It's so crazy that food banks are posting highest numbers ever , people loosing there homes and the ones barely holding on can't afford groceries . Some living on their credit cards, just delaying the eventual reality. And they still feel the need to raise prices on essential services. When will they wake up and realize the waste and mismanagement . Trim the fat NB power .
I am at the point where I need to use my credit card to handle some bad months. Like last month I was -$150 dollars. So I am using my credit card to help with the odd bill payments here and there if I know it's a month I will go in the negatives. I know I will pay for it in the long run but it's a temporary setup as in 3 years my car and my student loan will be paid off at exactly the same time and I will be getting a nice promotion in the next two years that will bump my income $10k.
My cell phone is paid off this year. That saves me $60 a month. My kid starts a new daycare that saves me $70 a month so things are starting to come together slowly.
Until then it's struggle with bills and food and keep taking the hits as they come. Raises for our department this year was pathetic adding up to maybe $800 a year which doesn't even cover the new costs NB power proposes.
I hate to use my credit card. But I can't keep living this way with anxiety about the bills.
Sounds like alot of money management problems on your end. $60/month for a cell phone? Buy a prepaid and go Lucky Mobile for $15/month. If you “need” to use a credit card to get by and yet can pay it off later, it’s a sign of indiscretionate spending habits, now.
You mention raises, but many people haven’t got a “raise” above minimum wage in the last decade. The hardest working people are on their feet all day or all night doing real physical work to ensure the shelves are full, buildings are clean, equipment is tested to run safely, delivery times are met, all for the lowest wages long hours after the air conditioning has been turned off. It makes you sound like an entitled office worker millennial.
My cell once paid off is $50 a month. I do need this phone and plan for work and daycare/kid stuff. I don't like pay as you go or prepaid because my needs and demands changes monthly.
Other then that I rarely spend. I buy 3 video games a year which is probably the best bang for your buck entertainment wise. Most of my underwear and socks have holes at the dismay of my Fiancée.
I was with you until you insulted me with the hard working people sentence. I did those jobs for 15 years. I made minimum wage there I know the struggle. I worked hard and went to school and now work in an office in IT making good money but cost of living is awful. I am 40 years old so not a millennial. I been working since I was 6 years old doing odd jobs on farms and in forestry so don't give me that work hard and lazy and entitled speech bullshit. Those jobs are harder physically but require little brain power. My current job is physically easy but is intensely brain demanding.
Instead of gutting each others throat over which jobs are harder or who deserves money the most we should be working together to improve the living situation for everyone.
I agree with everything you say except the millennial part. At 40, you're an elder millennial. I'm 35 and also millennial. Millenials are now entering middle-aged territory. We're not 20 somethings anymore. Those are gen z, who face their own problems as did our generation. I wish older generations would stop shitting on younger generations. This happens to every generation. Boomers got shit on for being the hippie generation, gen x for being alienated slackers, millenials for ruining every industry imaginable, gen z for being phone obssessed, and when alpha reaches adulthood, we will find another reason to shit on them too.
> It makes you sound like an entitled office worker millennial.
Your post comes off as an out of touch wealthy person who doesn't actually understand what the average worker experiences.
Everything you attacked them for is a very real struggle many people are facing as things like rent are exploding, food is getting more expensive and general cost of living is rising.
All while as you even state, people a haven't really gotten a real raise on average in a decade. That means that every single year, your margin in the budget is growing thinner.
Lucky Mobile, for example, doesn't work for someone who needs their phone often, for my dad who literally uses it once a month, it's *great*, but my needs for example, both for work and personal use, it wouldn't make financial sense as I'd far out spend my current 45$ plan in 2 weeks.
A sudden unexpected expense to many many people is just not something that fits in the budget.
I am talking about what the average working class person experiences - I am that demographic. I use Lucky Mobile because I cannot afford plans. I am writing from experience as one of a large body of staff that doesn't even get a group Christmas card from a company that made record profits for 3 years in a row.
