deserve yet another price hike when they’re already working hard to heat their homes.
“Since it’s clear that the PC government is not prioritizing fairness for families, New Democrats will be intervening on behalf of the hundreds of thousands of Nova Scotians paying through the nose for unreliable service.”
