Legault says CAQ looking for compromise on Hydro bills

QUEBEC Premier François Legault says his government is looking for a compromise in the Hydro-Québec over-billing quagmire.

On Tuesday, when a new poll showed 92 per cent of Quebecers want the government to compensate citizens for past over-billing, Legault said he has asked Hydro-Québec boss Éric Martel to make a “special effort” to compensate Quebecers stung by the increases.

Legault made it clear he was referring only to compensation for billing increases that were much higher than the rate of inflation for two specific years — 2014 and 2015 — which he said was the fault of the previous Liberal government.

Instead of issuing cheques to users, Legault suggested Hydro could issue negative or lowerthan-planned rate increases in 2020 as a form of compensation.

“People think that they’ve been robbed a bit by Hydro-Québec,” Legault told reporters. “That’s why I asked the president of HydroQuébec to do something next year, to do something to leave more money with ratepayers.

“I want an act for next year to show that they understand that Quebecers are unhappy about what happened in 2014 and 2015.”

He said the government cannot order Hydro to refund everyone — the estimate is that it overbilled by $1.5 billion — because it would deprive the government of much-needed revenues to pay for services.

Hydro-Québec reported profits of $3.19 billion in 2018.

Legault was unable to say exactly how much he thinks Hydro can cough up, but he has asked Martel to prepare various scenarios.

“Honestly, I know that my statement is not exactly detailed,” he said.

Legault held up a chart showing Hydro billed over the inflation rate in 2014 and 2015. In 2014, rates went up by 4.3 per cent when the consumer price index (CPI) rose by 1.6 per cent. The next year, rates went up by 2.9 per cent when the CPI went up 0.7 per cent.

The government has been taking a beating from the opposition over the increases and its refusal to refund users despite the fact that a year ago, before the CAQ took power, the party launched a petition calling for the $1.5 billion to be refunded. At the time, Legault described the charges as a sly and disguised tax. But now Legault says he made no such promises during the election campaign itself.

He added Quebecers already have more money in their pockets because his government has reduced school taxes and increased family allowance payments, as promised during the campaign.