The Alberta government is introducing legislation to regulate sizeable surcharges on the power bills of provincial residents.
Utilities Minister Nathan Neudorf tabled a bill April 22 that would ban cities from using variable rates to calculate local access fees on power bills beginning in 2025. Known as Bill 19, it has passed its first reading in the legislature.
“This is a fee municipalities charge to power companies to have their power lines or gas pipelines located within municipal boundaries,” Premier Danielle Smith said during an April 22 news conference. These costs are then passed on to customers in the municipality.Ms. Smith said the bill will impact Calgary the most because it is the only municipality that calculates local access fees with a variable rate, saying in 2023 the city received $200 million from the fees. The money is put into a reserve fund.
