ADVOCACY IN ACTION
COVID-19 RESPONSE DISTRIBUTORS SUPPORT EXTENDED DISCONNECTION BAN One of the EDA’s first pandemic-related action items was member outreach regarding extension of the seasonal moratorium on customer disconnections for bill non-payment. This arose out of a conference call for LDC members with Energy Minister Greg Rickford and Associate Minister Bill Walker, during which they asked LDCs to “stand shoulder to shoulder” with government on a voluntary extension. The EDA was subsequently able to confirm full member willingness to comply. “The EDA is pleased to announce our industry’s support for the immediate suspension of electricity disconnections for an additional three months for our residential customers,” our statement read. “We share the goal to provide hard-working families this added security. Ontario’s local hydro utilities will continue work to support our customers during this difficult time.”
LDCS HELP REPLENISH CRUCIAL MEDICAL RESOURCES With the possibility of a surge in hospitalizations looming, and complications in cross-border supplies, the Ministry of Energy made an emergency appeal via the EDA for donations of available N95 and other medical masks at the beginning of April. LDCs had already begun to donate available supplies for use in the health care system, and within a week of this request the distribution sector had provided tens of thousands of units of personal protective equipment to local and regional health care providers.
THE EDA HELPS ENSURE ‘ESSENTIAL’ DESIGNATION
Wide-scale workplace closures were ordered effective March 25 in Ontario. But advocacy on the part of the EDA, with input from its HR and Operations and Engineering Councils, assured the continued operation of the distribution sector. Initial and subsequent versions of the essential workplaces list included electricity utilities and their entire supply chain, including financial and other business-support services.
GOVERNMENT TAKES EDA ADVICE ON TIME-OF-USE RELIEF
Another early-stage ask from government was for recommendations on immediate electricity rate relief for customers during the pandemic. After extensive member engagement over a 24-hour period, the EDA provided a submission defining an option that would provide savings to customers, be easily understood, and relatively easy to implement. The government moved in the direction recommended, implementing all-day off-peak pricing for a period that extended to the end of May.
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Government of Ontario Newsroom
UPDATE ON PANDEMIC RATE RELIEF At the end of May, the provincial government announced continued relief for regulated price plan customers on time-of-use (TOU) pricing – in the form of a new fixed flat rate of 12.8 cents per kilowatt hour. While higher than the off-peak rate that had been in effect earlier in the pandemic, the government noted this rate will provide continued price stability during a period when many people continue to spend more time at home. It will apply until November 1, at which time the government says customers will be able to choose between TOU and tiered pricing. Additional targeted price relief for residential and small business customers – along with measures to address Global Adjustment-charge escalation – have also been announced. THE DISTRIBUTOR
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SUMMER 2020
