A power line worker is seen on the Southeast Hill on Nov. 14, 2022.--NEWS FILE PHOTO
cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant
An association of Alberta condo owners says the window is closing to address concerns they were unfairly left out of an inflation-fighting utility payment plan by the province.
Since last spring the government has provided between $50 and $75 directly on to monthly residential power bills to offset record-setting electricity costs, and that program is set to end after $25 payments in March and April.
But, the program is only available for single connections which use less than a certain amount of power, whereas entire condominium complexes often pool usage and payment on a single bill.
Phil Rosenzweig, a director with the Condo Owners Forum Society of Alberta, states in a press release that meetings with Affordability Minister Matt Jones in mid-February were productive, and the problem is under review, but it is unlikely any action could be taken soon.
“Unfortunately, this program will take another one to two months and become an election promise when people require assistance now,” said Rosenzweig, whose group has said tens of thousands of condo owners are being unfairly left out.
Local condo administrators in Medicine Hat raised the issue last spring, with Fairway Village manager Ron Noel telling the News the exception of his members is akin to disenfranchisement.
The province has said it is difficult to confirm how many accounts might be affected.
Utility rates fall
Default power and gas prices in Medicine Hat will fall in March as prices across the province fall.
This month the city utility department announced it would revert to a previous formula of averaging out-of-town rates to determine the local price of natural gas. That will see the Medicine Hat default rate fall to $2.54 per gigajoule in March.
That’s less than half the $5.22 rate in February when the local formula considered a four-month rolling average of prices on the Alberta market.
The default power rate, which remained as the “averaging formula” when gas was changed Jan. 1, falls to 20.1-cents per kilowatt hour, though a provincial cap of 13.5 cents is in effect.
The bare rate in February was a record 31.9 cents in Medicine Hat.
Most Medicine Hat utility customers have fixed-rate contracts, the current rates for which are $6.61 for gas and 17.6-cents for power, though a majority carried 2022 power price of 8 cents into 2023.
Variable price term contracts are also available.
Market default rates across the province ranged from 18.7 cents from Enmax to 21.9 cents from Direct Energy.
Comparable gas default rates were $2.22 from Direct and $2.54 from Apex Utilities.
