BC Hydro lies. Last week they announced a 250 million dollar project whereby hydro cables will be run under False Creek to the downtown core of Vancouver. This, they say, is to combat serious problems with power outages. Smoke and mirrors people. Raise the rates in Vancouver to pay for this....not the whole province. Also, give the people on Hwy 37 their long awaited power lines. Diesel for power is criminal in this day and age. And, if they did put the lines in maybe we would have some mining revenues to offset the costs. I'm sick and tired of the lower mainland sucking every dime out of the North.

BC Hydro should pay any dividends it now remits to the government directly to every British Columbian. Same with ICBC. That's the only way we'll ever be able to be certain these kinds of rate increases are necessary to appropriately fund infrastructure versus simply being another handy source of cash for an irresponsible government to squander trying to show us how much they're doing for us.

We pay ,we pay,and always will to support the LML.If not for us do you no that all bridges would be tolled!transit would be 10 bucks a ride,suck,suck us dri.

We pay ,we pay,and always will to support the LML.If not for us do you no that all bridges would be tolled!transit would be 10 bucks a ride,suck,suck us dri.

Will this increase in Hydro rates be factored in in "our basket" of inflationary goods? I bet not!

The good folks at Hydro probably need only a 5% increase, but if they ask for 10%, we will all be outraged, they drop it to 5% presto, everybody is happy.
5% is a lot of money in the course of a year.
metalman.

I agree that this hike seems outrageous and people have a right to feel like they are being ripped off. However I pay 45 dollars a month for my house in Mackenzie. I pay 60 dollars a month for my apartment in Grande Prairie.....

Alberta has terrible electricity rates. We're getting quite the bargain here in BC and I'd like to see it STAY that way!!!!

"an average residential electricity bill is about $71 per month"

Mine is less than half of that. Gas heat and hot water. Everything else is electric - dryer, stove, lights. Guess its all those apartment people heating with electricity.

10% plus HST - it just keeps snowballing!

When OUR BC Hydro is profitable enough it will be sold off to a private corporation a la BC Rail.
This increase is merely to make OUR utility more profitable for foreign "investors".

anybody else here get a 10% raise each year for the next 3 years.

"an average residential electricity bill is about $71 per month"

Mine is a lot higher, almost $100 per month & I'm in mobile home heated with gas. I don't have anymore appliances than anyone else, so don't know how come mine is so much higher.

Google this..and see how many high profile government employees and polticians have gone to work for a number of "Run of the River" producers and companies.
They bought their way into B.C.by buying the government.
And then thank Gordon Campbell.

Dear BC Hydro;

Horsepoop !!


Sincerely,

V.

the growing demand is from south of the border and not b.c. why does the usa pay less than we do??? cut their power off and reduce our rate!!!

we should get rebates after they busted so many grow ups! bc hydro we are going to leave u before u know it,theres solar panels that are sizo of a 8 by 8 paper that can almost power an entire home

Pg guru, tell me more about this solar power panel

“We are also taking steps to keep rates affordable by making our operations more efficient and introducing new conservation programs that will help offset rate increases.”

These steps include 10% rate increases.
These Liberal bedfellows must really think we the people are pretty stupid.

http://www.thecanadian.org/k2/item/409-save-bc-hydro

http://www.thecanadian.org/k2/item/402-erik-anderson-4

Not all of us have a Gas Line on there Road.
If you don't live in the City you are out of Luck and have to heat with other Fuels.
What really bugs me we just had a 7% increase on Hydro thanks to the HST, PST was never on the Bill, now 10% more and this for the next 3 Years, remember the Government owns BC HYDRO, this just another Way to get more Taxes. Interesting Times we live in, anyone knows how much Pensions will go up a Year?

Hydro is a puppet of the fiberals or whichever gov. is in power. Whatever money Hydro makes is siphoned of by the gov. The fiberals know our rates are about the third lowest in N, America. The others are Man. and Que, publicly owned by the way. The fibs know this so can direct Hydro to pump up its rates and still say we have some of the lowest rates in N.A. and the B.C. sheep will follow along. These pumped up rates are a hidden tax on B.C. sheep.

These rates are also needed to cover the huge cost of contracts to the Independent power producers and the most ridiculas costly and inefficent source of heavily taxpayer subsidized power, wind farms. Wind farms always make me think of the wind coming out of fiberals, opps I digress.

