[Newsbot]

Title: BC Hydro to cut jobs, slash proposed rate hike
Category: Provincial Politics
Posted By: Canadaka
Date: 2011-08-11 20:57:40
Canadian

[Freakinoldguy]

They and their masters in Government still can't explain what happened to the billions they made in the past 30 years that should have been going to help revamp an aging system.

These hydro increases are just like the ICBC increases. Taxpayers and ratepayers money that will ultimately go to the Government of the day in Victoria.

[Canadaka]

Great let�s cut 1000 more skilled jobs. This is totally a political move by the new Christy Clark government over the optics of "taking Hydro to task" about the rate increase request. Meanwhile no major hydro infrastructure has been built in BC for decades and our existing dams are in bad need of overhaul, like Ruskin in Mission. We need to spend the money to develop these new projects to meet demand, the population has grown a lot in the last 3 decades and they money has to come from somewhere, so of course rates have to go up. BC Already has the 2nd cheapest energy prices in Canada and cheaper than almost every US state.

So they aren�t getting all there rate hike, the remaining money has to come from somewhere, so cut 1000 jobs and pretty much scrap powersmart. Even though by LAW BC has to meet 66% of its energy needs by conservation (Clean Energy Act), which will be impossible by gutting powersmart and other jobs.

[herbie]

They can cut several thousand more once those smart meters are flogged on us. And hundreds more when they farm out the NOCs to Bangla Desh in the next unmentioned phase.