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A
A
A
A
A
A
A
B
Welcome
everybody
I'd
like
to
call
the
meeting
to
order
and
welcome
everyone
in
attendance.
The
committee
has
under
consideration
the
main
estimates
of
the
ministry
of
affordability
and
utilities
for
the
fiscal
year,
ending
March
31st
2024,
but
ask
that
we
go
around
the
table
and
have
members
introduce
themselves
for
the
record
Minister.
Please
introduce
the
officials,
you
have
joining
you
at
the
table
when
we
get
to
you.
My
name
is
David
Hansen
I'm,
the
MLA
for
Bonneville
Cold,
Lake,
St,
Paul
and
chair
of
this
committee
and
we'll
begin
starting
on
my.
B
And
we
have
nobody
joining
online,
so
we'll
move
on
a
few
housekeeping
items
to
note
for
the
record
honorable
member
Pawn
for
honorable
member
Isaac
for
substitutions.
Please
note
that
microphones
are
operated
by
Hansard
staff
committee.
Proceedings
are
live
streamed
on
the
internet
and
broadcast
on
this
Alberta
assembly
TV,
the
audio
and
video
stream
and
transcripts
of
meetings
can
be
accessed
via
the
Legislative
Assembly
website.
B
B
Please
set
your
cell
phones
and
other
devices
to
silent
for
the
duration
of
the
meeting
honorable
members,
the
standing
order
set
out
the
process
for
consideration
of
the
main
estimates.
A
total
of
six
hours
has
been
scheduled
for
consideration
of
the
estimates
for
the
ministry
of
affordability
and
utilities.
B
This
meeting
is
the
first
three
hours
for
consideration
of
the
ministry's
estimate
standing
order.
59.01-6
establishes
the
speaking
rotation
and
speaking
times
in
brief,
the
minister
or
member
of
executive
Council,
acting
on
The
Minister's
behalf
we'll
have
10
minutes
to
address
the
committee
at
the
conclusion
of
The
Minister's
comments.
A
60-minute
speaking
block
for
the
official
opposition
begins,
followed
by
a
20-minute
speaking
block
for
independent
members.
B
If
members
have
any
questions
regarding
speaking
times
or
the
rotation,
please
send
an
email
or
message
the
committee
clerk
about
the
process
with
the
concurrence
of
the
committee
I
will
call
a
five-minute
break
near
the
midpoint
of
the
meeting.
However,
the
three-hour
clock
will
continue
to
run.
Does
anyone
oppose
taking
a
break,
see
none?
We
will
make
that
announcement
shortly.
B
Ministry
officials
may
be
present
and
at
the
discretion
of
the
OR
at
the
direction
of
the
minister
May
address
the
committee
Ministry
officials,
seated
in
the
gallery,
have
called
upon
have
access
to
microphones
in
the
gallery
area
and
are
asked
to
please
introduce
themselves
for
the
record
prior
to
commenting
pages
are
available
to
deliver
notes
or
other
materials
between
the
gallery
and
the
table.
Attendees
in
the
gallery
may
not
approach
the
table.
B
B
If
debate
is
exhausted
prior
to
six
hours,
the
ministry's
estimates
are
deemed
to
have
been
considered
for
the
time
allotted
in
the
schedule,
and
the
committee
will
adjourn.
Points
of
order
will
be
dealt
with
as
they
arise
and
individual
speaking
times
will
be
paused.
However,
the
speaking
block
time
and
the
overall
three-hour
meeting
clock
for
the
first
segment
of
the
six
hours.
B
B
C
Thank
you
and
good
evening
I'm
pleased
to
present
highlights
of
the
2023-2024
budget
for
the
ministry
of
affordability
and
utilities
again
I'm
joined
by
my
Deputy
Minister
Stephanie
Clark
Matt,
Grossman
assistant
Deputy,
minister
of
financial
services
and
Senior
Financial
Officer
David,
Stanford
assistant
Deputy,
minister
of
affordability
and
Andrew
buffin
assistant
Deputy,
minister
of
utilities.
We
also
have
Chris
Hunt
the
utilities
consumer
Advocates
seated
in
the
gallery
before
I
dive
into
the
budget,
I'd
like
to
give
a
brief
overview
of
the
ministry's
Mandate.
C
The
ministry
of
affordability
and
utilities
was
established
to
deliver
immediate
cost
of
living
and
inflation
relief,
while
also
working
across
government
and
with
utilities
to
support
long-term
affordability
on
the
affordability
side.
This
includes
leading
and
coordinating
the
government's
affordability
action
plan
as
the
lead.
We
are
working
with
other
Ministries
to
implement
a
package
of
affordability
measures,
including
treasury
board
and
finance
Children's,
Services,
seniors,
community
and
Social
Services
technology
and
Innovation
service,
Alberta
and
red
tape,
reduction
and
other
Ministries,
as
required.
C
New
targeted
affordability
supports
for
post-secondary
students,
funding,
support
to
food
banks
and
other
community
groups
and
more
funding
for
low-income
transit
pass
programs.
On
the
Utility
side,
the
ministry
Works
to
advance
a
modern,
safe
and
reliable
system
that
meets
the
everyday
needs
of
all
albertans
and
attracts
investment
and
supports
job
creation
through
budget
2023.
The
ministry
will
continue
work
to
work
towards
the
outcomes
outlined
in
our
business
plan,
which
I
will
address
shortly.
C
At
this
point,
I
will
move
on
to
our
budget
highlights
for
the
Alberta
Government
overall
budget
2023
continues
to
provide
relief
through
the
affordability
action
plan,
which
will
see
albertans
continue
to
benefit
from
ongoing
programs
such
as
our
fuel
tax
relief
program,
electricity
rebates,
natural
gas
rebates
and
monthly
100
to
100
affordability.
Payments
for
seniors
families
and
albertans
on
core
support
programs.
C
This
spending
represents
one
of
the
most
comprehensive
packages
to
support
citizens
with
the
cost
of
living
of
any
Province
or
territory
in
Canada
for
affordability
and
utilities.
Specifically
in
2023-24,
the
ministry
has
budgeted
139.8
million
in
expense
included
in
this
amount
are
the
following
major
items:
47.6
million
for
the
utility
rebate
in
2324.
The
funding
will
follow
through
on
our
commitment
to
provide
a
total
of
up
to
500
in
electricity
rebates
to
over
1.9
million
homes,
farms
and
small
businesses.
C
As
part
of
our
affordability
action
plan,
the
2022-23
third
quarter
forecast
for
the
utility
rebate
and
Grant
programs
was
647.8
Million.
The
next
major
item
is
33.5
million
to
support
the
operating
costs
of
the
Alberta
Utilities
Commission,
which
tracks
customer
service
quality
in
its
regulated
utilities
and
regulates
electricity
distribution
rates.
C
C
C
C
The
second
outcome
in
the
business
plan
is
to
ensure
albertans
benefit
from
a
safe,
reliable
and
affordable
utility
system.
To
achieve
this,
we
are
committed
to
five
objectives:
one
to
enable
a
modern,
competitive
and
adaptive
electricity
system
for
albertans
to
support
job
creation,
attract
investment
and
support
the
adoption
of
lower
carbon
energy
in
the
province
address.
The
cost
of
utility
payments
for
albertans
by
ensuring
regulative
rates
for
electricity
and
natural
gas
are
formulated
to
best
serve
albertans
and
reviewing
transmission
distribution
and
other
costs.
C
To
conclude
my
remarks
today,
I
will
restate
that
the
ministry
is
keenly
focused
on
providing
both
short-term
relief,
while
also
doing
the
long-term
work
to
ensure
we
keep
Alberta
affordable
for
the
years
to
come.
We
have
acted
swiftly
and
decisively
to
help
individuals
and
families
get
through
this
time
of
high
inflation,
and
we
will
continue
to
build
on
that
success.
Going
forward.
B
Thank
you
Minister,
and
just
before
we
get
get
going.
We
do
have
six
hours
here,
but
I
just
encourage
all
committee
members
to
let's
make
the
best
use
of
our
time
and
keep
our
questions
relevant
to
the
ministry,
so
that
there's
a
bit
of
a
crossover
that
we
will
we
can
expect.
But
if
you,
if
you
do
persist
in
a
line
of
questioning,
that's
off
topic,
I
will
call
you
to
order
for
the
hour
that
follows
members
of
the
official
opposition
and
the
minister
may
speak
honorable
members.
B
G
Thank
you
very
much
Mr
chair,
so
I
want
to
start
out
by
saying
that
I
think.
The
one
thing
that
we
can
all
agree
on
is
that
this
is
an
issue
that's
of
critical
importance
to
Alberta
albertans.
At
this
time,
I
think
inflation
is
at
an
all-time
high
in
wage
growth,
particularly
in
Alberta,
is,
is
much
lower
than
the
rest
of
the
country.
G
We
have
relatively
high
unemployment
compared
to
the
rest
of
the
country,
so
people
are
I,
think
challenged
more
so
than
they
have
been,
probably
at
any
time
in
the
last
couple
decades.
So
I
think
I
agree
that
this
is
a
Ministry
that
is
doing
some
incredibly
important
work.
The
cost
of
everything
has
gone
up:
electricity,
natural
gas,
groceries,
tuition,
interest
on
student
loans
and
insurance,
I
I'd
like
to
know
you
know.
Generally
so
obviously,
we've
created
a
new
ministerial
office
that
comes
with
political
staff.
G
That's
a
cost
to
the
people
of
Alberta
I'm
curious
sort
of
what
other
actions
are
taking.
