Nova Scotia Power customers question rate hike application after outages

A widespread power outage in Dartmouth, Cole Harbour, Eastern Passage, N.S., and surrounding communities Thursday morning was darkness déjà vu for some.

“For the last four weeks there’s been at least one day of the week that we had to close due to a power outage,” said Fernando Lucas, owner of Palladium Family restaurant in Cole Harbour, N.S.

Winter storms have knocked out power across the province lately, but Thursday’s transmission interruption was caused by damaged equipment. This is causing some customers to question why Nova Scotia Power is asking the Utility and Review Board (UARB) to hike rates by 10 per cent over three years.

"If I don’t provide a good service to customers when they come to eat they don’t pay for the meal,” Lucas said.

“Obviously I don’t have service here today and I’m still paying.”

Violette Toulany, a pizza shop employee, wants to know what’s in the UARB application that would benefit customers.

“You are getting that extra money, but are we gonna be having any improvements?" said Toulany.

Liberal MLA for Halifax Atlantic, Brendan Maguire, says the power grid in Nova Scotia is not up to par. He points to how power lines are covered with branches and the all-too-frequent outages.

“Stop worrying about how much money they’re going to make and how much their shareholders are going to make and start providing the essential service which they’re supposed to be doing,” he said.

Claudia Chender, the NDP MLA for Dartmouth South, believes Nova Scotia Power isn’t held accountable and legislation needs to be changed to change that.

“To look at the way the UARB evaluates Nova Scotia’s applications and build in mechanisms where they are actually required with some kind of penalty to deliver what they say they’re going to deliver,” Chender said.

Under the current agreement, Nova Scotia Power is guaranteed a nine per cent rate of return profit. When CTV Anchor Todd Battis asked Premier Tim Houston whether that’s still practical, he said the relationship is under scrutiny right now.

“It’s the time when we’re looking at the relationship between the government and the utility and the government,” Houston said.

Nova Scotia Power’s senior communications advisor, Jacqueline Foster, said the utlity spends about $100 million installing protective devices, upgrading lines, replacing poles and transformers each year.

“This also includes $20 million being invested to clear trees and branches from about 1,000 kilometres of power line each year,” Foster said. “That’s about the same distance as driving from Halifax to Quebec City.”

In regards to its application filed with the UARB, Foster said out of respect for the regulatory process regarding its application, Nova Scotia Power will not be commenting at this time.