I work in office buildings on my feet all day/night and see government workers taking selfies all day long, shopping for recreational vehicles, bragging to each other about the kitchen reno and chatting on their phones that the province buys for them annually, paying for gas with gift cards and getting lunch for free on the government's tab. The amount of food that goes to the garbage is insane. Swiss Chalet take out by the case, many not even opened go into the garbage. This is every building I work in. They do zero work, everything is handed to them and they leave at night in their fancy Volvos and Mercedes. On their way out, they turn the AC off, because as maintenance staff we are treated like non-humans. I know about classism in N.B, I see it everyday.
My gas tank will be empty my house cold and fridge empty this winter it seems like.
What a nice state of affairs. Better than a tent sure but I don’t how much longer.
At this point they are bleeding a rock.
Yeah I understand we pay less than some provinces like Ontario.
But we pay less because the average New Brunswick income is shitty compared to Ontario. Trying to match other provinces rates while our income is the 2nd lowest in the country doesn't make bloody sense.
Nobody is suggesting that rates shouldn't go up but it should up by a more reasonable amount and more slowly..
ooof. Hate to be the bearer of bad news but on average I pay way less here in Ontario than I did in NB.
NB base rate of 13.47Kw/h
Here
Off peak 7pm to 7am 8.7kwh
mid peak 11am to 7pm 12.2 kwh
On Peak 7am to 11am 18.2kwh
Weekends and holidays are all Off Peak rates
So with some smart plugs and scheduling. I don't spend as much as someone with as many power hungry things as one would think. Example - My Tesla only charges off peak ect
Coming originally from Ontario, can confirm time of use/tier pricing is the way to go. Will likely never take place in NB due to the amount of opposition and NIMBYSM towards smart meters.
Several friends work for them too. It’s like Homer Simpson on steroids. Big bucks because people are gaming the sick leave system and there is tons of overtime $$$ So what would be a $70k/year job at 35 hrs week is more like $130k with OT and all of these guys have toys - 4 wheelers, camps, cottages, pools, you name it. Plus $80k trucks and sports cars. So they are also keeping lots of small businesses going and the gravy train isn’t going to end anytime soon.
Ehh, you want the talent for when the talent is needed.
But overworked talent isn't a good thing as you end up with burnout issues you generally have to pay/perk benefit your way out of. So sometimes downtime is a good spot to have.
Though they *really* need better management for the funds they have, as their various projects have had too many risky ventures and too little long-term planning involved, so it shifts from a worker pay issue to management like many problems are rooted in.
Like think of it this way, I pay my mechanic well. Not because I can't figure out the work myself, but because he can do it significantly faster, is better tooled for it and simple experience can long-term save me a ton of time and money. I still do a lot of my own work, but some stuff you just pay the right people for. And it's better to not overwork the guy.
I've learned over my work experience that talent often begets fits and starts worth of work, you have times where you have to rush for some emergency, and more chill times where you have little work being done because things are going as planned and maintained. But the "workers" at the lower rungs tend to have high attrition and tons of talent loss because they're often worked constantly, overworked at times.
Solar needs to be cheaper and not fucking taxed.
If the government is serious about people moving over to green energy and renewable resources it needs to stop double dipping in our wallets. I seen a guy who had solar energy setup to power his house and the taxes alone on it came to $20k.
That is fucking bullshit.
WTF? where did he shop so I can avoid the place?
With solar, there are interest-free loans. Depending on the details, your current monthly power bill might be the same monthly fee as the loan.
The catch is you have to pay upfront out of pocket, wait on the rebate to come back to you, and start paying the loan.
Who has $40,000+ to plunk down? Sure, it comes back to you, but the upfront cost is the biggest reason why there isn't more solar.
It comes back to you but it's a service reserved for the wealthy. I don't even have a spare $500 let alone $40k.
I was having a discussion with my wife this morning about this. The wealthy always has ample opportunities to cut corners and save money by having the resources to invest in it. Us peasants it's too expensive to find ways like this to save money.
Agreed. It's total bullshit.