Are
we
examining
things
like
you
know,
things
that
affect
affordability
generally
like
mission
or
groceries,
I
think
we
called
for
an
investigation
in
that
that
was
was
never
taken
up,
so
I'd
love
to
know.
What's
going
on
with
those
I
think
as
well.
G
You
know
the
minister
mentioned
several
times:
the
natural
gas
rebate.
This
thing
was
originally
announced
almost
a
year
ago
now,
I
think
at
the
time.
G
At
the
time
we
called
it
a
fake,
mostly
because
it
wasn't
expected
to
come
in
for
quite
a
while
I,
don't
actually
see
it
reflected
in
the
budget.
So
I'm
just
curious,
because
you
know
it
was
our
position
at
the
time
that
that
was
a
fake
rebate,
that
there
was
not
going
to
be
actually
any
money
there.
G
So
I'd
love
to
know
how
much
was
spent
last
year,
gas
rebate
I'd
also
love
to
know
because
I
don't
see
it
in
a
line
item
here
in
your
budget,
so
I'd
love
to
know
how
much
you
expect
to
spend
this
year
on
the
national
gas
rebate,
because
it
continues
to
be
our
position
that
this
is
is
a
program.
That's
essentially
lip
service.
G
It
was
floated
at
a
price
that
rates
were
not
really
projected
to
hit
so
yeah
I
would
love
to
know
how
much
has
been
spent
and
how
much
we
expect
will
be
spent
and
and
I
love
Minister.
Also,
your
opinion
on
whether
you
think
that
that
is
sufficient
to
help
people
the
people
of
this
province,
yeah
I,
know
I
mean
we
don't
have
actuals
for
some
reason,
but
we
do
have
forecasts
so
we
can.
We
can
get
some
I
would
hope.
Estimation
of
how
much
was
spent
last
year.
I
think
on
that.
G
So
those
are
buildings
that
have
like
one
meter
for
everyone,
because
obviously
the
power
for
the
whole
building
will
be
much
higher
than
the
threshold
I'm,
just
a
little
curious
as
to
why
that
decision
was
taken
and
what
the
explanation
to
people
living
in
those
buildings
because
they're
for
the
most
part
suffering
from
the
affordability
crisis,
just
as
much
as
anyone
else
so
yeah
I
would
love
to
hear.
G
You
know
for
those
people-
and
you
know,
we've
heard
extensively
from
groups
like
the
condos
Canada
Owners
Association,
that
they
feel
this.
It
creates
a
real
unfairness,
so
I'd
love
to
hear,
if
there's
any
plans
to
address
that,
going
forward
to
sort
of
fix
that
problem
in
that
particular
exclusion.
And
if
not,
why
not?
G
And
why
I
guess
why
the
problem
hasn't
been
solved.
Yet
it
seems
like
there
there
are
possible
solves,
or
at
least
I
can
imagine
possible
solves.
We
also
heard
from
a
lot
of
people
that
fifty
dollars
relative
to
the
actual
increase
in
price
was
insufficient,
and
so
I
would
like
to
hear
yeah
a
little
more
about
about
The
Minister's
opinion
on
whether
that
was
in
fact
enough.
G
G
And
so
you
know
we
can
obviously
estimate
the
the
ceiling
is
at
13.5,
so
everything
above
that
up
to
I
think
it's
yeah
would
be
sort
of
going
into
this
into
this
loan
and
we're
almost
well
I
guess
we're
still
in
March
we're
almost
to
the
end
of
the
period,
so
that
would
give
us
sort
of
a
a
snapshot,
I
guess
of
how
much
albertans
are
going
to
owe
I'm,
also
curious,
because
I
mean
personally
I,
don't
think
the
program
design
is
particularly
good.
I.
G
Don't
think
that
more
debt
is
the
thing
that
albertans
need
right
now,
but
it
begins
to
pay
back
in
April.
So,
essentially
you
know
once
you
have
the
total
amount.
What
I'd
like
to
know
is
how
much
total
debt
we
have
so
far
and
how
how
that
would
spread
over
our
own
customers
so
about
how
much
roughly
each
individual
person
owes
I'd,
also
be
really
interested
to
know
what
what
we
expect
prices
to
do
in
like
July
and
August,
because
obviously
we
have
this.
G
This
ceiling
right
now
and
everything's
being
pushed
into
this
loan,
but
July
and
August
will
be
months
in
which
the
loan
is
being
paid
back
by
albertans
and
at
the
same
time
their
prices
may
be
higher
like
last
summer.
We
saw
certainly
not
the
spikes.
We
saw
this
winter,
but
we
saw
at
the
time
those
were
record.
G
High
power
prices,
so
I'd
be
interested
to
know
what
the
ministry's
estimate
is
on
what
the
prices
will
be
in
July
and
August
when
people
are
having
to
pay
back
so
I
mean
essentially
they're,
potentially
paying
whatever
the
going
rate
is
plus
they're,
paying
off
this
loan
that
the
government
has
placed
it
upon
them.
G
So,
yes,
to
sum
up,
what
is
the
total?
What
is
the
total
amount
owed
by
ro
customers
as
a
result
of
the
loan
deferral
program
on
average?
How
much
do
you
think
that
that
will
be
for
each
person
like
how
much
do
we
expect
that
to
add
to
each
person's
bill
over
the
repayment
period
or
on
a
month-to-month
basis
either
or
is
fine?
G
G
Yeah,
so
those
are
those
are
the
questions
on
that
sort
of
set
there.
G
G
So
the
University
of
Calgary
has
done
and
I'm
I'm,
citing
here
called
Energy
and
environmental
policy
Trends,
it's
October
2022
at
Alberta,
wind
and
energy,
windfall
by
Sarah
Hastings,
Simon,
Andrew,
Leach,
Blake,
Schaefer
and
Tim
Weiss,
and
they
cite
that
the
total
gain
to
the
government
of
Alberta
is
expected
to
be
about
160
million
dollars
from
the
renewable
energy
electricity
program.
G
So
I'm
just
curious
where
that
Revenue
is
reflected
in
the
budget
because
it's
showing
up
as
a
cost,
but
certainly
this
would
suggest
that
it's
not
a
cost
and
I
mean
these
calculations
can
make
be
made
as
the
strike
price
was
public
at
the
time.
And
so
surely
the
government
would
be
able
to
I
guess.
G
G
So
I
would
love
to
know
where
that
is
located,
because
I
think
you
know
people
deserve
to
know
what
the
outcome
of
that
project
was
and
the
way
it's
reflected
in
this
budget
now
would
suggest
that
the
government
is
not
in
fact
making
money
from
it,
which
I
think
I
mean
these
numbers
may
be
imperfect,
because,
obviously
we
don't
know
which
strike
price
applies
to
which
contract
and
therefore
sort
of
the
size
of
the
whole
thing.
G
But
you
know
these
are
estimates
and
their
estimates
made
on
the
most
sort
of
conservative
assignment
of
those
of
those
contracts
to
solar
so
to
solar
and
wind
projects.
So
yeah
I
would
be
interested
to
know
where
that,
where
that
revenue
is
reflected
because
I
think
it's
pretty
clear
that
it
exists.
G
So
a
business
plan,
performance
metrics
under
1B
performance,
Indus
indicator,
Alberta
annual
inflation
rate
compared
to
national
levels,
I'm
just
sort
of
looking
for
an
explanation
of
how
those
numbers
are
calculated
sort
of
like
what,
whether
it's
based
on
statistics,
Canada
data
or
like,
where
yeah,
where
we're
getting
those
percentages
from
and
I,
have
three
seconds
so
I
just
will.
C
Thank
you
very
much
for
the
questions
and
there
are
many
questions.
I'll
try
to
get
through
as
many
as
I
can
and,
of
course
we
can
address
them.
The
next
block
as
well
so
fully
agree
that
affordability
is
the
number
one
issue
facing
albertans
and
indeed
Canadians,
and
that
is
the
result
of
record
inflation
and
that's
why
our
government
came
forward
with
our
affordability
action
plan,
which
includes
significant,
broad-based
and
targeted
inflation
relief
and
I
just
want
to
go
through
some
of
those
measures.
C
We
of
course
fully
suspended
the
fuel
tax,
so
from
January
to
June
of
2023
albertans
will
save
13.6
cents
per
liter,
including
gdst,
on
every
liter
of
gasoline
and
Diesel.
In
addition,
since
July
of
2022,
we've
been
providing
electricity
rebates
to
upwards
of
2
million
homes,
small
businesses
and
Farms
across
Alberta
up
to
500
over
the
course
of
the
program,
an
average
of
50
a
month.
Although
the
January
and
February
2023
rebates
are
75
dollars
each
in
recognition
of
the
the
higher
demand
and
colder
winter
months,
we
also
implemented
a
natural
gas
price
protection
program.
C
We
were
concerned
about
geopolitical
events,
supply
and
demand
imbalances,
and
we
wanted
albertans
to
be
protected
and
benefit
from
their
own
resource,
and
what
that
program
does
is
if
the
Alberta
price
of
natural
gas
exceeds
650,
a
gigajoule
albertans
will
receive
a
dollar
for
dollar
rebate
on
the
natural
gas
portion
of
their
bill,
and
I
want
to
highlight
that
this
program
is
now
a
permanent
feature
of
Alberta,
like
our
fuel
tax
relief.
C
These
are
two
ways
that
albertans
will
continue
to
be
protected
and
save
money
from
their
own
resource,
and
we
should
be
proud
of
our
oil
and
gas
sector,
our
responsible
oil
and
gas
sector.
