Northern Sask. community demands answers over power bills costing thousands of dollars

Because she was living on social assistance for six months, Morin was able to get reimbursed by the band but after finding a job, she was forced to pay the bill on her own.

“I calculated those three months I paid and it was roughly over $3,000 out of my own pocket,” she said.

All Nations Capital, a consulting firm based in Saskatoon, was hired by Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation to investigate. Company owner Carl Ninine said he compared bills received in June 2018, to ones received in December, 2018.

“The average kilowatt usage consumption of energy to power homes was 2,469 kilowatts of energy in December. It worked out to an average of $353 per month,” he said.

Examples of consumption rates for Southend in June.

Ninine said he was surprised to find that the average usage in June was even higher at 2,663 kilowatts of energy per home. This worked out to an average power bill of $412 per home. Ninine said there were also a few exceptional bills, one as high as $1,900 for one home.

“That doesn’t make sense. You’d think you’d use more energy in the winter months,” he said.

Power consumption by Southend residents in June, 2018.

Ninine said the scope of his study did not allow him to go into peoples’ homes and see if they were using a space heater, or if they had their computer running all day. In addition to his work at Southend, Ninine said he was also asked to look at the usage rates in Deschambault Lake, Sandy Bay and Pelican Lakes. He said consumption rates in those communities were high as well, but not as high as Southend.

“You can imagine when these elders that are up here get a $1,000 a month pension and they get a $400 to $600 power bill, they are going to get behind,” – Chief Peter Beatty

Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation Chief Peter Beatty told paNOW he plans to sit down with Dustin Duncan, the minister in charge of SaskPower, in the coming weeks to discuss what is going on.

“We will try to see what is happening here. I mean it’s mind boggling actually how anyone can use that much power in a small unit,” he said.

Beatty explained the homes on the reserve are an average of 600 to 800 square feet in size and are more commonly two or three room bungalows. Beatty said the issue for him is more about why the consumption rates are so high, as opposed to the amount owing on the bills. He explained many of their band members rely on social assistance.

“Our department pays those bills without questioning the amount of the bill and then Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) reimburses the band for the paid bill through the social program. They don’t question the amount on the bill,” he said.

Beatty told paNOW the situation at Southend has been an ongoing problem for years, but added he knew the problem was not isolated to those communities. He shared a recent conversation he had with a chief in the Prince Albert area.

“He said a unit on his reserve compared to a unit that is off the reserve, the power bill is twice as much,” he said.

Sask Power’s response

A spokesperson for SaskPower told paNOW people living in the northern part of the province, are charged the same rate as someone living in the southern part of the province or someone living in the cities. Jordan Jackle explained the reason for the high power bills in South End may have more to do with how the people are heating their homes.

“There just isn’t that natural gas infrastructure to provide heating there. So people are relying on electricity [for heat] which is generally more than what someone with natural gas is going to end up paying,” he said.

Jackle said after reviewing the bills, SaskPower officials were able to confirm their customers in Southend did receive higher bills in June than they did in December. Jackle said it is very likely the reason for that is a bill received in June, would include the difference between what was estimated on a prior read and the power that was actually used.

“If there was an estimated amount for January and February, those cold winter months, and they actually used more power than was estimated, that would have shown up on their June bill,” he said.

Jackle encouraged SaskPower customers to submit their monthly meter reads online or by phone to avoid issues like the one at Southend. He explained it’s an issue that will be addressed as the Crown Corporation moves toward a smart grid in the years to come.

“We are always willing to listen to the concerns of our customers and communities. Anyone with questions about their bill is encouraged to contact us,” he said.

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nigel.maxwell@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell

by Nigel Maxwell

Northern Sask. community demands answers over power bills costing thousands of dollars

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