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Rate hikes unfair

All the diplomas in the world will not take the place of common sense and decency

I have written many times regarding the underhanded and dictatorial methods of Fortis and their obscene rate hikes, but we are supposed to be protected by our highly paid members of the British Columbia Public Utilities Commission, and in my humble opinion the BCPUC has failed miserably.

As private citizens we have no authority over Fortis and this is precisely why we have a public utilities commission in place, but instead of protecting the public they have played right into the hands of Fortis. They gave Fortis the mandate of finding a way of conserving electrical energy and this was like handing a child the keys to the candy store.

In the meantime they must also produce a way that would not only decrease usage but increase profit for the store. The solution was the two-block system that might decrease consumption for a few, but those that do not have the protection of having an alternative form of energy must compensate for the loss to Fortis that Block One will generate. This is Block Two.

The theory behind all this might seem reasonable, but the end results are totally different. Everyone is confronted with an enormous rate hike, but it is somewhat hidden in the fancy footwork presented by Fortis to our highly educated but apparently ignorant members of the BCPUC that liked the theory but could not, or would not, see the ultimate misery that many would face.

All the diplomas in the world will not take the place of common sense and decency, and unfortunately the members of the commission seem to be lacking in both categories. We need someone on the commission that understands the need of the common citizen and will protect all citizens, not just the few and the greedy corporations.

Donald E Thorsteinson

 

Oliver