In
addition
to
those
programs,
we
also
indexed
core
support
programs.
Those
include
H
income,
support,
the
Alberta
seniors
benefit
and
the
Alberta
child
and
family
benefit
which
increased
six
percent
this
year
and
will
continue
to
increase
annually
with
the
cost
of
living.
C
We
also
retroactively
indexed
income
taxes
to
January
of
last
year,
and
this
means
that
come
tax
time
and
people
are
already
working
on
their
taxes.
They're
going
to
see
higher
refunds,
lower
taxes
owed,
and
it
also
provides
ongoing
relief
because,
of
course,
it's
also
indexed
so
going
forward.
Albertans
will
have
lower
withholdings
on
their
paychecks,
another
great
affordability
measure
available
to
all
Alberts
the
big
one,
our
affordability
payments.
C
We
knew
that,
even
with
these
broad-based
measures,
there
were
categories
of
albertans
that
were
being
hit
particularly
hard
by
inflation.
Those
included
families
with
it
multiple
dependents,
many
mouths
to
feed,
and
so
we
wanted
to
provide
additional
targeted
inflation
relief,
and
that
is
six
hundred
dollars
in
affordability.
C
Payments
over
six
months
from
January
to
June,
2023
seniors
on
lower
and
often
fixed
incomes
also
have
been
particularly
challenged
by
the
inflation
crisis,
and
so
they
too
65
and
up
seniors
in
Alberta
are
eligible
for
600.40
affordability
payments
over
six
months,
and
then
we
also
automatically
enrolled
albertans
on
our
core
support
programs.
So
any
albertan
receiving
H
income
support
the
Alberta
seniors
benefit
or
the
Alberta
child
and
family
benefit
or
receiving
Services
through
PDD,
was
automatically
enrolled
and
is
receiving
up
up
to
600
over
the
next
six
months
to
help
them
pay
their
bills.
C
To
take
a
little
pressure
off,
especially
families
who
are
making
tough
choices,
you
know,
can
they
keep
their
kids
in
their
activities
and
we
certainly
didn't
want
children
after
the
two
years
that
they
experienced
in
the
pandemic
to
have
to
make
those
choices,
and
a
reputable
Economist
has
estimated
that
the
the
additional
burden
on
families
due
to
excess
inflation
is
around
90
per
month
per
child.
C
In
addition,
we've
recently
announced
post-secondary
affordability
measures.
We've
all
seen
the
increases
in
interest
rates,
the
dramatic
rise
in
interest
rates,
and
so
just
a
few
weeks
ago,
I
joined
the
minister
of
advanced
education
and
we
announced
reductions
in
student
loan
interest
rates.
We
also
doubled
the
interest-free
deferral
period
from
six
months
to
12
months,
because
we
know
that
students
they're
facing
cost
of
living
increases
just
like
everybody
else
to
find
gainful
employment.
Perhaps
they
can
tap
into
the
hundred
thousand
job
vacancies
in
Alberta,
which
is
booming.
C
C
We
also
paused,
auto
insurance
rate
increases,
so
I
worked
with
the
minister
of
Treasury,
Ward
and
finance,
and
we
announced
that
until
January
of
next
year,
auto
insurance
rate
increases
will
be
denied
and
that
should
provide.
You
know
some
cost
certainty
for
albertans.
At
a
time
of
rising
costs.
C
The
minister
of
seniors,
community
and
Social
Services
recently
announced
additional
support
to
food
banks.
We'd
heard
a
concerning
rise
in
the
use
of
food
banks
and-
and
we
wanted
to
help
so
for
the
first
time-
we're
contributing
20
million
dollars,
10
million
of
which
is
earmarked
for
matching
campaigns,
but
we
wanted
to
ensure
that
our
most
vulnerable
had
access
to
nutritious
meals
when
and
where
they
need
it.
C
We
also
have
made
Investments
to
support
low-income,
Transit
programs,
because
we
know
that
it's
expensive
it
has
been
expensive
to
get
around
and
we
wanted
to
make
sure
that
our
lowest
income
albertans
were
able
to
get
where
they
needed
to
go,
whether
it's
work
or
school
or
to
get
groceries
for
their
family.
So
those
are
just.
Those
are
a
quick
high
level
overview
of
some
of
the
affordability
measures
that
we've
been
working
on.
It
ties
into
your
question:
what
is
our
ministry
doing
well
to
to
implement
these
programs?
C
We
had
to
work
across
government
so
for
the
fuel
tax
relief.
We
had
to
work
with
treasury
board
and
finance
for
the
natural
gas
price
protection
program.
Again
we
had
to
work
with
the
treasury
board
in
finance.
H
income
support
the
Alberta
seniors
benefit.
We
worked
with
our
partners
in
seniors
community
and
Social
Services,
the
Alberta
childhood
family
benefit.
We
worked
with
our
partners
in
children's
services
post-secondary.
C
C
You
asked
some
specific
ques,
the
member
opposite
asked
some
specific
questions.
The
natural
rat
gas
rebate
I'm
pleased
to
report
that
to
deliver
a
billion
dollars
of
electric
electricity
rebates
and
again
that's
up
to
500
a
household
in
Alberta,
the
most
significant
in
the
country
to
provide
a
billion
dollars
in
support
automatically
to
these
households
and
to
it
and
to
provide
permanent
year-round
natural
gas
price
protection.
The
administration
costs
were
minimal,
it
was
around
nine
and
a
half
million
dollars
for
both
programs.
C
In
terms
of
what
the
natural
gas
rebate
program
will
cost
will
will
have
to
see
how
it
is
utilized
because,
of
course,
it's
intended
to
protect
albertans
from
spikes
from
unforeseen,
perhaps
globally
driven
events.
But
the
gospel
of
course
be
reported
once
we
use
it.
C
C
So
we
implemented
a
13
and
a
half
cent
per
cent
per
kilowatt
hour
price
ceiling,
which
meant
that
any
amounts
in
January,
February
or
March
of
2023
above
13
F
cents
were
deferred
and
they
were
deferred
to
lower
cost
months,
starting
April
2023,
so
that
albertans
could
more
easily
manage
the
bills
and
I
want
to
be
clear
that
we
provided
the
government
provided
no
interest
loans
to
ro
providers
so
that
this
price
deferral
for
this
price
protection
could
be
provided
at
no
interest
at
no
interest
cost
to
the
RO
provider
or
to
the
consumer,
and
this
mirrors
fixed
rate
protection.
C
G
Thank
you
very
much
and
I
must
congratulate
the
minister
I
think.
That's
the
first
time
I've
seen
a
minister
get
through
eight
minutes
without
answering
a
single
question.
So
I
will
restate
the
questions
for
the
record.
G
So
I
will
restate
the
questions
for
the
record,
so
the
first
question
was
how
much
has
been
spent
on
the
natural
gas
protection
so
far.
The
second
question
is:
how
much
do
you
anticipate
being
spent
next
year?
This
is
a
budget,
so
the
function
of
a
budget
is
to
protect
project.
How
much
things
will
cost
next
year.
G
So
I
think
it's
pretty
well
in
bounds,
especially
given
that
you
raised
it
three
times
in
your
opening
remarks
for
me
to
ask:
how
much
will
that
cost
next
year,
because
I
I
think
that
the
actual
answer
is
zero,
that
you
know
that
it's
going
to
cost
zero,
so
I
think
the
next
set
of
questions
was
around
at
the
electricity
rebate
and
just
to
to
restate
the
question
for
the
minister,
because
I
think
you
might
have
missed
it,
you
know
what
do
you
have
to
say
to
people
in
those
multi-residential
buildings
that
did
not
receive
a
rebate?
G
Have
you
made
attempts
to
fix
it?
Do
you
intend
to
fix
it
in
the
future
and
so
I
think
yeah?
Those
are
questions.
I've,
certainly
been
getting
from
the
public
from
constituents.
I.
Imagine
that
members
on
the
other
side
have
been
getting
those
same
questions
so
yeah
I
think
that
they're
worthy
of
of
answering
in
terms
of
the
electricity
loan
deferral
program
again,
the
question
was
how
much
do
albertans
on
the
RO
currently.
G
So
what
is
what
is
the
total
amount
that
albertans
on
the
RO
currently
owe?
How
much
do
we
expect
them
to
be
paying
back
per
month?
Roughly
is
good
enough,
and
and
what
are
we
expecting
prices
to
be
in
the
summer?
G
So
what
are
we
expecting
prices
to
be
a
month
like
July
and
August,
because
the
the
justification
that's
being
provided
for
this
sort
of
like
loan
deferral
program,
that's
being
put
on
Alberta
albertans-
is
that
it's
in
some
way,
like
a
fixed
term
contract
is
I,
think
what
I
heard
you
say
and
that
people
will
pay.
You
know
more
in
some
months
and
less
in
in
other
months.
G
So
obviously,
in
order
to
make
that
statement,
you
must
have
some
sort
of
belief
that
in
summer
the
the
costs
will
be
lower
and
significantly
lower
enough
to
offset
the
loan
repayment.
So
you,
obviously
you
must
be
anticipating
that
they'll
be
lower
than
13
and
a
half
cents,
so
I'm
just
wondering
sort
of
what
the
guess
like
what
the
what
the
projections
say
about
how
much
that
is
going
to
be.
So
those
were.
G
Oh,
yes
and
the
other
question
was
about
where
the
revenue
from
the
renewable
electricity
program
is
reflected
in
the
budget
and
how
much
in
total
you
are
expecting
that
to
be
so.
