NDP’s mail-out campaign touts electricity price cap
The NDP government is spending $259,000 on a mail-out campaign highlighting its plan to cap electricity prices as the cost of power has moved upward.
The province sent out a brochure to 1.6 million homes telling residents they are “protected against high electricity prices.”
The flyer outlines the Notley government’s pledge that if prices go above 6.8 cents per kilowatt hour, the province will cover the costs above that level.
Prices have exceeded the cap this April, with the government expecting to soon make payments to power companies under the subsidy plan.
Mike McKinnon, press secretary to Energy Minister Marg McCuaig-Boyd, said in an email the price cap policy is about giving certainty to residents “to know they’re protected from the power price rollercoaster created by the previous Conservative government.”
“We have a responsibility to communicate policy to Albertans, ensuring they know their government has their backs,” he said, adding that there is no plan to expand the advertising beyond the mail-out.
But the campaign raised eyebrows among the Opposition, which has taken aim at the NDP in the past over $9 million spent on advertising its climate leadership plan.
United Conservative Party MLA Nathan Cooper said he had “significant concerns” about another NDP advertising campaign.
“We see them spending additional resources to communicate a problem that they created,” he said.
“And all these costs add up.” After hitting historic lows, power prices are expected to increase this year to a range closer to the historical average price of 7.3 cents an hour.
The UCP says that’s due to the government’s mishandling of power purchase arrangements (PPAs) and push toward renewables as it phases out coal-fired power.
The government has estimated the cost of the price cap will be around $74 million this year, with the amount paid out of funds collected through the carbon levy.