Manitoba Hydro wants a 7.9 per cent increase for five years running and 4.54 per cent increase in 2024. On top of that, they talk about the pursuit of "additional sales of ‘surplus’ electricity outside of Manitoba." If we have a surplus, why are they asking for these outrageous increases? Why are they "short of cash" needed to fund core operations over the next five years?
I say dump the Keeyask generating station and Bipole III. The market for electricity is down, the availability of cheap natural gas-fired generation, resulting in lower electricity on the short-term opportunity market, as they say, has made this building of the Keeyask and Bipole III "unreasonable" burdens on the people of this province.
Are we on the road to the crisis they have in Ontario, where people’s hydro bills are almost as much as their mortgages? This is our resource, Manitoba’s, which many of us believe should grant us an affordable rate of hydro and perhaps even a bonus cheque once and a while for the sale of hydro power outside the province.
Premier Pallister and the Public Utilities Board: do something! Put people in Hydro management willing to get that company balanced without driving our rates through the roof.