Those
are
the
ones
in
the
last
set.
There's
a
couple
that
I
have
arising.
G
One
comment,
which
is
to
say
you
re-index
benefits
and
taxes
because
you're
the
ones
who
de-index
them
the
other
one
is
to
say
so,
I'd
like
to
know
a
little
bit
more
about
this
pausing
of
Auto
insurance
rates,
I
because
it
wasn't
in
this
budget,
I
hadn't
realized.
But
luckily
the
ministers
raised
it
and
therefore
put
it
in
play
so
I'm
just
curious,
because
the
information
we
have
shows
a
16
increase
of
Aviva
13
at
Trader
General.
So
it's
showing
auto
insurance
going
up
significantly
like
16
13.
G
These
are
significant
increases
in
people's
auto
insurance
this
year,
so
I'm
a
little
curious.
What
what's
going
to
happen
there?
Does
the
government
have
some
sort
of
enforcement
mechanism
that
you
intend
to
use
against
these
folks,
because,
obviously,
if
there's
a
cap
and
they've
raised
insurance
rates,
that
would
be
in
violation
of
some
sort
of
law,
I
would
presume
so
yeah
just
I'm
just
curious
what
the
outcome
on
that
is
going
to
be.
G
Sorry,
oh
the
regulated
rate
option-
and
this
is
just
a
rising,
although
I
have
heard
it
before.
G
Is
it
the
intention
of
the
government
to
get
rid
of
the
regulated
rate
option
I
I
would
be
interested
I
think
that's
an
interesting
question,
complicated
question,
but
an
interesting
one,
so
yeah
I
would
like
to
know
kind
of
what
what
the
intention
with
that
is,
because
it's
sort
of
this
isn't
the
first
time
it's
been
implied
that
that
might
be
on
its
way
out
so
I
think
that's
important
information
for
albertans
and
then
the
final
question
was
on
the
calculation
of
the
performance
indicators
in
one
b.
G
G
G
Objective
I'm
just
curious
with
respect
to
that,
so
one
of
one
of
the
things
that
would
obviously
do
that
and
I
think
this
government
must
agree
because
you
passed
a
bill
to
this
effect
is
the
adoption
of
energy
storage,
and
so
a
bill
was
introduced
and
then
died
on
the
order
of
paper.
G
I
know
that
this
is
work
that
is
done
with
the
ASO
and
so
I'm
just
curious.
You
know
when,
like
in
light
of
the
fact
that
storage-
you
know
it
increases
reliability,
it
defers
transmission
costs
as
likely
to
bring
down
prices.
It
sort
of
increases
the
ability
of
the
grid
to
provide
dispatchable,
Power
I'm
just
curious
when
we
expect
that
work
to
be
completed
because
I
think
it's
you
know
it's
pretty
important.
The
ideal
time
would
have
been
two
years
ago,
but
no
time
quite
like
the
present.
G
So
you
know.
When
are
we
expecting
that
to
come
forward
so
that
albertans
can
see
that
start
to
happen
and
what's
kind
of
what
what's
the
hold
up
or
their
ongoing
consultations?
Is
there
some
sort
of
difficulty
I
feel
like
the
Act
was
passed
a
while
ago
now
so
yeah
I
have
been
getting
many
questions
from
from
folks
in
the
industry
about
when
we
expect
to
see
that
and
so
I
think
that
would
be
important.
G
I
think
it's
important
to
albertans
as
well,
because
I
think
it
it
affects
the
prices
in
the
long
term
and
I.
Think
the
minister
at
the
time
said
that
in
introducing
the
Bell,
so
I
I
would
have
I
would
imagine
that
the
government
position
is
one
that
agrees,
that
that's
important
and
will
in
fact
bring
down
those
prices.
G
It
refers
to
ensuring
regulated
rates
for
natural
gas
and
electricity
are
formulated
to
best
serve
albertans
I'm,
just
curious
what
that
means,
whether
you're
sort
of
reviewing
the
way
that's
done,
because
it's
typically
done
by
independent
bodies
and
so
yeah
I'm,
just
I'm
just
curious
sort
of
what
impact
the
government
has
has
or
what
impact
the
government
intends
to
have,
or
how?
G
G
The
the
next
metric
talks
about
reviewing
transmission
distribution
and
other
costs
I'm
just
curious.
What
that
means?
Will
it
be
a
public
review?
Will
there
be
stakeholder
input?
G
Will
it
be
a
legislative
assembly
committee
who
who
will
be
doing
the
reviewing
and
whether
that
will
be
public
because
I
think
the
public
has
a
fairly
Keen
interest
in
this
I
know,
mostly
it's
done
by
the
ASO,
with
the
exception
of
a
previous
conservative
government
that
passed
a
a
bill
to
build
some
extra
transmission
lines,
but
yeah
I'm,
just
I'm,
just
curious
how
that
review
is
going
to
take
place
and
what
whether
you
anticipate
anything
changing
as
a
result
of
that
and
I.
Think
at
that
point.
G
Okay,
we
got
12
seconds.
Maybe
I'll
just
give
up
those
12
seconds
and
forward
to
the
answers.
C
Thank
you
very
much,
so
our
government
is
helping
combat
the
rising
cost
of
living
by
providing
protection
from
high
natural
gas
prices,
and
we
implemented
the
natural
gas
rebate
program
to
ensure
that
customers
would
not
be
subject
to
high
winter
heating
costs.
As
seen
elsewhere.
C
As
part
of
the
affordability
action
plan,
we
announced
that
the
natural
gas
rebate
would
become
a
year-round
price
protection
program
to
ensure
albertans
are
protected
from
Price
spikes
and
heating
costs.
The
rebate
will
provide
critical
price
protection
for
more
than
1.6
million
Alberton
homes,
farms
and
businesses,
using
both
natural
gas
and
other
heating
fuels.
C
The
natural
gas
rebate
again
will
be
triggered
if
the
monthly
natural
gas
rate
charged
by
any
of
Alberta's
regulated
utility
providers
that
could
be
Apex,
Atco,
North
or
cell,
is
above
650
per
gigajoule
eligible
eligible
consumers
connected
to
the
Natural
Gas
system
will
receive
the
rebate
automatically
on
their
bill
as
a
credit.
During
the
rebate
periods,
albertans
will
automatically
receive
the
rebate
on
their
bill
if
they
are
a
connected
natural
gas
consumer
who
is
either
on
a
regulated
monthly
gas
rate
or
competitive
plan
or
and
uses
less
than
2500.
C
Gigajoules
of
natural
gas
annually
rebates
will
cover
the
difference
between
650,
a
gigajoule
and
the
highest
regulative
rate
for
that
calendar
month.
For
example,
if
the
highest
monthly
rate
is
750
gigajoule
all
eligible
consumers
would
get
a
rebate
on
their
bill
covering
one
dollar
for
every
Giga
Joule
consumed
albertans,
who
use
other
heating
fuels
and
non-connected
natural
gas
for
their
purposes
of
heating
are
also
eligible
for
the
natural
gas
rebate
program.
C
Their
rebate
is
triggered
by
the
same
criteria,
but
there
are
limits
based
on
the
number
of
liters
of
propane
heating,
oil
and
kerosene
utilized
are
combined
with
nearly
1
billion
in
supports
through
the
electricity
rebate
and
our
fuel
tax
pause.
This
program
is
certainly
helping
albertans
by
shielding
them
from
high
energy
prices,
but
I
want
to
be
clear
that
it
was
never
intended
to
pay
day-to-day
utility
bills.
C
The
electricity
rebates
for
single
metered
and
sub
metered
units-
this
is
certainly
an
issue
that
we've
heard
about,
so
a
reminder
that
we
are
providing
electricity
rebates
up
to
500
per
household,
to
2
million
households,
farms
and
small
businesses
across
Alberta,
and
that's
applied
directly
to
electricity
bills.
The
challenge
for
us
in
terms
of
single
and
sub-metered
is
that
we
don't
have.
C
We
do
not
see
individual
customers,
individual
albertans
or
their
units
behind
the
single
or
sub
meter,
and
so
we
have
been
exploring
Solutions,
because
we
know
that
they've
been
facing
high
energy
costs
just
like
every
other,
every
other
albertan,
and
we
certainly
would
like
to
provide
them.
These
rebates
as
well-
and
there
is
ongoing
work
to
it-
to
explore
ways
that
we
can
provide
this
relief.
But
I
want
to
be
clear.
We
have
to
do
it
in
a
way,
that's
non-taxable.
C
The
RO
ceiling
and
deferral
you
asked
about
how
much
has
been
deferred-
it's
approximately
250
million
dollars
that
we
expect
to
defer
over
the
January
February
and
month
and
March
months,
and
this
is
real
relief
for
albertans,
because
these
bills,
I
can
tell
you
would
not
have
been
manageable,
particularly
for
those
on
low
and
fixed
incomes,
and
the
recovery
period
is
21
months.
C
We
expect
the
the
recovery
amount
to
be
around
two
cents,
a
kilowatt
hour,
extremely
manageable,
again,
mirroring
fixed
rate
protection,
paying
a
little
bit
more
in
the
lower
months,
beginning
April
in
return
for
protection
from
some
of
the
highest
electricity
months
ever
in
Alberta's
history
and
again,
the
government
provided
no
interest
loans
so
that
Ro
providers
can
provide
this
protection
at
no
interest
expense
to
the
RO
provider
or
to
albertans
I.