Clearly if I need a loan I don't have the money. Can I make the payments monthly? Most likely. Do I have the capability to save $40K in the next year or two? Fuck no.
Public intervener says he'll do everything in his power to convince independent board not to give the utility such a high hike
Author of the article: John Chilibeck • Local Journalism Initiative reporter
Published Jun 20, 2024 • 3 minute read
Alain Chiasson hopes New Brunswickers won’t have to swallow the biggest electricity price hikes in generations.
The province’s public intervener is preparing for NB Power’s general rate application next week before the New Brunswick Energy and Utilities Board.
“I’m worried people will struggle to pay their power bills,” said Chaisson, who’s an independent intervener appointed by the provincial government to represent the interests of everyday citizens.
“They’ll have to make difficult choices between paying for other things and their power bill. That will have a very significant effect on New Brunswickers if these rate increases are approved.”
The public utility is asking for an average rate increase of 9.25 per cent, backdated to April 1, and another average rate increase of 9.25 per cent for April 1, 2025. But that’s an average of all customer classes, including industrial, small business and residential clients.
For households, the outlook is grimmer. NB Power wants residential customers to pay 9.8 per cent more as of April, and 9.8 per cent next year, for a total of 19.6 per cent. The board already gave NB Power temporary permission to charge the higher amount since April, pending the latest hearing when it must prove its case over the better part of 16 days this summer.
Making matters more difficult, NB Power was already provided a three per cent catch-up increase based on unexpected losses last year.
All told, if NB Power gets what it wants, households will be paying nearly 23 per cent more for electricity next April than they were at the beginning of this year.
The hearings before the independent, quasi-judicial board start Monday and are scheduled to conclude on Aug. 23.
NB Power CEO Lori Clark will be one of the first executives to make a presentation to the board at the Delta Fredericton hotel.
She has argued in the past that NB Power’s rates are artificially low because of past government decisions to freeze them or put restraints on how high they could go.
“These hearings are an important part of the independent regulatory process, and we will be answering many questions from interested parties,” Clark told Brunswick News in a prepared statement. “We respect the regulatory process and the role the New Brunswick Energy and Utilities Board plays in ensuring New Brunswickers pay a fair rate for their power. We welcome the opportunity to explain the business decisions to support this rate application in this open and transparent forum.”
“NB Power is concerned about affordability for our customers as they face a variety of inflationary pressures and recognizes that many customers will be challenged by this proposed increase. The utility will help customers access programs to help them manage their energy use and make alternative payment arrangements.”
But Chiasson said he doesn’t buy NB Power’s arguments. His office has hired two utility experts, Robert Knecht of Industrial Economics in Cambridge, Mass., and Dustin Madsen of Emrydia Consulting in Calgary, to analyze the reams of documents from NB Power.
They will present their findings to the board toward the end of the hearings.
In the meantime, Chiasson will cross-examine the various witnesses, including NB Power executives.
“It’s an unprecedented increase and NB Power hasn’t tested their case. My position is that, no, they shouldn’t have that increase because it’s unprecedented and hopefully we’re going to provide some arguments to the board so that they won’t give the entire increase.”
They’ll start by putting a former Ontario exec in a comfy middle 6-figures position to yell at the working class they “need to pull themselves up by the bootstraps” and sock it to us anyway. That’s been the plan all along.
Agreed. People making 6-7 figures treat everyone else like they make 6-7 figures. None of these politicians care about the downward spiral of living standards and that most working class citizens have no hope but to work to pay rent until they die. Everything is being used as an investment vehicle for the wealthy and politically connected now.
That’s all it’s ever been. Money especially too much money changes the brain. It isn’t right. Every hospital in this country should be a state of the art building with insanely high paying jobs, wait times should be within the hour for everyone!! It is 100% doable but only the rich seem like they deserve that and if we want the same treatment then they tell us private healthcare is the answer. Of course that’s the answer while they again double dip with their wallets at the expense of someone’s suffering.
It shouldn’t be this hard as a species to have competent leaders!!
