Category: General commentary

Well, that’s a shocker – BC Hydro wants an extra year to develop its next long-term plan. Approving the request is a bad idea, but the BCUC will probably do it anyway. Background In its decision approving BC Hydro’s 2021 Integrated Resource Plan in March 2024, the BC Utilities Commission (BCUC) directed the utility to…

The City’s allegation that transmission facilities are trespassing on a highway is unlikely to succeed. Surrey taxpayers and BC Hydro’s ratepayers will pay the cost of proving this point. Growing pains The City of Surrey is a fast-growing municipality in Vancouver’s lower mainland with a population of around 700 thousand people, expected to exceed one…

A combination of planned increases in the carbon tax and the use of renewable natural gas will test the minister of energy’s ability to meet his new energy affordability mandate. Introduction At the start of the year, Fortis, BC’s largest gas distribution utility, announced that gas bills for the majority of its residential customers will…

BC Hydro’s latest call for clean power is being trumpeted as a success. But the energy is going to be expensive, and there are concerns it won’t be available soon enough. Note: On February 12, BC Hydro announced the cost of its clean power call. The actual cost is at the end of this article.…

The energy minister’s new marching orders have different priorities than a year ago, and may reflect a new degree of realism in the face of financial constraints. Introduction On January 16, 2025, BC cabinet ministers received their “mandate letters” from the premier; public statements of his expectations of them and their ministries. Mandate letters are…

It’s time to gaze into the regulatory crystal ball. Here are some predictions for 2025, from the safe bets to the really long shots. 1. The BC government will fail to meet its 2025 GHG emission reductions target Likelihood: Take this one to the bank. Let’s start with an easy one. The government still maintains…

This is a shocking increase in one year, which the BCUC should have considered smoothing out. But worse may be to come – and it’s clear the BC government’s energy affordability objectives don’t apply to gas customers. Introduction On December 5, the BC Utilities Commission (BCUC) announced that gas rates for FortisBC Energy Inc. (FEI),…

In addition to letters of comment, interveners will now get to make a final argument, but the BC Sustainable Energy Association still won’t be able to participate. Introduction Earlier this month I described some procedural issues with the BC Utility Commission’s review of BC Hydro’s proposed long term resource plan for Fort Nelson. The BC…

In a win for transparency, the BC Utilities Commission reverses an earlier ruling that its reasons for the Cambie Gardens Energy complaint decision should be confidential. Background The matter concerns a complaint filed jointly by SUCCESS Affordable Housing Society (SUCCESS) and the City of Vancouver (City) against Cambie Gardens Energy Limited Partnership (Cambie Gardens Energy).…

The BC Utilities Commission’s failure to conduct proceedings in a public and open manner is undermining its credibility as an impartial adjudicator. Introduction The BCUC has been cutting back on public involvement in its proceedings all year. In the name of regulatory efficiency, a worthy enough cause, it has declined to involve public advocacy groups…