Think
it's
also
worth
mentioning
that
albertans
have
Choice.
C
When
it
comes
to
their
electricity,
they
can
choose
to
remain
on
the
regular,
regular,
regulated
rate
option
or
they
can
explore
competitive
plants
and
those
plans
can
be
fixed,
guaranteeing
a
price
over
a
term
or
they
can
be
variable.
If
an
albertan
chooses
the
utilities.
Consumer
Advocate
is
a
great
resource
to
evaluate
the
options
that
are
available
to
you.
C
You,
the
member
opposite,
had
inquired
about
prices
in
July
and
August.
I
can
just
tell
you
that
we
expect
them
to
be
lower,
certainly
than
the
than
the
price
ceiling
months
so
Jen.
The
intent
was
to
take
the
extreme
volatility.
The
extreme
shock
of
the
January,
February
and
March
bills
away,
and
to
provide
stability
for
albertans
and
the
deferral
months
will
be
lower
than
those,
and
so
that's
why
we
did
it
that
way.
C
So
we
expect
July
and
August
to
be
lower,
certainly
than
January
and
February
I'm
gonna
get
Matt
to
comment
on
your
question
on
the
re
program
as
it
is
in
our
books
here
and
the
performance
measures
you're
inquired
about.
H
Thank
you,
minister.
So
you
asked
about
the
renewal
electricity
program
and
where
that's
included,
so
the
rep
program
is
highly
dependent
on
the
wholesale
electricity
price,
which
is
very
volatile
and
difficult
to
predict.
We
don't
anticipate
the
current
High
Pool
prices
to
continue
in
the
long
term
and
are
taking
steps
to
address
these
costs
to
make
electricity
more
affordable,
going
forward,
for
example,
reviewing
aspects
of
Alberta's
distribution
and
transmission
policies
and
how
we
can
maximize
the
efficiency
of
our
existing
system.
H
We've
also
passed
the
electricity
statutes
modernizing
Alberta's
electricity
grid
Amendment
act
to
enable
the
integration
of
new
technologies
into
the
system
to
meet
the
evolving
needs
of
consumers
and
Industry.
So
as
a
result
of
this
volatile
program
and
the
steps
we're
taking,
we've
taken
a
conservative
and
consistent
approach
by
budgeting
expenses
of
12
million
per
year
from
22
23
to
25
26.,
we
do
recognize
the
revenue
that's
being
generated
to
date
has
been
136
million
since
the
Inception
of
the
program
and
that's
up
to
December
30th
31st
2022.
H
This
Revenue
goes
into
the
government's
General
Revenue
fund
and
it
is
reported
in
under
other
Revenue
in
our
annual
report
and
the
ministry
is
reviewing
our
forecasting
of
this
volatile
program
and,
if
needed,
we'll
update
our
expense
and
revenue
forecasts
in
the
2023-24
first
quarter.
Fiscal
update.
C
Thank
you
very
much
for
that
answer.
Your
next
question
was
on
automobile
insurance
and
I'll,
provide
some
commentary,
but
I
would
I
would
encourage
you
to
direct
questions
on
insurance
to
treasury
board
and
finance.
We
know
that
many
albertans
are
struggling
with
rising
cost
of
living,
and
that
certainly
includes
automobile
insurance
costs.
C
So
we
as
of
January
25th
2023,
our
government
paused
private
passenger
vehicle
insurance
rate
increases
through
to
the
end
of
this
year
until
January
2024
insurance
companies
also
must
now
offer
payment
plan
options
to
ensure
that
albertans
don't
have
to
pay
the
full
Year's
premium
up
front.
While
these
rate
increases
are
paused,
people
drove
less
during
the
covid-19
pandemic,
leading
to
reduced
claims
and
increased
industry
profits,
inflation
and
the
return
to
more
normal
driving
patterns
are
expected
to
stabilize
premiums
further.
C
These
are
temporary
measures
to
give
albertin
some
breathing
room
while
we
explore
longer-term
Solutions
and
our
goal
is
to
steady,
auto
insurance
rates
in
the
province
and
ultimately
lower
them
for
albertans.
So
again,
further
automobile
rate
insurance
rate
increases
requests
will
be
denied
until
January
the
earliest
January
of
2024..
C
Your
next
question
was
on
the
future
of
the
RO
and
I
believe
it
relates
to
key
objective.
2.2
and
I've
only
got
a
minute
here
so
we'll,
but
we
can
touch
on
in
the
next
block,
but
we've
seen
record
pricing
record
high
costs
and
record
volatility
in
the
regulated
rate
option
for
electricity
and
what
we've
all
what's
also
become
clear
from
the
feedback
from
our
constituents
and
the,
and
certainly
the
feedback
I've
heard
is
that
albertans
albertans
may
not
understand
the
volatility
inherent
in
the
regulated
rate
option.
C
It's
essentially
a
price
taker
with
a
with
a
few
months
delay,
and
so
we've
put
together
a
working
group
of
Ro
providers
to
explore
the
future
of
the
arrow.
So
the
question
is:
does
the
RO
make
sense,
given
the
potential
volatility
inherent
in
its
design?
Do
we
need
to
change
it?
Do
we
need
to
wind
it
down?
It
was
never
meant
to
be
a
permanent
feature
of
our.
G
I
am
just
going
to
return
briefly
to
the
Natural
Gas
rebate,
because
this
is
like
the
budget
includes
that
which
has
occurred
in
the
past,
but
also
that
which
occurs
in
the
future
necessarily,
and
so
the
I
mean
the
the
main
thing
that
we're
here
to
discuss
tends
to
be
the
estimates,
and
so
the
estimates
are
for
next
year.
G
What
I'm
not
seeing
is
an
estimate
for
the
natural
gas
rebate,
so
that
would
suggest
to
me
that
you
are
estimating
that
it
will
be
zero
dollars
or
you
would
have
put
it
in
the
budget.
So
that's
I'm
just
trying
to
confirm
whether
whether
your
projections
would
suggest
it'll
be
zero
dollars
or
not.
G
I
think
the
questions
around
the
electricity
deferral
program,
I
think
have
mostly
been
answered.
The
only
remaining
one
is,
you
said
that
you
expected
prices
in
July
and
August
to
be
lower
than
they
were
during
the
months
in
which
you
created
the
loan.
G
Do
you
expect
them
to
be
lower
than
13
and
a
half
cents,
because
otherwise,
like
even
if
they're
at
13
cents,
when
you
add
two
cents
on
now,
they're
at
15
cents,
so
they're
higher
than
or
even
I
mean
they
could
be
lower
and
still
considerably
higher
than
13
cents
like
say
25
cents,
so
I'm
just
curious
about
that?
It's
just,
it
seems
like
a
weird
I
mean
obviously
I.
Think
it's
a
weird
program,
but
so
some
of
the
other
questions.
G
Are
a
working
group
right,
so
we
were
on
reviewing
of
transmission
distribution
and
other
costs.
I
think
you
probably
caught
those
the
first
time
so
I'll
just
leave
them
to
be
to
be
gone
back
to
at
a
later
Point
in
terms
of
the
actual
sorry,
so
not
in
the
business.
Well,
I
guess
they
are
in
the
business
to
get
them
in
the
estimates
anyway,
and
the
government
main
estimates
line,
1.1
The
Minister's
office,
it's
up
48,
which
seems
like
quite
a
lot.
G
Inflation
is
high,
but
it's
not
48
and
that's
I
mean
that's
just
political
staff.
Now
I
had
wondered
whether
it
was
because
it
was
split
off
from
energy,
but
the
minister
of
Energy's
office
also
jumped
from
667
to
or
sorry
from
while
the
the
number
shown
is
660.
So
that
would
be.
G
Six
thousand
six
because
they're
in
hundreds
of
thousand
anyway,
it
jumped
up
almost
a
similar
percentage,
so
almost
48
as
well,
and
so,
oh,
no,
sorry
a
little
bit
less,
but
still
a
very
large
percentage.
It
went
from
667
to
104.8,
so
yeah
not
expecting
you
to
answer
for
that,
just
that
it
wasn't
that
they
split
the
two
Ministries
like
they've,
both
gone
up
and
so
I
think
yeah
I
think
I'd
like
an
explanation
as
to
why
it
was
that
more
48,
more
political
staff
was
necessary
in
in
The
Minister's
office.
G
The
other
questions
I
had
so
line:
2.1,
affordability
and
utilities.
The
budget
for
2022-23
was
a
about
5
million,
we're
now
up
to
12
million
I.
Guess
if
you
round
it
up,
it
was
almost
six,
but
still
it's
almost
doubled,
I'm
just
a
little
bit
curious.
What
that?
What
What
underlies
that
particular
change?
G
Because
I
don't
think
like
those
aren't
the
actual
payments,
because
they're
underlying
three
I
assume
that
that's
just
like
government
staff
that
support
the
payments
so
I'm
just
curious,
why
it
doubled
utility,
Grant
and
rebate
program.
G
We
have
a
forecast,
348
547
I'm,
assuming
that
that
is
that
number
is
the
number
the
number
for
the
the
utility
payments
that
have
gone
out
to
Consumers
I
just
want
to
confirm
that.
That's
the
only
thing
that's
in
the
line,
so
it's
and
then
there's
47
million.
Yet
to
go
next
year.
G
And
I'm
curious,
then
also
about
a
couple
of
things
that
we're
not
seeing
in
here,
because
it
is
the
ministry
of
affordability
and
utilities.
