EDITORIAL: Freezing to death in the dark

<a href=www.journalpioneer.com>Journal PioneerMar. 26, 2003 by STAFF, Journal Pioneer

Although it came as no surprise that electricity rates were going up, the shock and awe that followed the amount by which it would actually increase has most people picking their jaws up off the floor.

Maritime Electric has been given the go-ahead to increase its rate by 13.34 per cent after a Halifax-based consultant hired by the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission concluded that the rate hike is justified. Reasons for the increase were blamed on global uncertainty, a shortage of electric power and high oil prices.

So let’s regroup.

According to Development Minister Mike Currie, he too a power consumer, agreed that while no one likes to see the rates increase there is nothing that can be done. He also said that for most households, the rate increase will only amount to about $10 more a month.

Anna Duffy, president of the P.E.I. Seniors federation has tremendous concerns.

She said for those seniors on a fixed income, it may mean the choice between paying the electric bill or paying for medication or groceries. Not much of a choice.

Add that rate increase to the high cost of oil and that is a serious financial situation.

Since the uncertainty in Venezuela, Iraq and now Nigeria, the oil prices have skyrocketed, and many people claim their oil bills are higher than their mortgage payments.

Cutting back in the dead of winter, with -40 degree nights is not an option.

Oil, electricity and heat are vital to life here in the Maritimes, and increased prices are going to hurt.

Small businesses, restaurant owners, farmers, fishers and other self-employed entrepreneurs will certainly be feeling the pinch as prices increase. And there is really no recourse. Or is there?

Will Islanders blame the provincial government for its high oil and electrical rates?

Will Pat Binns and his members feel the brunt of Islanders wrath when they call an election this year?

Will Islanders remember that the provincial government allowed Fortis Inc., the parent company of Maritime Electric, to hook its prices to those in New Brunswick?

There is no doubt that the world is in crisis.

The war for oil in Iraq is just one example of how vital resources are, and how hungry we as consumers are for the fuel to heat our homes, drive our cars and run our lives.

For years, alternative methods have been sought to move away from our reliance on fossil fuels, but the convenience and tradition of oil and electric power have made us suspicious of other methods.

Maybe now, the price may force us to look at other means of conserving energy.

Keeping the thermostat low, turning off the lights, going to bed early may all be the way many of us deal with cold winter nights.

It won’t make the rates go down, but it might keep us from freezing to death in the dark.