Here’s an update on the 2-Tier system fight. We now have 535 signatures on our petition but need to get many, many more. It’s great though…people have been sharing and we have signatures from all over the province including the Island and far north as Horsefly.
We are very lucky to have hooked up with Nicholas Swart who is very knowledgeable and has been fighting the same battle in the Kelowna area. We are now a team.
Nick Marty and Mark McKenney have been able to arrange a teleconference with Minister Bennett and MLA Linda Larson on April 14, 2015. We are definitely getting their attention!
We’ve also had lots of signatures from BC Hydro customers because they face the same issues but their tiers are somewhat different.
Below is Nick’s update which is posted on our petition. If you go the petition you will get links to his presentation as well as templates for letters you can sent to various government officials.
If you haven’t done so already, please consider signing the petition and forwarding it to others facing the same discrimination in BC. http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/bcuc-must-end-its-discriminatory-electricity-pricing-against-rural-customers.html In order to make our petition viable, we need thousands of signatures. I challenge each one of you to get 10 signatures and ask each of them to also ask for 10 more.
BC residents fought against the HST and won. We can do this!
Recent local articles:
http://www.boundarycreektimes.com/news/297042701.html
http://www.osoyoostimes.com/energy-minister-to-hear-concerns-about-electricity-rates/
Should also be available Monday morning on: http://oliverdailynews.com/
Best regards,
Patti
UPDATE:
On February 2nd, 2015, Nicholas Swart of Kelowna met with MLAs Thomson and Letnick, as well as Ms. Becky Harmata, assistant to Premier Clark, to outline his concerns with the two-tier rate structure. He gave them a presentation explaining the flaws in the current two-tier rate structure. In his presentation he provided them with comparisons of actual Fortis bills that illustrated why the pricing structure is unfair. MLAs Thomson and Letnick indicated that they had received complaints from many other constituents on this matter over a long period, and that they would be meeting with Minister Bennett in the near future to discuss the issue with him.
On February 13, 2015, Nick Marty and Mark McKenney engaged in a telephone conference call with officials at the Ministry of Energy & Mines on the subject on unfair electricity rates. Nick’s presentation to them is attached.can be viewed HERE Further to this call, a telephone conference call with Minister Bennett and MLA Linda Larson has been scheduled for April 14, 2015.
On March 14, 2015 Nick and Mark met with residents of Midway, many of whom are suffering similar financial hardships as residents of rural Osoyoos as a result of discriminatory electricity pricing. Nick took them through the presentation that he had previously made to the Ministry of Energy.
Between now and April 14th, it is important that residents continue to put pressure on the Government to revise the so-called Residential Conservation Rate which essentially “taxes” those residents who use electricity for space and water heating (primarily rural residents) with the proceeds being used to subsidize the electricity rates of those using natural gas to heat their homes. This means signing or encouraging others, anywhere in the Province, to sign the petition at http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/bcuc-must-end-its-discriminatory-electricity-pricing-against-rural-customers.html