So
I'm
curious,
where
the
affordability
payments
are
are
whether
they're,
because
this
is
just
utility
rebating
grant
program
so
I'm
guessing
they're,
not
in
that
line,
estimate
I'm,
just
curious.
G
If
we
know
whether
that
is,
in
fact,
the
actual
or
how
close
it's
going
to
be
to
the
actual
I'm,
also
curious
of
where
as
to
where
the
cost
of
the
fuel
tax
rebate
would
be
reflected,
I'm
assuming
it's
just
in
revenue
or
lack
thereof,
and
you
can
back
calculate
it
from
there
I
think
actually
Minister.
You
probably
said.
G
Right
sorry,
additional
questions.
G
G
I
know
we
tried
to
sort
of
launch
a
committee
and
that
was
voted
down
by
government
members
I'm
just
yeah
I'm
curious
in
light
of
the
fact
that
that
is,
or
tends
to
be,
for
a
lot
of
people
I
hear
from
a
pretty
significant
pinch
Point,
whether
there's
any
plan
to
look
into
that
and
I
think
people
are
at
least
the
people
I
hear
from
they.
G
They
tend
to
relay
a
certain
level
of
skepticism,
and
the
reason
for
that
skepticism
is
is
we're
seeing
sort
of
record
profits
posted
by
those
companies
at
the
same
time,
and
we
know
from
producers
that
it's
not
it's
not
the
cost
like
they're,
not
making
more
money
on
on
their
end
it
to
be
somewhere
else
in
this
I'm
just
curious.
G
If
there's
a
plan
to
look
into
that,
because
I
know
it
is
yeah,
it
is
a
real,
a
real
big
stress
point
for
a
lot
of
people
and
I
think
I
mean
maybe
there's
an
explanation.
There's
just
no
way
to
know
what
the
current
time
and
that's
why
we
had
been
hoping
to
set
something
up
to
examine
it,
but
I
think
I
mean
I
mean.
Obviously
that
was
voted
down.
G
We
got
the
250
million,
oh
yes,
the
natural,
the
natural
gas
prices
I
got
that
one
apologies
I've,
just
I've
got
a
lot
of
notes.
Oh
sorry,
just
to
return
to
the
in
the
insurance
issue.
That
was
the
thing
I
wanted
to
go
back
to
so
I
think
I,
just
perhaps
misunderstood
a
little
bit,
because
my
understanding
was
it
was
frozen
until
the
end
of
this
year,
which
is
2023
so
until
the
beginning
of
2024.
But
we
are
seeing
these
large
increases.
G
You
know
from
several
I've
just
cited
16
and
13
from
two
particular
places,
so
I'm
just
curious,
I
guess
how
we
reconcile
that
whether
it
was
like
you
know
this
was
announced,
and
then
these
costs
went
up
and
so
I'm
just
curious
like
was
it
announced
for
a
future
time,
and
so
they
sort
of
raised
their
rates
in
anticipation
of
later
being
locked
down.
G
That
kind
of
looks
like
what
happened
like
the
government
sort
of
yeah
told
them
we're
going
to
freeze
it
future,
and
so
they
raised
them
quickly
before
that
happened,
but
I'm
just
curious.
Why?
Those
would
go
why
those
would
go
up
at
this.
Point
I
did
ask
about
the
cost
of
a
fuel
tax
relief.
G
Oh
I
was
wondering
too
you
administer
you.
When
you
were
speaking
about
how
much
the
government
was
providing
in
utility
relief,
you
included
the
number
for
the
AUC
and
I
mean
I
think
that
organization
has
been
around
for
a
while.
So
I'm
just
curious.
If
you
could
break
out
that
2.3
billion
dollar
number
into
into
its
component
parts
and
I
will
let
those
four
seconds
go.
C
Thank
you
for
the
questions
I'm
going
to
start
back
on
the
aura
roll,
because
I
think
it's
a
very
important
topic.
The
regulated
rate
option
was
never
meant
to
be
a
permanent
fixture
of
our
market
and
I've
met
without
burdens,
who
believe
that,
just
based
on
its
name
there's
some
inherent
protection
in
the
regulated
rate
option
for
electricity
when,
in
actual
fact,
that
would
be
a
description
that
would
be
more
suitable
for
a
fixed
rate,
competitive
electricity
contracts.
C
So
we
are
doing
a
review
of
the
regulated
rate
option
because
we
want
to
ensure
that
if
it
continues
that
it
is
meeting
the
needs
of
albertans
and
I
would
say
that
that
he
would
have
to
have
stability,
less
volatility
in
pricing
for
albertans
to
be
a
suitable
mechanism.
If
not,
then
there
is,
of
course,
variable
options
available
if
in
the
competitive
market
for
electricity
pricing,
so
we're
going
to
work
with
ro
providers,
stakeholders
and,
of
course,
albertans
on
that
review
to
make
sure
that
we
get
it
right.
C
I'm,
going
to
turn
it
over
to
Matt.
To
comment
on
the
increases
that
you
asked
about
in
The
Minister's
office
as
it
as
it
transitioned
to
being
a
Ministry
and
and
also
on
your
specific
line
items
request
related
to
electricity
rebates.
H
Thank
you,
minister.
So,
as
you
referenced,
the
the
percentage
increase
it's
a
little
over
two
hundred
thousand
dollars
that
was
increased
in
The
Minister's
office
budget,
so
that
is
primarily
due
the
department
of
energy
they
did
transfer
to
ftes,
so
that
is
not
a
net
new
for
a
total
of
six
ftes
sitting
in
The
Minister's
office
and
as
well
as
to
The
Minister's
offices
delivering
on
the
Ministries
mandate,
which
includes
setting
up
the
mystery
office
similar
to
those
of
other
government
Ministries
is
this
is
a
newly
created
Ministry.
H
A
staff
complement
is
required
to
oversee
the
activities
of
the
programs
of
this
ministry,
as
well
as
the
Ministries
that
it's
coordinating.
The
budget
allocated
Minister's
office
represents
a
lien
office
size
of
six
fdes.
For
that
cost
that
you
that
you
referenced
there
The
Minister's
office
will
continue
to
monitor
its
monitors,
cost
to
ensure
all
spending
is
essential
and
non-discretionary.
H
Now
you
also
asked
about
the
utility
rebate,
Grant
programs
I,
believe
you
referenced
the
348.5
million,
and
yes,
that's
what
it's
missing,
though,
or
what's
what
you
also
have
to
tie
in
is
the
contingency
fund,
so
there
was
286.8
Million.
That
was
funded
for
the
utility
rebate
program
out
of
the
contingency,
so,
together
with
that
348,
the
total
was
635
million
for
the
utility
rebates
that
was
funded
from
the
vote,
as
well
as
from
the
contingency.
C
It
is
intended
to
provide
protection
from
an
exceptional
price
increases
in
natural
gas
due
to
events,
unpredictable
events,
largely
Beyond
anybody's
control,
like
the
situation
we've
seen
in
Europe,
but
we
have
a
contingency
and,
and
should
the
natural
gas
rebates
be
triggered,
will
of
course
make
sure
albertans
receive
that
support
and
those
amounts
would
come
out
of
contingency
you,
the
member
opposite
inquired
about
the
affordability
payments
and,
just
to
recap,
our
government
put
forward
a
targeted
relief
in
addition
to
the
broad-based
relief
of
the
electricity
rebates
up
to
500,
a
household,
the
fuel
tax
suspension
and
the
natural
gas
price
protection
program,
which
is
estimated
to
be
900
in
benefit
to
households,
not
receiving
affordability
payments.
C
We
also
came
forward
with
targeted
affordability,
payments
for
seniors
65
and
up
families
with
dependent
children
under
18
years
of
age
and
I'll.
Add
for
albertans
who
are
receiving
Alberta's
core
support
programs
which
includes
age,
Income,
Support
receiving
Services
through
PD,
the
Alberta
seniors
benefit
and
the
Alberta
child
and
family
benefit,
and
we
launched
that
in
in
January
and
I
was,
you
know,
I
got
it.
C
My
hat
is
off
to
the
professionals
at
technology
and
Innovation
because
they
stood
up
the
the
portal,
which
enabled
us
to
give
provide
the
support
months
earlier
than
would
be
possible
through,
for
example,
the
Canada
Revenue
Agency.
They
stood
that
up
and
within
three
weeks.
Certainly
in
less
than
a
month,
we
had
one
million
albertans
enrolled
to
receive
or
already
receiving,
affordability
payments
and
around
300
000
of
those
are
most
vulnerable
automatically
were
enrolled.
They
didn't
have
to
do
anything,
but
their
affordability
payments
started
rolling
in
at
the
end
of
January.
C
The
specific
question
was:
where
are
these
the
affordability
payments
can
be
found
in
the
in
the
seniors
community
and
Social
Services
Ministry,
for
seniors
and
for
albertans
on
most
of
the
core
support
programs
and
then
in
children's
services,
you'll
find
the
amounts
for
dependent
children
and
also
for
the
Alberta
child
and
family
benefit
recipients.
I.
Should
also
note
that
we
extended
the
affordability
payments
to
Foster
and
Kinship
Caregivers,
because,
like
anyone
else,
caring
for
children
more
mouths
to
feed
and
inflation
was
hitting
them
particularly
hard.
C
So
that
was
another
category
that
we
automatically
enrolled
in
our
affordability
program,
which
I
think
is,
is
working
very
well.