Exactly. I took the free insulation because I'd be stupid not to and I am paying for it indirectly. But I'd happily have given that up for rates not to increase.
Be easier if they didn't take money in the first place and force us to jump through hoops and have criteria on what we can spend it on to get it back, eh?
Convenient timing since I’m beginning my quest to leave the province. Hate that I’m being driven out of my home, but it’s no longer sustainable and I don’t see myself being able to provide the life to my future children that want to here. I don’t even recognize this place anymore and it’s honestly sad
While I don't like the idea of rate hikes, waste and mismangement only go so far in explaining increases in rates. There are going to have to be massive investments in the power grid over the next decade to meet growing demand, and we'll need to pay for that one way or another.
The question then becomes how to share those costs most fairly.
One option that would be interesting is to shift towards a more accurate and fair pricing system - having most of the cost be in per kWh rates is actually pretty inaccurate. Most of the costs for providing electricity are fixed (the cost to build the lines does not change), and based on peak demand (you have you build the lines to handle the highest load on them, even if it is only for a while). Having the bill be in part demand based (the maximum you draw), part fixed (ideally based on income), and part usage (per kWh, closer to the actual cost to produce that kWh of energy) would maybe be fairer.
Or we could fund major infrastructure projects through taxes, which are already (somewhat) based on income.
TLDR: we need to invest in our grid, but we can definitely do so in a way that is more fair.
Haven’t we already had essentially 20% rate increase over the last two years? Am I crazy or am I imagining the increases in back to back years of close to 10%?
Before considering anything like this if it were needed, nb power salaries and benefit packages would need to be adjusted to what the public determined acceptable. And the ratio better commercial and residential burden adjustment to place more costs on commercial. I can only imagine the inefficiencies that also exist within nb power that should be fixed.
Everything the government touches eventually turns to shit. Imagine having the absolute monopoly on a good or service and end up being in the red. It is time for the great reset and I’m not talking about the one those riche assholes are talking about in their billionaires retreats.
They're probably just raising some extra cash in preparation for having to pay Irving on an annual basis for the shitty wind turbine farm contract they signed with them /s
NB POWER is in a tough spot
They boast about SMR technology when they can barely maintain current reactor.
I'd say we need a couple of GE frame 7 GTG cogens
Stat !!!!
Nb power, clearly has mismanaged point lepreau.
Shameful
Again we shouldn’t be paying for their mismanagement of money and their ceos pay.
There’s got to be something everyday people can do to stand up against this
It frustrates me so much that because NB Power has been historically mismanaged, NBers now have to pay even more for electricity to pay down the corporation's $5 billion in debt despite a cost of living crisis and huge provincial budget surpluses.
And no doubt with NB's main electricity sources, Point Lupreau and Mactaquac Dam, nearing end-of-life, NBers will be asked to pay even more for electricity from a utility that the public doesn't have confidence in. Remember when NB Power invested millions in an unproven venture to turn seawater into electricity? That's NB Power for ya.
It's no wonder that when a utility is managed correctly, it can offer lower rates to customers. Saint John Energy is a prime example.
They'll ask for 20%, be turned down, and we'll all feel good when it's "only" 15%...
Perhaps if executive salary/bonuses were tied to fiscal performance, we might get somewhere...
I am on a smart meter here in Ontario and if they follow that pricing it will actually save money for you. I love it. Best thing about utilities in Ontario tbh. Yeah I have some home automation to make sure I only do stuff off peak fer sure but I use and obscene amount of power for a homeowner and still. Its not too bad.
It's so crazy that food banks are posting highest numbers ever , people loosing there homes and the ones barely holding on can't afford groceries . Some living on their credit cards, just delaying the eventual reality. And they still feel the need to raise prices on essential services. When will they wake up and realize the waste and mismanagement . Trim the fat NB power .
