SaskPower

Hello I'm calling in reference to the increase in the right application(?). I feel it's far too much. I did a calculation on what I would be paying it would work out to about a hundred dollars a year which is considerable So if you're taking notes on who's for or getting I'm definitely again. Thank you.

December 6, 2013 Attention: Rate Review Panel - SaskPower Rate Application A 15.5% rate increase over the next 3 years will fiscally hurt many seniors/peoples on fixed income. The province may be growing and fiscally many might be reaping these benefits, but not ALL. More and more baby boomers, (along with existing seniors in this province), are retiring, and living on fixed incomes. We do not get raises in our pensions, if we are lucky enough to have them, and as is painfully evident, returns on safe investments are meager at best! We can decrease our spending of disposable income on entertainment, food and vacations. We cannot decrease our power needs any more than most of us already do. We live in a cold climate where light and heat are essential, not luxuries. SaskPower must learn to manage scarce resources in a more responsible way, and do some belt tightening or lessening of expectations as many citizens of this province are forced to do. Costs for senior management and workers should be closely examined, to ensure their compensations are not beyond what this province and it's peoples can afford. Thank you for your consideration.

"I guess yeah I can't get a hold of you bye. His voice answering my voice. What I'm saying I wanna say my piece about the rate. The power is going up in there in January. I know it's gonna help but I see why can you ___ and then every Euro is going up up and up and ___ where are the line and then I can't afford any more specially on the ___ a budget can't afford nothing. So I said enough enough of this. This is going up and up and up. We're not aware of it and then and so ___ off so I don't know what to do about this and when I just talk to a live person but always always leave a message ___ leave a message. What's going on. Why ___ going up and up and I'm not aware of it. And so I'd like to be aware it even and known coming in the mail but ___ but get the bill. That's not fair and what's going ___ so much as a feedback ___. I said power is power but enough is enough. So let me what's ___ is gonna help but (more)

"Oh hi this is **** and I live in Moose Jaw Saskatchewan and I have a concern about our increases with Power that's gonna be coming in affect in January and then again the following January. I'm a single mum waiting 2 daughter's I work in a child care sector like I'm a child care worker and my wages only increase a nickel per year and I just feel that the people like myself making a minimum wage like its all want and I just don't I understand that you're increase have to occur but I just don't understand why you're happening frequently and what we can do about it.

As a customer I disagree with the increase you are proposing. As a land owner I have a high line running over my east 1/4 of land. Have yet to receive an increase for that. As for all the commercials that you are putting on the TV this is totally unneccesary. Cut out the advertising. Money you could be saving right there and sponsoring curling etc. Thanks you

"Hello, it's **** at **** on West Mountain Lake and telephone ******. A comment for the Rate Review Board are that if the economy in Saskatchewan as it is with the business places housing receiving operating full out and refusing substantial income but seniors in Saskatchewan are tied to ordering security benefits that receive a 1 point 2 increase my kind of pension plan about 1 point 2 also and my Saskatchewan government retirement pension at 70 percent of the provincial CPI rate which is the neighbourhood of point 9 of 1 percent this is not at all comparable to the (more)"-

I find it unbelievable that increases over 5% are pondered when teachers are only given increases just over 1%. When these increases are combined over a period of 3 years, Sask energy's increase is over 15% while teachers salaries increase just over 5%. Thus this proposed rate increase is totally unacceptable to me and my family.

Too big a increase, my cost of living index can not keep up, now this? My pension goes up a bit over a dollar per month, there are many worse off than I.

Hello. I had sent in a message a few days ago but I did think of something else. I wondered why with a population boom such as we are having in Saskatchewan that there should be such a large rate increase proposed? It would seem to me that with so many more people now paying for power that the rates should stay the same or perhaps even go down because there is that much more income from the added population. Just a thought! Thanks for your time!

Sask Power is wanting to increase power rates by 15.5% over the next three years ! The cost of living increases on an average of 5% per year that's another 15% in the next three years! How can the Gov't keep seniors in their own homes at this rate on a minimum fixed income, were we get a modist 1% increase per year on our Old Age Pensions?

Why should we pay higher rates to fund infrastructure replacement. The provincial government should fund this replacement from our booming economy. In addition if the provincial government hadn't pulled saskpowers profit each year over the last number of decades saskpower would have an accumulated amount of revenue to pay for the infrastructure replacement.

I think the rate review panel needs to do some provincial comparisons on electric rates. Saskatchewan is already one of the highest kw/hr rates in Canada and Saskpower wants a 5% annual rate increase over the next 3 years? Maybe internal efficiencies should be looked at with Saskpower. Their employees are some of the highest paid within the provincial gov't crowns. Compare Sasktel wages to Saskpower and you will see a big difference. This constant rate increase has become a norm at Saskpower and we need to push back. 1-2% is reasonable but 5% year over year is greed or poor business management.