I've
certainly
heard
fantastic
reviews
on
the
average
six-minute
onboarding
time
we
did
have
some
albertans
who
enter
incorrect
banking
information,
as
always
happens
with
some
program,
but
that
was
around
or
less
than
one
percent
and
we've
since
launched
an
edit
functionality
so
that
they
can
simply
update
their
banking
information,
and
the
program
is
designed
to
provide
albertans
all
the
payments
that
they're
eligible
for
no
matter
when
they
apply
so
between
now
and
June
30th.
C
If
an
albertan
applies
and
is
eligible,
They
will
receive
that
month's
amount
and
any
retroactive
amounts
that
they
may
have
that
they
were
eligible
for
had
they
applied
earlier
so
again
we're
confident
that
we're
going
to
get
all
that
money
to
the
albertans
who
need
it
and
they
need
it.
The
member
I've
said
it
inquired
about
the
fuel
tax
relief
and,
of
course,
this
we're
not
paying
this.
We
are
simply
not
collecting
a
tax
and
that
can
be
found
in
a
treasury
board
and
finance,
but
this
is
not
just
an
affordability
measure.
C
This
is
a
competitive
measure.
This
makes
Alberta
a
destination
to
live
and
do
business.
We
have
the
lowest
fuel
costs
in
the
country
and
by
a
huge
margin.
The
last
time
I
looked
it
was
it
ranged
from
20
to
40
cents
per
liter,
and
we've
certainly
heard
that
that's
helping
families
to
give
some
perspective
an
average
driver
driving
a
car
for
from
January
to
June
30
could
save
as
much
as
200
I
know.
I
have
constituents
driving
trucks
who
are
going
to
save
about
six
hundred
dollars
over
that
same
period.
So
this
is.
C
This
is
significant
relief
and
again
pleased
to
enable
albertans
to
benefit
from
their
own
resource.
There's.
Also
some
questions
on.
Are
these
prices
being
passed
on?
Well,
our
government
has
certainly
been
monitoring
the
situation
and
so
of
third
parties,
including
leading
economists
and
they've,
concluded
that
yes,
the
fuel
tax
relief
is
being
passed
on
and
the
significant
proof
point
is
comparing
Alberta's
fuel
costs
to
neighboring
jurisdictions
and
again,
Alberta
has,
by
far
the
lowest
fuel
prices
in
the
country
by
significant
margins.
C
Just
look
at
BC
look
at
Saskatchewan
then
come
back
and
fill
up
in
Alberta,
because
it's
cheaper
here,
the
member
opposite,
had
also
inquired
about
insurance.
Again.
I
would
encourage
those
questions
to
go
for
specifics
to
go
to
treasury
board
and
finance,
but
the
the
the
the
pause
the
direction
to
the
ARB
to
not
approve
any
further
rate
increases
came
into
effect
in
January
and
it
is
effective
until
the
end
of
this
year.
C
So
there
were
some
rate
increases
that
were
approved
before
the
pause
period
and
and
of
course
those
are
are
carrying
on
there's.
Also.
If
somebody
gets
tickets
or
circumstances
change,
they
move
they
switch
vehicles.
Those
can
also
cause
insurance
rates
to
change,
but
I
want
to
be
clear.
We
we
heard
from
albertans
that
they
were
concerned
about
the
rising
cost
of
fuel.
We
address
it,
fuel
tax
relief,
we
heard
them
on
electricity,
electricity,
rebates,
Ro
ceiling
and
deferral
and
we're
reviewing
the
whole
system
for
affordability.
C
We
heard
they
were
concerned
about
automobile
insurance
rates,
so
we
have
prevented
further
increases
in
auto
insurance,
so
all
of
our
programs
are
in
response
to
the
needs
of
albertans
and
we're
working
to
keep
Alberta
affordable
for
them
and
last
question
I
believe
I
and
the
member
can
clarify
you
had
a
question
about
either
the
AUC
or
the
UCA.
I
was
unclear
which
organization
you
wanted
me
to
comment
on.
C
My
apologies
there,
but,
but
actually
we've
got
Chris
Hunt
here
from
the
UCA.
Oh
he's
only
got
a
minute.
I,
don't
want
to
put
him
up
here
for
15
seconds,
so
I'll
be
happy
to
to
comment
on
the
UCA.
If
that's
the
the
organization
that
you
were
referring
to
in
my
next
block.
Thank
you
very
much.
B
F
F
Page
11
outcome
number
one,
but
the
inflation
and
affordability
crisis
is
a
primary
challenge
facing
albertans.
Today,
absolutely
it
is
the
number
of
phone
calls
to
my
constituency
office
concerned
about
inflation,
affordability
and
utilities.
F
Disturbing
it's
it's
voluminous,
and
so
I
want
to
spend
lots
of
time
time
talking
about
that
particularly
Insurance.
There's
a
lot
of
concerns
about
about
insurance
as
well.
Not
only
automobile,
also,
property,
harder
and
harder
to
get
and
costs
have
skyrocketed.
So
so
I
wonder
Minister
Jones!
If
that's
on
your
on
your
radar
as
well-
and
it's
absolutely
crystal
clear-
is
that
the
wage
growth,
especially
after
after
hard-working
albertans
pay
their
their
income
tax.
Wage
growth
has
not
kept
up
with
the
cost
of
living.
F
Has
your
ministry
ever
done
any
Freedom
of
Information
requests
or
to
see
exactly
where
albertans
are
at
I
I
disturbingly
heard
a
year
ago
that
possibly
30,
35
percent
of
albertans
were
behind
in
their
utility
bills
and
I
wondered
if
you
have
ever
done
any
checks
on
that
and
and
of
course,
we
know
that
food
bank
usage
has
gone
through
the
roof,
I'm
wondering
about
municipalities
and
their
property
tax
collection,
just
from
from
I'm
wondering
if
you
don't
know,
if
you've
any
any
more
any
measuring
of
that
fuel
tax
relief.
F
F
F
F
Your
ministry
has
Alberta's
annual
inflation
rate,
including
its
components,
food,
energy
and
shelter,
while
out
of
Alberta's
control
demonstrates
the
nature
and
extent
of
affordability,
challenges
facing
albertans
the
phrase
while
out
of
Alberta's
control
kind
of
concerned
me
a
bit
I
have
a
couple
quotes
from
from
November
when,
when
some
of
the
money
to
households
was
Advanced
but
Travis
Shaw,
the
senior
vice
president
of
Public
Finance
at
dbrs
Morningstar,
said
giving
money
to
households
is
likely
to
contribute
to
the
problem.
The
problem
being
inflation
as
opposed
to
solving
it.
F
I
understand
that
in
in
Ottawa
the
inquiry
on
grocery
profits,
a
big
part
of
the
defense
is
the
number
one
cost
increase
is
the
carbon
tax
on
Transportation
is
the
is
the
fact
that
we're
you
know
just
in
time,
distribution
system
and
again
I
I,
I,
I,
so
I
so
advocate
for
for
for
lower
taxes.
F
You
know
as
as
opposed
to
to
that
and
and
Minister
Jones.
You
need
to
know
that
that
I've
received
a
lot
of
complaints
too
about
those
that
weren't
included
in
the
affordability
because
of
their
family
status
as
opposed
to
their
income
status,
and
you
know
picking
picking
winners
and
losers
always
hurts
our
culture.
I.
Think.
F
So
I
think
what
is
in
Alberta's
control
is
increasing.
Competition
and
I
appreciate
your
your
one
Ministry
of
many
one
Ministry
in
a
big
government,
but
I
also
understand
that
in
the
insurance
industry,
there's
been
quite
a
bit
of
consolidation
recently,
where
one
or
two
insurance
companies,
automobile
and
property,
have
bought
out
several
of
their
smaller
competitors.
F
F
My
goodness,
we
we're
facing
a
housing
crisis
where,
because
of
inflation,
because
of
rising
interest
rates,
homes
are
less
affordable
than
ever.
I
still
believe
that
Land
Titles
could
be
as
many
as
as
four
months
in
in
the
rears
of
getting
things
done,
which,
which
is
the
cost
of
title
insurance
is,
is
hugely
coming.
You
know
a
huge
detriment
to
albertans
and
I
heard
the
other
day
about
annual
reviews
for
our
small
companies
are
actually
more
cumbersome
now
for
the
red
tape
and
regulation
reduction.
F
So
so,
if
you
could
just
give
me
one
two
or
three
instances
where
reducing
red
tape
and
regulation
has
worked
and
made
life
more
affordable
for
for
albertans
I
would
I
would
appreciate
it
utilities
I
get
a
lot
of
calls
about.
Utilities
breaks
my
heart
that
A
lady
called
me
the
other
day
and
her
utility
roof
was
her
utility
bill
was
Triple.
What
it
normally
is
large
parts
of
that
were
transmission
generation
and
carbon
tax
she's
about
to
close
her
business.
So
so
I
wonder
when
it
comes
to
transmission.
F
It
was
Bill
10,
actually
two
transmission
lines
that
all
albertans
are
now
paying
for
on
on
our
utility
bills
and
I,
wonder
I
believe
they
were
guaranteed
a
nine
or
nine
and
a
half
percent
return
for
that,
and
that
was
said
at
the
time
when
interest
rates
in
the
competitive
market
were
three
or
four
now
that
interest
rates
are
considerably
higher
I'm
wondering
if
albertans
are
going
to
face
even
more
hardship,
I,
wonder
I,
wonder
if
there's
a
mechanism
where
that
will
go
higher.
F
Can
you
assure
us
that,
at
the
very
least
that
that
won't
get
any
worse
but
when
it
comes
to
when
it
comes
to
transmission
costs
and
the
carbon
tax
that
our
Industries
pay
in
in
tier
one
carbon
tax?