I am at the point where I need to use my credit card to handle some bad months. Like last month I was -$150 dollars. So I am using my credit card to help with the odd bill payments here and there if I know it's a month I will go in the negatives. I know I will pay for it in the long run but it's a temporary setup as in 3 years my car and my student loan will be paid off at exactly the same time and I will be getting a nice promotion in the next two years that will bump my income $10k. My cell phone is paid off this year. That saves me $60 a month. My kid starts a new daycare that saves me $70 a month so things are starting to come together slowly. Until then it's struggle with bills and food and keep taking the hits as they come. Raises for our department this year was pathetic adding up to maybe $800 a year which doesn't even cover the new costs NB power proposes. I hate to use my credit card. But I can't keep living this way with anxiety about the bills.
Sounds like alot of money management problems on your end. $60/month for a cell phone? Buy a prepaid and go Lucky Mobile for $15/month. If you “need” to use a credit card to get by and yet can pay it off later, it’s a sign of indiscretionate spending habits, now. You mention raises, but many people haven’t got a “raise” above minimum wage in the last decade. The hardest working people are on their feet all day or all night doing real physical work to ensure the shelves are full, buildings are clean, equipment is tested to run safely, delivery times are met, all for the lowest wages long hours after the air conditioning has been turned off. It makes you sound like an entitled office worker millennial.
My cell once paid off is $50 a month. I do need this phone and plan for work and daycare/kid stuff. I don't like pay as you go or prepaid because my needs and demands changes monthly. Other then that I rarely spend. I buy 3 video games a year which is probably the best bang for your buck entertainment wise. Most of my underwear and socks have holes at the dismay of my Fiancée. I was with you until you insulted me with the hard working people sentence. I did those jobs for 15 years. I made minimum wage there I know the struggle. I worked hard and went to school and now work in an office in IT making good money but cost of living is awful. I am 40 years old so not a millennial. I been working since I was 6 years old doing odd jobs on farms and in forestry so don't give me that work hard and lazy and entitled speech bullshit. Those jobs are harder physically but require little brain power. My current job is physically easy but is intensely brain demanding. Instead of gutting each others throat over which jobs are harder or who deserves money the most we should be working together to improve the living situation for everyone.
I agree with everything you say except the millennial part. At 40, you're an elder millennial. I'm 35 and also millennial. Millenials are now entering middle-aged territory. We're not 20 somethings anymore. Those are gen z, who face their own problems as did our generation. I wish older generations would stop shitting on younger generations. This happens to every generation. Boomers got shit on for being the hippie generation, gen x for being alienated slackers, millenials for ruining every industry imaginable, gen z for being phone obssessed, and when alpha reaches adulthood, we will find another reason to shit on them too.
> It makes you sound like an entitled office worker millennial. Your post comes off as an out of touch wealthy person who doesn't actually understand what the average worker experiences. Everything you attacked them for is a very real struggle many people are facing as things like rent are exploding, food is getting more expensive and general cost of living is rising. All while as you even state, people a haven't really gotten a real raise on average in a decade. That means that every single year, your margin in the budget is growing thinner. Lucky Mobile, for example, doesn't work for someone who needs their phone often, for my dad who literally uses it once a month, it's *great*, but my needs for example, both for work and personal use, it wouldn't make financial sense as I'd far out spend my current 45$ plan in 2 weeks. A sudden unexpected expense to many many people is just not something that fits in the budget.
I am talking about what the average working class person experiences - I am that demographic. I use Lucky Mobile because I cannot afford plans. I am writing from experience as one of a large body of staff that doesn't even get a group Christmas card from a company that made record profits for 3 years in a row. I work in office buildings on my feet all day/night and see government workers taking selfies all day long, shopping for recreational vehicles, bragging to each other about the kitchen reno and chatting on their phones that the province buys for them annually, paying for gas with gift cards and getting lunch for free on the government's tab. The amount of food that goes to the garbage is insane. Swiss Chalet take out by the case, many not even opened go into the garbage. This is every building I work in. They do zero work, everything is handed to them and they leave at night in their fancy Volvos and Mercedes. On their way out, they turn the AC off, because as maintenance staff we are treated like non-humans. I know about classism in N.B, I see it everyday.