The proposed SaskPower rate increase is excessive. They indicate more money is required to provide new infrastructure for all the new homes and business being built. No, that wrong. Collect the cost of servicing new homes and business from those building or developing the areas, not existing customers. SaskPower wages are already 20 - 30% higher then any other Crown. Many of the crowns have highly skilled employees, not just SaskPower. No increase in rates is required for employee pay. Stop wasting money on advertisements. SaskPower is not in a competitive industry, they have a monopoly. They do not need to advertise how great they are! A reasonable rate increase would be something equal to, or less then what the Provincial Government is offering as wage increases to many of it's employees. I guess that means 1%.

name=****, Ph.D. Saskatchewan has one of the highest greenhouse gas emission rates of any jurisdiction in the world, at over 70 tonnes per capita per year, and electricity generation is a large contributor. California has done much better. It has a per capita consumption of electricity that is about 50% of that in Canada. The California Energy Commission has the following policy in place: "The state, in meeting its energy needs, would invest first in energy efficiency and demand side resources, followed by renewable resources, and only then in conventional electricity supply." California has a modern economy and yet has been able to stabilize its electricity consumption per capita through its energy policy. Saskatchewan should look to California as a role model.

I am a Health care worker in the Cupe Union and I find it interesting that Sask Power wants to raise their rates by 5% in each of the next three years while the Saskatchewan Government is offering me 8.5% over a 5 year contract with a bunch of concessions to our contract. Something is not adding up here. If my bills are going up by 15% in three years then shouldn't my wage keep up? I am against this rate increase.

The rate increase you are proposing is outrageous.

The residences of Saskatchewan have a quality corporation which supplies us our power day in and day out with very little, if any, interruptions. For that we are thankful and give kudos to the corporation. And it seems the rate review board have been competent in holding the corporation to minimal rate hikes. I will comment further on this point later. This afternoon I have reviewed the history since 2001 of the rate applications and board review recommendations. The common theme for increases is rate rebalancing programs, rate design element, repair & modernization, consolidated return on equity, paying dividends at a reasonable rate of return for shareholder equity, aging infrastructure, power generating costs, fuel purchase costs etc. Where have the benefits of the rate increases from 2001 to 2004 been applied when in 2006 the request is again for similar reasons? It is quite interesting that in 2006 panel recommendation states “…..4.9% system wide weighted average increase is justified to continue to rebuild aging infrastructure and initiate measures to mitigate future rate increases”. Here we are in 2013 and SaskPower is asking for 5.5%. Mitigate means to make less harsh or alleviate is it not? SaskPower collectively requested rate increases of 8.7% in 2004 and 1.7% in 2005. The review board allowed a 6% increase for 2004 and requested another separate submission at another date for 2005. Eventually a 4.9% increase was allowed for that request. I wondered why they didn’t grant the 6% for 2004 and 1.7% for 2005 rather than requesting SaskPower to submit another application and then allowing a 4.5% increase which to my understanding was a bigger increase. I have noted that from 2004 up to the present year, the review panel has been using the services of a consulting firm. I would be interested to know the reason for this and at what cost to the Saskatchewan taxpayer. I presume that we pay each panel member of the review board and that we should expect that they are qualified to collectively review and make recommendations based on their evidence findings without a consulting firm feeding them the information. Another expense which I think the Saskatchewan taxpayer could be spared. My husband lived & worked in northern Saskatchewan for many years and remembers that $1.00 was collected from each business and resident on each SaskPower bill for building infrastructure. Apparently that is no longer collected. My husband & I are retired pensioners living on a fixed income which makes us vulnerable to the cost hikes that SaskPower implements. The ripple effect is transmitted to goods & services provided by the business community ending at the last link of the chain, which is the residential customer who has already experienced the increase on his/her own SaskPower invoice. In summary, I think we should allow SaskPower to automatically increase our rates to 5% per year as it seems each year they ask for and are granted a rate hike. We should retire the rate review board and no longer use the services of a consulting firm. The taxpayer would not be footing the bill for consultant fees nor would we be paying to have a rate review board. SaskPower would save a huge amount of money because they would no longer need to do all the paperwork for submission to the review board.

Our province has the best people working as sask power . Our rates are some of the highest and I would like to lower them by reviewing my rate history as hints changed in my house and how I can improve. But at a cost of billing review if $20 a month , are you kidding? To look back at the last 3 decades (which would give a most realistic stat). It would cost me...... You do the math!!!!M. Absolutely ridiculous ! In this age of technology. Crazy stupid!

I have been over charged for a number of yrs due to faulty meeters. Saskpower knows of the problem yet they openly refuse to fix it. In 1954 my father paid to have power sevice put in his yard. Saskpower stole it and gave it to someone else. That is realy wrong. From.******

I am a senior citizen on a fixed income. Could my CPP, and OAC increase by 5% for the next 3 years? I live in the country and am having one of your large power lines cross my land, so my land will devalue. I had no choice in the matter and I will have little choice in this matter.

