COLUMN – Report from the Legislature – Making Manitoba Hydro strong

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 05/12/2022 (872 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The NDP have spent the past few months running a fear-mongering campaign against our government’s plan to strengthen Hydro. It’s clear what their motives are: they are against the strengthening of Manitoba Hydro and the Public Utilities Board because it would mean that no government will ever be able to again do what the NDP did – triple Hydro’s debt and weaken the utility, affecting ratepayers. The NDP began by falsely claiming that Bill 36 “interferes” with the Public Utilities Board (PUB), when the reality is that it will save Manitobans money and prevent major hikes to Hydro bills.

But then the NDP flip-flopped. They claimed that they would “freeze” Hydro rates – which would be, by definition, interfering with the PUB. Not only that, it would also weaken Manitoba Hydro’s position and put Hydro into even more debt – debt that the NDP already tripled.

It’s clear that the NDP have no solutions, and they would only push problems further down the road with false promises while debt continues to pile up. This is something we saw while the NDP were in power, leaving a mountain of debt and bad decisions for our PC Government to clean up.

Why would anyone listen to the NDP who saw Manitoba Hydro’s debt triple during their time in office?

Our government is dedicated to making life more affordable for Manitobans and that is why we passed Bill 36, which will ensure that Hydro rate increases are limited to five percent or the rate of inflation, whichever is lower. It also sets PUB hearings to three year proposals rather than one, which will save ratepayers millions.

This means that if inflation is high like this year – which saw rates of over eight percent, Hydro’s increases can’t exceed five percent. This is integral to ensuring that Manitoba Hydro remains sustainable. Manitobans own Manitoba Hydro, not the NDP. We need to protect our utility and make sure that it can continue offering clean, affordable energy for generations to come.

No matter how much false information the NDP continue to put on the record, our PC Government will remain committed to making life more affordable for Manitobans and we will continue to strengthen Manitoba Hydro.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact my office at 204-424-5406 or office@dennissmook.ca