Condominium owners getting a raw deal

Dear editor,

The government of Alberta and associate minister of electric and natural gas Dale Nally, has excluded condominiums that have “a single meter” from the electric rebate program.

The reason these type of condos use more than the 250 Mwh of energy per annum is misleading, in that the average condo unit uses less than 10 Mwh of electric energy per annum.

This policy effectively disenfranchises all Albertans living in single meter condominiums and creates two classes of condo owners, those living in more modern, multimetered condos and those living in single metered condos (where the owner pays utilities through condo fees).

It is my information that prior to initiating this rebate program, Associate Minister Nally was made aware of this discrepancy and unfair treatment of thousands of hard working and retired Albertans living in single-metered condos, as was the entire cabinet. However, Mr. Nally and cabinet chose to ignore this unjustness and implemented the unfair policy.

I have written to the premier, Minister

Savage, Minister Glubish, Associate Minister Nally, both Medicine Hat area MLAs, the mayor and council of Medicine Hat. Associate Minister Nally’s office responded to the email stating there would be no change and although I received acknowledgement from both MLA Frey and MLA Barnes’ constituency offices (who state they are non-partisan) of receipt of my email on this topic, neither have replied to my email on what their position is on this matter or offered to help.

The Mayor of Medicine Hat wrote Associate Minister Nally on this very topic, pointing out the unjustness of it and asking the policy be reviewed accordingly. To my knowledge, Associate Minister Nally has turned a deaf ear to this unjustness. The Condominium Owners Forum South Alberta also wrote a detailed letter to Mr. Nally on July 11 and has yet to receive a reply. Thousands of condominium owners are being unjustly and unfairly treated by Associate Minister Nally and his government. Shame on the UCP government!

Ronald Noel Medicine Hat