"Electricity prices rose significantly in Alberta, increasing by 127.8% in July on a year-over-year basis." (https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/.../230815/dq230815a-eng.htm
Please consider emailing Council and our Mayor with your demands for action now - not excuses on why they can't take action. Don't be unkind.
The City does have the ability to shield us from those increased and to reduce our rates but is just choosing not to.
Yesterday, I asked Councilor Hirsch and McGrogan to bring forward a motion to have the Mayor resign. Hirsch replied declining (but at least replied). I've not heard back from McGrogan. I've also submitted a formal complaint about Shila Sharps which includes her claim to the Medicine Hat News that the utility rates aren't a "Medicine Hat decision". The rates are in fact a Medicine Hat decision. She has an obligation to be truthful, and was speaking as Deputy Mayor at the time, so officially on behalf of our Mayor.
I don't think it's okay for the City to sit back and see how much more money they can make off of us, while people face homelessness or having to choose between paying their utilities or eating. (the comments on our petition are heartbreaking).
I've been trying to get answers from the Chair of the Committee for Energy and Infrastructure, Councilor Van Dyke, for a week. I will post screenshots of my still unanswered email to Councilor Van Dyke below where I ask for information about the claims she makes in her original reply to me. The fact that no one in charge of making these decisions seems to be able to answer these questions effectively or quickly is highly concerning. She has not been able to point me to the City's regulatory obligations she claims they have to work within with regards to rate setting. An entire week has gone by without a reply. If the Chair of the committee that oversees utilities can't answer a question about how the set utility rates, what does that say about the Committee's ability to do their job?
Our Animal Food Bank sees the effects of the high cost of living. We deal with the fallout. As do countless other organizations in the City. I'm tired of Councils belief that we should all just pick up the slack for their failings. This is literally peoples quality of life on the line here.
Council had no problem quickly approving a motion on July 4th to provide an increase to the 400 recipients of the Fair Entry Program with an extra $900 this year. Just like that they are providing them with $200 from August to December. Which is great! Now what about the rest of us? They are using poverty rates set by Stat's Can in 2022. With the rising cost of living, there are so many people who won't qualify for this because the poverty rate is lagging.
Mayor Clark is quoted as saying:
“I support this motion. I don’t think it’s fair to people who would qualify for this benefit to be held hostage while we kind of figure something else out that might apply to more people. I prefer looking to the end of the year because we have a deficit that we continue filling with our energy profits that may not be here forever,” she said.
She admits to placing priority on filling up her budget vs helping the community at large. She knows we are all being held hostage (her words) while they figure out what to do. This is ridiculous.
I'm sure you are all as tired of talking and hearing about the high utility rates. Me too. So let's force them into action. We can't afford to wait until the end of the year for them to "figure something else out".
The utility rate review has been something they've been working on for 18 months. The City's communications department needs to stop blaming us and start providing accurate information.
Contact them today and demand they bring forward a motion to do something at this upcoming Monday's Council Meeting. Ask them to reduce the rates for the citizens of Medicine Hat immediately. Their contact information can be found here