LETHBRIDGE, AB – You’re going to have to pay a little bit more on your city electricity bills and you can thank the province for that.
City Council passed a bylaw this week to allow for the collection of deferred utility bills.
The Alberta Government created a utility deferral program in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in order to help customers who had trouble paying their electric bills.
The problem is, not all people on that deferral program paid back what they owed and now the outstanding amount has to be collected by having everyone across the province pay a tad more, regardless of whether you deferred payments or not.
A so-called “rider” is being added to all Lethbridge utility bills until June 2022 which will add roughly 30 cents a month to your power bill on average.
It was noted the city doesn’t have any other options regarding this, but to comply with the province.
Back in July the province’s Associate Minister of Natural Gas and Electricity, Dale Nally issued a statement saying this fall, Alberta utility rate payers would see a small and temporary ‘Utility Deferral Adjustment’ rate rider on their electricity and natural gas bills. “Average household consumers are expected to be charged a fraction of a dollar on electricity and natural gas bills for a few months”.
