Bill No. 145 - Electricity Act (amended). - 2nd Reading

CLAUDIA CHENDER « » : Again, I'll echo many of the same points. I think the issue of consumer confidence can't be overstated. When the general rate application was filed by Nova Scotia Power - which then presumably led to these changes in the Act - it's not an exaggeration to say that the industry feared total destruction overnight.

We also spoke with solar consumers and installers who expressed their sentiments. Even prior to that, we were speaking with installers in the Fall who were speaking about lengthy delays with Nova Scotia Power and challenges facing the industry already. There had been a feeling leading up to that general rate application, in fact, that there was sort of a "go slow" on net metering approvals.

Prior to that general rate application, there were sometimes delays of six, eight, ten weeks in getting an approval for installation - whole seasons of work delayed. In fact, I asked the minister about this in the Fall sitting and the minister's response was that conversations with Nova Scotia Power were ongoing.

We also canvassed the content and existence of those conversations in the House this session. We obtained a FOIPOP that showed that that was the case, and that Nova Scotia Power was in fact regularly updating the minister and the government about "improving the process for solar interconnection." Those were air quotes for Hansard.

We were surprised to hear that Natural Resources and Renewables then said when that general rate application was filed that they had no idea that a system access fee for solar net metering was coming. That strains our power of imagination. It's possible, but if it's true, it certainly casts Nova Scotia Power in a somewhat nefarious light. If it's not true, that's a problem.

If there had been conversations about the desire to impose this system access charge and the net metering, it was also clear that Nova Scotia Power was not swayed by any arguments that the government may have put forward contrary to that initiative. The general rate application was filed, the impact on the industry was immediate, and could have, as I said, been devastating.

Those charges would have imposed a fee of $960 on an average 10-kilowatt system, and there was an immediate chilling effect. That effect was not entirely resolved, I would say, by the introduction of this bill, because many who are about to install either paused or cancelled, and many are waiting, in fact, until that general rate application comes forward.

Once this bill passes the House - which I assume that it will - that will certainly go a very long way to restoring consumer confidence, but the timing is problematic. If there was a desire to take action on this, I would suggest that it should have been taken earlier. I think it's worth noting how many people actually spoke up. It was wonderful to see the mobilization of people who are committed to a transition to renewal energy, and we know that Nova Scotians are.

I was really struck recently in committee when one of the staff members of the Department of Environment and Climate Change said, we have the highest heat pump uptake, I think, in the country and our costs are low - and one of the reasons is that nobody has to advertise because Nova Scotians want to do it. They want to do the right thing, they want to take advantage of the rebates. I think we saw that with the uproar over the general rate application and what this net metering would have done. Having said all that, the government's action with this legislation is welcome, and we certainly will support that aspect of the bill.

We also do, though, need to note, as my colleague did, the small percentage of Nova Scotians who currently use solar, and the lack of impact that this bill has on power rates, or in fact people's power bills for 95 per cent of Nova Scotians. This suite of legislation - this one and the next one that we'll be discussing - were introduced as a response, if you will, to the general rate application that was put forward by Nova Scotia Power, but there is a lot that is not responded to.

With those few words I will take my seat for a moment until we come back to the next bill.