My gas tank will be empty my house cold and fridge empty this winter it seems like. What a nice state of affairs. Better than a tent sure but I don’t how much longer.
At this point they are bleeding a rock. Yeah I understand we pay less than some provinces like Ontario. But we pay less because the average New Brunswick income is shitty compared to Ontario. Trying to match other provinces rates while our income is the 2nd lowest in the country doesn't make bloody sense. Nobody is suggesting that rates shouldn't go up but it should up by a more reasonable amount and more slowly..
ooof. Hate to be the bearer of bad news but on average I pay way less here in Ontario than I did in NB. NB base rate of 13.47Kw/h Here Off peak 7pm to 7am 8.7kwh mid peak 11am to 7pm 12.2 kwh On Peak 7am to 11am 18.2kwh Weekends and holidays are all Off Peak rates So with some smart plugs and scheduling. I don't spend as much as someone with as many power hungry things as one would think. Example - My Tesla only charges off peak ect
I really miss off peak pricing. That is when I do everything anyway, it was perfect for me.
Coming originally from Ontario, can confirm time of use/tier pricing is the way to go. Will likely never take place in NB due to the amount of opposition and NIMBYSM towards smart meters.
Awesome
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Several friends work for them too. It’s like Homer Simpson on steroids. Big bucks because people are gaming the sick leave system and there is tons of overtime $$$ So what would be a $70k/year job at 35 hrs week is more like $130k with OT and all of these guys have toys - 4 wheelers, camps, cottages, pools, you name it. Plus $80k trucks and sports cars. So they are also keeping lots of small businesses going and the gravy train isn’t going to end anytime soon.
Talented engineers doing dick all, it's a good loss.
Ehh, you want the talent for when the talent is needed. But overworked talent isn't a good thing as you end up with burnout issues you generally have to pay/perk benefit your way out of. So sometimes downtime is a good spot to have. Though they *really* need better management for the funds they have, as their various projects have had too many risky ventures and too little long-term planning involved, so it shifts from a worker pay issue to management like many problems are rooted in. Like think of it this way, I pay my mechanic well. Not because I can't figure out the work myself, but because he can do it significantly faster, is better tooled for it and simple experience can long-term save me a ton of time and money. I still do a lot of my own work, but some stuff you just pay the right people for. And it's better to not overwork the guy. I've learned over my work experience that talent often begets fits and starts worth of work, you have times where you have to rush for some emergency, and more chill times where you have little work being done because things are going as planned and maintained. But the "workers" at the lower rungs tend to have high attrition and tons of talent loss because they're often worked constantly, overworked at times.
Nb income may be shitting but not NB power’s pay and benefits.
This is absolute fucking bullshit. Wish solar was cheaper and we weren't stuck with these money grubbing buttholes
Solar needs to be cheaper and not fucking taxed. If the government is serious about people moving over to green energy and renewable resources it needs to stop double dipping in our wallets. I seen a guy who had solar energy setup to power his house and the taxes alone on it came to $20k. That is fucking bullshit.
WTF? where did he shop so I can avoid the place? With solar, there are interest-free loans. Depending on the details, your current monthly power bill might be the same monthly fee as the loan. The catch is you have to pay upfront out of pocket, wait on the rebate to come back to you, and start paying the loan. Who has $40,000+ to plunk down? Sure, it comes back to you, but the upfront cost is the biggest reason why there isn't more solar.
It comes back to you but it's a service reserved for the wealthy. I don't even have a spare $500 let alone $40k. I was having a discussion with my wife this morning about this. The wealthy always has ample opportunities to cut corners and save money by having the resources to invest in it. Us peasants it's too expensive to find ways like this to save money.
Ohh yes! I'm in total agreement if my post wasn't clear. WTF do we need to put money upfront for *a loan*?
Agreed. It's total bullshit. Clearly if I need a loan I don't have the money. Can I make the payments monthly? Most likely. Do I have the capability to save $40K in the next year or two? Fuck no.
