Province criticized for naming new MLAS to electricity panel
The Redford government revealed Friday that a committee of rookie Tory backbenchers has been appointed to revamp Alberta’s complex, deregulated electricity sector.
The six members of the committee will be responsible for implementing 33 recommendations from the 390-page Power for the People report, aiming to stabilize electricity prices and bolster protection for consumers.
Five of the six committee members are first-time MLAs, including chair Everett McDonald, Ron Casey, Matt Jeneroux, Maureen Kubinec and Cathy Olesen. Only Calgary-Foothills MLA Len Webber has more than a year on the job.
Energy Minister Ken Hughes said the committee may not be experienced in the complexities of the electricity industry, but “they will be by the time they are done.”
“For an MLA, it’s a great opportunity to learn a lot about an industry and to actually have a real meaningful role to contribute to improving outcomes for Albertans,” Hughes said.
The report was completed by an expert Retail Market Review Committee appointed by former energy minister Ted Morton in February 2012. It was submitted to Hughes in August and in January 2013 Hughes accepted 35 of the group’s 44 recommendations.
Critics slammed the composition of the committee, saying that if Hughes was serious about fixing the electricity sector, he would appoint experts to implement the necessary changes.
“I really feel some sympathy for the poor MLAs who are supposed to be sitting on this committee trying to figure out what to do next,” said independent utility consultant Rick Cowburn, who sat on the Retail Market Review Committee that made the recommendations.
“I’m an industry professional and it took me a lot of head scratching to identify the really high-priority things and get clear about them.”
Cowburn said he would have asked implementing agencies like the Alberta Utilities Commission and the Alberta Electric System Operator to come up with a plan to make the recommendations a reality.
“If you were actually going to make it happen, those are they guys that are going to have to get it done,” Cowburn said.
Energy officials posted the committee information online late Friday afternoon, on the eve of a two-week spring break for MLAs. Communications staff did not issue a news release.
Asked why the government didn’t publicize the committee’s appointment, energy spokesman Mike Feenstra said: “We communicate in a variety of ways. In this case, we reached out to our critics and stakeholders, letting them know the team was getting their work underway.”
Wildrose critic Joe Anglin said the Tories aren’t any closer to addressing an issue that directly affects all Albertans.
“This is a serious issue — this is really about consumer bills,” Anglin said. “We have outrageous expenses, the cost of our bills is going up, and there is nothing in the short term or long term that will reduce them. “Now we have this committee … the inexperience and the lack of knowledge there — I don’t know who is going to guide them,” he said.