The Cariboo Regional District Board of Directors has passed a resolution stating it’s opposition to the current two-tiered system for electricity rates in B.C.
In making the resolution, the Board says it strongly disagrees with how rural customers living in northern climates are penalized under the current rate system.
As it stands today, the current system is unfair for rural customers in northern climates who have higher rates of electricity use simply due to their geographic location and the harsher realities of winter.
Electricity rates should take into consideration the average electricity consumption for northern climates and customers should not be penalized with high rates for living in a northern climate.
The Board also is concerned that the two-tier electricity rates are a hardship for low-income residents.
BC Hydro and Fortis BC have submitted reports on the impacts of the Residential Inclining Block Rate to the BC Utilities Commission which is now asking for input on those reports.
The CRD Board looked at the reports and says it strongly disagrees with the premises expressed and as a result, the CRD will be submitting a comment to the Commission expressing the concerns and disagreement with those reports.
The CRD Board is also urging residents to read the reports and submit their comments to the BC Utilities Commission.
Residents can provide comments by mail, email or through the Commission’s Letter of Comment Form found online at bcuc.com/Register-Letter-of-Comment.
The deadline for submissions is Thursday, Nov. 24, 2016.
The reports, titled BC Hydro Utility Report and FortisBC Utility Report, can be found on the Commission’s web site .