Manitoba Hydro asking for rate hike now, and years to come

WINNIPEG – Your hydro bill could be on the rise if Manitoba Hydro gets its way.

The crown corporation is pleading its case for a rate hike to the province’s Public Utilities Board this week.

It would like to increase rates 3.95 per cent across the board immediately to bring in an additional $57 million dollars. It has also asked for the same increase to be approved for several years.

“We’re at a critical time,” said Scott Powell, a spokesperson with Manitoba Hydro. “We aren’t being frivolous with our money.”

Powell says Manitoba Hydro is needs to update much of its infrastructure including substations and poles. It is also undergoing a massive expansion of the network including the Bipole III transmission line project and the Keeyask dam.

Combined, the projects are pegged at $10-million but critics say they aren’t needed.

“What they are trying to do is lull us all into sleep,” said Graham Lane, a former chairperson for the Public Utilities Board. “By keeping the rate increases lower, people aren’t getting into absolute anger over the whole exercise.”

The Consumers’ Association of Canada says the increase won’t just stop at your hydro bill.

“It’s not just my bill that goes up for 4 per cent, it’s the cost of everything I buy that includes the store’s electricity,” said Gloria Desorcy with the Consumers’ Association of Canada. “Those extra electricity costs will be passed on to consumers.”

In the coming years, Manitoba Hydro plans to ask the PUB for a 3.95 per cent annual increase through 2024 which accumulates to 42 per cent.

“We feel we can demonstrate these rate increases are not only fair but absolutely necessary,” said Powell.

Winnipeg resident Don Blasko pays $192 per month for Hydro. He says the proposed increase is unacceptable.

“What can you do,” said Blasko. “It’s not like we can go anywhere else.”

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