You know you people you want ___ to say I'm going home so this is the ___ it doesn't keep going up. The ___ the taxes now yes you know I don't know what you guys think of you better start building now the singles home is because there isn't gonna be enough money to go around by this and it's getting done closer right now thank you very much for nothing. Next time I wait for this ___ I won't I have."

Are you kidding me? a 15% increase over 3 years? How about the Sask govt. reducing my taxes by 15% over 3 years or increasing my wages by 15% over 3 years or my pension by 15% over 3 years? This is outrageous! Tie the rate increase to the rate of inflation over the next 3 years and I can live with that. OUr population is increasing so more people are needing power and paying power bills. This should be enough to pay for improving infrastructure.

SaskPower Rate application of 15% over the next 3 years is absolutely ludicrous and the supreme year and the powers to be don't do something about it and I won't be voting for the premier again. Thank you.

re your proposed rate hike of 5% for ea of the next 3 yrs: I, along with a large portion of the population of this province, am on a fixed income. My yearly increases do not come even close to 5%, that is why this proposed increase concerns me. I do not want to spend my senior yrs eating dog food beside my little shit tzu, because my grocery budget has gone to pay my utilities.

1st of all saskpower already charge way to much and should be forced to decrease their rate by at least 20percent. We are continuing to pay more and more for worsening service and that is wrong. It is time to tern power generation over to the private sector. From. *******

If they knew they had to upgrade the infrastructure why have they not been putting money aside to pay for it? My wages are not increasing by 5%. Why not increase our costs by 3% over 5 years? I could afford that better.

Can SaskPower please indicate the process which was undertaken to select the Tazi Twe hydro project as the lowest cost base load generation option chosen for the Far North? What is the latest cost ($/MWhr) of Tazi Twe versus alternative base load generation options in the Far North? Are there other hydro projects in the Far North being currently developed by the private sector together with First Nation communities where the cost of energy to the ratepayer ($MWhr) for these Project(s) are lower than Tazi Twe? Please explain in detail your competitive procurement process? Our understanding is there was no competitive procurement process undertaken, and Tazi Twe was not the lowest cost hydro generation option compared to private/sector First Nation hydro projects located in the Far North. Please use your most recent $ MWhr estimates from Nov. 2013.

The capital cost for the Tazi Twe hydropower project being developed by SaskPower was not included in the SaskPower rate increase application, please provide this? Reference to the Tazi Twe Project was made in the rate increase application by SaskPower as one of the reasons for the need for a rate increase. My understanding is current SaskPower power projects which are owned by the utility are much more expensive than Saskatchewan power projects developed and/or owned by the private sector where power is sold to SaskPower. For example Boundary Dam was well over budget (115 M), Tazi Twe (?), Queen Elizabeth upgrade, transmission line construction (Island Falls to Key Lake). Please provide price comparisons for new generation and new transmission on a per MW and per km basis, comparing private sector development and/or ownership and SaskPower development and/or ownership? ******** Saskatoon

Saskatchewan Rate Review Panel, The proposed rate increase requested by SaskPower is unacceptable. They have already been granted substantial rate increases in recent years. "The final forecasts show the project approximately nine per cent over budget, or $115 million." This is a reference to the carbon capture and power plant refurbishment project at Boundary Dam, only one example of the company’s inability to be accountable to the rate payers. The company operates extremely inefficient and is passing the cost of their budget failure and poor business planning on to their own customers. Customers without a choice of service as SaskPower has the monopoly for power delivery in Saskatchewan. The only safe hold that customers do have is the Saskatchewan Rate Review Panel. It is the panel's responsibility to hold SaskPower accountable and ensure that any request for a rate increase is justified and FAIR. When the recent rate increases are taken into consideration it is obvious that SaskPower has the intent to charge as much as possible at all times, and will continue to apply for a rate increases whenever they think they may get it. They do not wish to provide good service for a fair price but wish to make as much profit as possible so they can continue to fund their currently very wasteful business. Annual increases of around 5% is NOT fair. I urge the panel to stop this negligent company from taking advantage of their subjugated customers.

Hi My name is *****. So hiking the cost in which you did a few years ago. Now you are hiking the rates again over 3 years to cover expenses from building shand and boundary dam power plants?! So after these power plants are built and running upon completion will the tax hike go down after saskpower is dine paying off their expansion bill? If you have straight answers for me please respond if not then continue on with the tax hike. Sincerely Concerned citizen

I would like submit my opinion on the latest application by Saskpower for a 5.5% increase. I don't believe anybody deserves that kind of increase with the economy the way it is. We have 10% more retired people than 5 years ago and with the number of baby boomers retiring in the near future we will not be able to support it. Then the next thing you know the unions are going to want their 5% and go on strike and here we go again.

Hi I was intrested in knowing if there is a way to over rull the rate review board by getting signatures or something because if another rate increase happens for Sask Power of 15% over 5 years somone is going to have to stand up and say enough is enough? So if you could lead,me in right direction that would help me alot Thank You