Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston is calling on Nova Scotia Power to kibosh its plans for a healthy increase in power prices over the next two years.
The utility reached a tentative agreement with customer representatives that could see residential electricity rates rise by 8.2 per cent over the next two years.
Nova Scotia Power issued a statement Tuesday saying the proposal is subject to approval from the independent Nova Scotia Energy Board.
The move by the province has irked political leaders from the province, including Houston.
“Time and time again, Nova Scotia Power shows Nova Scotians how out of touch they are,” Houston said in a statement.
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“This is not the time for a rate increase. This is a time for Nova Scotia Power to show they understand Nova Scotians and withdraw or significantly reduce their application.”
Earlier this year, it was revealed that Nova Scotia Power had been the victim of a massive cybersecurity attack that affected more than half of the utilities’ 525,000 customers.
Houston pointed to the incident as a reason to question the timing of the potential rate hike.
“After overseeing one of the largest data breaches in our province’s history, asking Nova Scotians to pay more should not be the utility’s first move,” he said.
Opposition Leader Claudia Chender described the move by Nova Scotia Power as “almost unbelievable.”
“The news that Nova Scotia Power is applying for another huge increase to power rates is almost unbelievable to Nova Scotian families who are already paying some of the highest energy costs in the country,” the NDP leader stated.
She also blamed the Houston government for not doing enough to stop rising power rates in the province.
“People’s power bills have gone up by hundreds of dollars a year since 2021,” Chendler said.
“This is an essential cost for Nova Scotians–not a luxury that people can choose to do without.”
— with files from The Canadian Press
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