I believe contracts to IPP's, who are or directly tied to the fiberals by the way is 30 billion but can be wrong on that. It is up there some where. Now get this since the water does not always flow to some IPP's and the wind only blows about 30% of the time over a year for a wind farm who gets to backup these socalled private sources of power paid for by the taxpayer, the taxpayer again of course. You see a backup source of power will be needed and that is where site c comes in and a cost I believe of 5 billion a lot lot less than the cost of IPP's.

So you see the taxpayers pay for the IPP's and also get to pay for site c.

Oh the sheep are anyone who voted for the fiberals and especially the second time, though I have to admit I see no altermative. Did you all hear the zipper.

BC Hydro is not the villain, it's the victim of a planned strategy by Campbell to cripple this power generator which was the envy of the world.

Why would anybody want to cripple BC Hydro?

Well, just like BC Rail ... it is being systematically crippled -- then burdened by debt (having to buy from the Independent Power Producers who have seized BC rivers) until Campbell can "truthfully" present it as "losing money and must be sold" ...

It's another rotten trick being played upon the people of B.C.

mythoughts:In my working time I came across lot of Heat Tapes plugged in all Year, unplug every thing you have in your Home, turn off the Electric Hotwater Tank,if you have one them take a look at your Meter, it should not turn , if it does find out why. You are using way to much for a Home heated by Gas. Do you have a Blockheater plugged in all Day? if so get a Battery backed up Timer from Can Tire for 20 bucks. Lots of Luck to get your kwh down.

Thought you might be interested in some of the commentary made by "Powell River Persuader" on the topic of BC Hydro rates rising ...

Quote:

... a quick explaination, at a time when the world is in a recession, Gordon Campbell and Kevin Falcon, George Abbott through the BC Liberal cabinet .......Made a law....That`s right folks a law, a law forbidding BC Hydro from developing any new power sources, the Campbell law states in no uncertain terms that BC Hydro is prohibited from creating new power generation sources, BC Hydro was limited to upgrading existing facilities, at the same time.....

Kevin Falcon and George Abbott through cabinet demanded by law the BC Hydro MUST buy power from private producers on our own BC Rivers and streams for 3 to ten times the value of the power!.....

That`s right folks, Kevin Falcon, George Abbott, Christy Clark all led by their hero Gordon Campbell by law prevented BC Hydro from producing any new power and at the same time demanded by law that BC Hydro buy all the power produced from IPPs.....Forget that BC Hydro can borrow money at Government rates, forget that BC Hydro under W.A.C. Bennett was and is the best Dam and Hydro builder in the world with in-house specialists....Forget about all that because......

Because Paul Taylor buddies (Gordon Campbell`s chief-of-staff) ...Plutonic power, General electric, Finavera, and many many more were told in not so many words that if....

You give money to the BC Liberal party not only will you be granted 40 year water leases but we, the Gordon Campbell/Kevin Falcon Government will enshrine in law to buy your power for 35 years at $120 dollars to $180 dollars .......In other words friends, Kevin Falcon guaranteed a big time cash flow to these private companies and that cash my friends is coming out of your pockets.

What their hero Gordon Campbell did was economically crush BC Hydro, crush the rate payer....CD Howe has already reported how BC Hydro rates have doubled under Falcon, under George Abbott, under Gordon Campbell, the last few years alone BC Hydro rates have doubled and today, BC Hydro needs to raise rates by 30% more just to keep up with the payments to private power companies....


There is a North America glut of hydro electric power, especially on the west coast, the current spot market for Hydro electric is about 35$ per unit.....that price has been trending downward yet Gordon campbell, George Abbott, Kevin Falcon, Christy Clark, all BC Liberals have guaranteed that you the rate payer of British Columbia will pay private companies 5 to 8 times the current rate.....Therefore BC Hydro is forced to keep raising and raising rates from residential customers to pay Plutonic power and others....

BC HYDRO CUSTOMERS (NOTICE NOT CLIENTS)PROPOSES 10% DECREASE!

Thanks for the information BC Mary.

thanks Outwest, I'll try that. I don't ever plug my vehicle in because I have a remote start. I do have an electric hot water tank so I wonder if that's what's sucking up all the hydro. Thanks for the suggestions. I'll give it a try.

Good one B.C. Mary!
I have maintained since day one,that eventually the truth about Gordon Campbell and the likes of Falcon,Hansen,and probably Abbott,will be told.
Tough to get people to believe the extent of their dirty doings right now,even though most people sense they are indeed crooked,but one day it will all come out.
Unfortunately,they will be long gone and very rich by then.