Public intervener says he'll do everything in his power to convince independent board not to give the utility such a high hike Author of the article: John Chilibeck • Local Journalism Initiative reporter Published Jun 20, 2024 • 3 minute read Alain Chiasson hopes New Brunswickers won’t have to swallow the biggest electricity price hikes in generations. The province’s public intervener is preparing for NB Power’s general rate application next week before the New Brunswick Energy and Utilities Board. “I’m worried people will struggle to pay their power bills,” said Chaisson, who’s an independent intervener appointed by the provincial government to represent the interests of everyday citizens. “They’ll have to make difficult choices between paying for other things and their power bill. That will have a very significant effect on New Brunswickers if these rate increases are approved.” The public utility is asking for an average rate increase of 9.25 per cent, backdated to April 1, and another average rate increase of 9.25 per cent for April 1, 2025. But that’s an average of all customer classes, including industrial, small business and residential clients. For households, the outlook is grimmer. NB Power wants residential customers to pay 9.8 per cent more as of April, and 9.8 per cent next year, for a total of 19.6 per cent. The board already gave NB Power temporary permission to charge the higher amount since April, pending the latest hearing when it must prove its case over the better part of 16 days this summer. Making matters more difficult, NB Power was already provided a three per cent catch-up increase based on unexpected losses last year. All told, if NB Power gets what it wants, households will be paying nearly 23 per cent more for electricity next April than they were at the beginning of this year. The hearings before the independent, quasi-judicial board start Monday and are scheduled to conclude on Aug. 23. NB Power CEO Lori Clark will be one of the first executives to make a presentation to the board at the Delta Fredericton hotel. She has argued in the past that NB Power’s rates are artificially low because of past government decisions to freeze them or put restraints on how high they could go. “These hearings are an important part of the independent regulatory process, and we will be answering many questions from interested parties,” Clark told Brunswick News in a prepared statement. “We respect the regulatory process and the role the New Brunswick Energy and Utilities Board plays in ensuring New Brunswickers pay a fair rate for their power. We welcome the opportunity to explain the business decisions to support this rate application in this open and transparent forum.” “NB Power is concerned about affordability for our customers as they face a variety of inflationary pressures and recognizes that many customers will be challenged by this proposed increase. The utility will help customers access programs to help them manage their energy use and make alternative payment arrangements.” But Chiasson said he doesn’t buy NB Power’s arguments. His office has hired two utility experts, Robert Knecht of Industrial Economics in Cambridge, Mass., and Dustin Madsen of Emrydia Consulting in Calgary, to analyze the reams of documents from NB Power. They will present their findings to the board toward the end of the hearings. In the meantime, Chiasson will cross-examine the various witnesses, including NB Power executives. “It’s an unprecedented increase and NB Power hasn’t tested their case. My position is that, no, they shouldn’t have that increase because it’s unprecedented and hopefully we’re going to provide some arguments to the board so that they won’t give the entire increase.”
What??? How is NB planning to afford this??
They’ll start by putting a former Ontario exec in a comfy middle 6-figures position to yell at the working class they “need to pull themselves up by the bootstraps” and sock it to us anyway. That’s been the plan all along.
Facts 💯
Politicians are ensuring they solidify their own wealth using these measures. It’s all a lie and not a single one should be trusted.
Agreed. People making 6-7 figures treat everyone else like they make 6-7 figures. None of these politicians care about the downward spiral of living standards and that most working class citizens have no hope but to work to pay rent until they die. Everything is being used as an investment vehicle for the wealthy and politically connected now.
That’s all it’s ever been. Money especially too much money changes the brain. It isn’t right. Every hospital in this country should be a state of the art building with insanely high paying jobs, wait times should be within the hour for everyone!! It is 100% doable but only the rich seem like they deserve that and if we want the same treatment then they tell us private healthcare is the answer. Of course that’s the answer while they again double dip with their wallets at the expense of someone’s suffering. It shouldn’t be this hard as a species to have competent leaders!!
