Public Utilities Board of Manitoba reins in Crown utility’s rate request

WINNIPEG – The Public Utilities Board has denied Manitoba Hydro’s request to increase rates by 3.5 per cent.

The board has instead approved a 2.5 per cent raise in the Crown corporation’s electricity rates effective Saturday.

The utilities board says in a release that it is concerned about rate stability and predictability when new major capital projects come into service.

All revenue from the rate increase is to go into a deferral account to help reduce future rate increase.

The board says special rates for First Nations customers living on-reserve won’t be increasing.

Four Indigenous communities that rely on diesel-generated electricity supplied by Manitoba Hydro won’t see their electricity bill go up either.

The Public Utilities Board continues to urge the Manitoba government to develop affordability programs to assist lower-income customers.