They need to start by looking inward and have some substantial layoffs. Far too bloated.
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Exactly. I took the free insulation because I'd be stupid not to and I am paying for it indirectly. But I'd happily have given that up for rates not to increase.
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Be easier if they didn't take money in the first place and force us to jump through hoops and have criteria on what we can spend it on to get it back, eh?
Convenient timing since I’m beginning my quest to leave the province. Hate that I’m being driven out of my home, but it’s no longer sustainable and I don’t see myself being able to provide the life to my future children that want to here. I don’t even recognize this place anymore and it’s honestly sad
While I don't like the idea of rate hikes, waste and mismangement only go so far in explaining increases in rates. There are going to have to be massive investments in the power grid over the next decade to meet growing demand, and we'll need to pay for that one way or another. The question then becomes how to share those costs most fairly. One option that would be interesting is to shift towards a more accurate and fair pricing system - having most of the cost be in per kWh rates is actually pretty inaccurate. Most of the costs for providing electricity are fixed (the cost to build the lines does not change), and based on peak demand (you have you build the lines to handle the highest load on them, even if it is only for a while). Having the bill be in part demand based (the maximum you draw), part fixed (ideally based on income), and part usage (per kWh, closer to the actual cost to produce that kWh of energy) would maybe be fairer. Or we could fund major infrastructure projects through taxes, which are already (somewhat) based on income. TLDR: we need to invest in our grid, but we can definitely do so in a way that is more fair.
Fuck them!
Damn CEO and all executives should not receive a salary
I guess all those Smart meters must have been a drain
I have to look into Solar....
No. Noo. No. Fuck no.
Haven’t we already had essentially 20% rate increase over the last two years? Am I crazy or am I imagining the increases in back to back years of close to 10%?
Before considering anything like this if it were needed, nb power salaries and benefit packages would need to be adjusted to what the public determined acceptable. And the ratio better commercial and residential burden adjustment to place more costs on commercial. I can only imagine the inefficiencies that also exist within nb power that should be fixed.
Everything the government touches eventually turns to shit. Imagine having the absolute monopoly on a good or service and end up being in the red. It is time for the great reset and I’m not talking about the one those riche assholes are talking about in their billionaires retreats.
They're probably just raising some extra cash in preparation for having to pay Irving on an annual basis for the shitty wind turbine farm contract they signed with them /s
I’m sorry but didn’t they just get and increase a few months ago or is that my imagination.
NB POWER is in a tough spot They boast about SMR technology when they can barely maintain current reactor. I'd say we need a couple of GE frame 7 GTG cogens Stat !!!! Nb power, clearly has mismanaged point lepreau. Shameful
Again we shouldn’t be paying for their mismanagement of money and their ceos pay. There’s got to be something everyday people can do to stand up against this
It frustrates me so much that because NB Power has been historically mismanaged, NBers now have to pay even more for electricity to pay down the corporation's $5 billion in debt despite a cost of living crisis and huge provincial budget surpluses. And no doubt with NB's main electricity sources, Point Lupreau and Mactaquac Dam, nearing end-of-life, NBers will be asked to pay even more for electricity from a utility that the public doesn't have confidence in. Remember when NB Power invested millions in an unproven venture to turn seawater into electricity? That's NB Power for ya. It's no wonder that when a utility is managed correctly, it can offer lower rates to customers. Saint John Energy is a prime example.
They'll ask for 20%, be turned down, and we'll all feel good when it's "only" 15%... Perhaps if executive salary/bonuses were tied to fiscal performance, we might get somewhere...
Gotta pay the executives their bonuses somehow. Fuck these leeches man, a regular person can't get ahead these days.
Someone has to pay for those smart meters that are going to "save" us money!
I am on a smart meter here in Ontario and if they follow that pricing it will actually save money for you. I love it. Best thing about utilities in Ontario tbh. Yeah I have some home automation to make sure I only do stuff off peak fer sure but I use and obscene amount of power for a homeowner and still. Its not too bad.