And
we
all
pay
with
our
irrigated
farmers
and
small
business
I,
wonder
if
there's
a
way
that
that
carbon
tax
can
be
actually
redistributed
to
reduce
that
transmission
cost
in
some
way
to
truly
make
make
life
more
affordable
for
out
for
Alberta
families
and
again
I.
F
You
know
the
number
of
calls
I've
got
the
number
of
people
that
have
brought
their
utility
bills
into
my
to
my
office,
where
the
ancillary
charges,
the
distribution,
the
extra
fees
are,
are
more
than
the
generation
costs.
So
so
so
I
believe
at
this
point
that
that
the
part
of
Alberta's
utilities
for
generation
is
is
working
well,
but
the
rest
of
it
isn't
and
is
unaffordable
for
for
albertans,
okay
and
in
the
last
comes
that
I've
got
left.
F
Again,
the
on
page
14
of
your
business
plan,
understatement
of
operations,
Revenue
investment
income,
I,
see
it
has
increased
from
50
000
to
now.
Four
hundred
thousand,
your
other
revenues
increase
from
third
there's:
an
increase
from
13
million
in
budget
2003.
B
C
Understood,
thank
you
for
the
questions
and
once
again
fully
agree
that
affordability
is
the
number
one
challenge
facing
albertans
and
that's
why
we've
come
forward
with
what
I
believe
is
such
a
comprehensive
Suite
of
measures
designed
to
immediately
and
over
the
long
term,
provide
affordability
supports
to
albertans
again
Insurance
the
best
Avenue
for
you
to
get
the
answers
related
to
insurance
would
be
treasury
board
and
finance,
but
I
can
tell
you
that
we
are
looking
at
both
Auto
and
property.
C
For
example,
we
want
to
ensure
that
albertans
have
access
to
affordable
insurance
that
meets
their
needs.
You
had
touched
on
food
bank
usage.
Those
stats
would
be
best
found
in
seniors
community
and
social
services,
but
I
can
tell
you
that
when
we
were
when
we
were
working
on,
the
food
bank
supports
every
food
bank
that
we've
met
with
reported
that
they
were
seeing
substantial
increases
in
utilization,
whether
it
be
20,
30,
50
percent,
and
they
also
indicated
to
to
me
that
they
were
seeing
a
higher
proportion
of
families.
C
You
asked
a
question
about
four
requests.
No,
the
answer
is
no
to
that
one,
and
then
you
also
asked
the
member
opposite.
Sorry
had
asked
about
how
many
albertans
are
behind
on
their
bills.
C
What
I'd
like
to
do
here
is
just
invite
Chris
Hunt
from
the
utilities
consumer
Advocate,
who
plays
in
this
space
to
just
come
and
comment
on
the
the
role
Mandate
of
the
utilities,
consumer
Advocate,
and
if
you
have
any
because
you,
the
utilities
consumer
Advocate,
does
work
with
consumers
and
providers
to
reconnect
disconnected
customers
I'm
hoping
that
Chris
would
have
some
insight
into
that
particular
question.
I
Thank
you,
Minister
I'm,
Chris,
Hunt,
I'm,
executive
director
of
the
office,
the
utilities
consumer
Advocate.
We
run
a
program
each
year
called
the
winter
utilities
reconnection
program,
so
in
October
We'll
have
each
of
the
utility.
Retailers
will
send
us
a
list
of
files.
I
The
last
few
years,
that's
typically
been
around
two
thousand
twenty
five
hundred
files,
where
the
retailers
themselves
have
been
unable
to
connect
with
those
customers,
VIA
mail
or
phone
to
come
up
with
a
payment
plan,
and
so
what
we'll
do
is
we'll
reach
out
to
each
of
those
customers,
because
quite
frequently,
when
a
customer
sees
it
is
a
organization
that
they
owe
money
to.
I
They
don't
want
to
answer
the
phone
so
when
they
see
it
from
utilities,
consumer
advocate
they're,
they're
more
likely
to
respond,
in
particular,
we'll
mail
letters
to
each
of
these
customers
based
off
the
address
information
provided
by
retailers
and
will
get
responses
back
from
them,
because
we
have
our
contact
information
and
offer
to
connect
them
with
a
mediation
officer
who
can
work
with
them
and
act
as
a
go-between
with
the
utility
company
to
work
out
a
payment
plan
to
help
get
them
reconnected
and
and
to
confirm
what
their
status
is
out
of
those
2000
to
2500
files.
I
That
we'll
typically
receive
quite
often
there's
only
a
few
hundred
that
are
actually
in
a
state
of
a
right
disconnection.
We
have
a
lot
of
people
that
have
moved
and
didn't
update
their
account
information
with
utility
companies.
We
have
other
people
that
may
have
a
rural
recreational
property
and
are
disconnected
during
the
winter
and
are
fine
with
that.
C
Thank
you
very
much,
the
member
opposite
I'm.
Sorry,
the
member
also
commented
on
our
fuel
tax
relief
program
and
I
just
wanted
to
add,
because
there's
been
some
information
to
the
contrary.
But
I
want
to
confirm
that
the
fuel
tax
relief
program
is
permanent,
so
after
June
it
will
return.
It
will
be
phased
in
based
on
oil
price
triggers
so
essentially
in
Alberta,
when
oil
prices
are
high,
the
fuel
tax
will
be
low,
starting
at
eighty
dollars
and
fully
phasing
out
the
13
cent
per
liter
fuel
tax.
C
When
oil
is
above
ninety
dollars,
I
agree
with
the
member
that
this
is
providing
significant
affordability.
Relief
to
albertans
I
also
agree
with
the
member
on
the
the
impact
of
retroactively
indexing
income
tax.
That
is
again
one
of
our
broad-based
measures
available
to
all
albertans.
In
fact,
40
percent
of
albertans
are
do
not
pay
operating
of
tax.
It's
one
of
the
many
ways
that
we
are
keeping
Alberta
affordable
for
low-income
albertans,
and
these
are
all
things
that
we
had
to
factor
in
when
we
were
designing
our
affordability
action
plan.
C
It's
important
to
note
that
these
measures
are
just
that
they
are
an
affordability,
a
suite
of
affordability.
Measures
to
combat
an
inflationary
crisis
if
the
existing
supports
are
all
still
available
is
the
supports
that
Alberta
had
in
place
like
the
temporary
rent
benefit.
The
Alberta
adult
health
benefit,
most
government
support
programs
federally
and
provisionally
are
for
low-income
albertans.
C
It's
actually,
we
saw
very
few
supports
for
middle-income
albertans,
and
so
we
wanted
to
ensure
that
the
affordability
payments
in
particular
were
available
to
all
low
and
middle
low
in
the
middle
class
albertans
and
at
the
current
threshold,
which
is
the
same
as
the
federal
provincial
Child
Care
threshold,
we
included
80
percent
of
Alberta
families.
We
excluded
the
top
20
percent
earning
families.
Other
provinces
provided
their
affordability
payments
to
everybody,
including
the
top
20
percent,
most
wealthy.
We
did
not
do
that
here.
C
We
felt
that
we
should
Target
it
to
all
low
and
middle
income,
Alberta
families
and
and
again
our
broad-based
relief
is
significant.
It
is
more
significant
than
what
most
provinces
offered
in
their
whole
affordability
programs,
so
an
average
household
in
Alberta
just
from
the
electricity
rebates,
the
fuel
tax
relief
and
some
of
the
other
measures
that
I
mentioned
earlier
is
estimated
to
benefit
to
to
the
degree
of
900
or,
more
so,
significant
relief
on
the
electricity
rebates.
C
The
member
asked
about
sub
metering
and
single
meter
customers
not
receiving
the
rebates
and
again
the
rebates
were
applied
directly
to
albertan's
bills
and
in
in
cases
of
sub
metering
or
single
metering.
We
do
not
have
a
bill
to
an
albertan
to
apply
it
to,
but
we
are
exploring
auctions
and
ways
to
get
electricity
rebates
to
albertans
behind
sub
and
single
meters.
There
are
some
complexities
to
that
which
we
are
working
to
overcome
again.
I,
don't
want
to
jeopardize
the
not-for-profit
tax
status
of
condo
associations.
C
I,
don't
want
to
provide
a
benefit
that
is
taxable
for
one
albertan
and
non-taxable
to
another.
So
we,
but
certainly
we
provided
the
most
significant
affordability
supports
in
the
country
and
I
would
like
to
get
electricity
rebates
to
as
many
albertans
as
possible,
and
my
department
is
still
working
on
them.
C
The
member
commented
it
on,
and
rightly
so,
about
government
spending
and
how
it
may
or
may
not.
Impact
inflation
and
leading
economists
have
looked
at
this,
including
in
Alberta
and
Alberta
spending
is,
is
not
significant
enough
to
materially
impact
inflation.
In
fact,
inflation
has
eased
more
in
Alberta
than
neighboring
jurisdictions.
Other
provinces
and
economists
have
pointed
out
that
it's
actually
attributable
to
our
affordability
measures,
namely
we
have
made
electricity
less
expensive
and
our
fuel
tax
relief
has
also
had
an
impact.
C
So
certainly
I
agree
with
the
member
on
the
the
fuel
tax
relief
program
being
an
ideal
way
to
help
albertans,
because
you're
you're,
removing
attacks
and
thus
not
contributing
to
to
inflation
through
excess
government
spending.
C
I
already
touched
on
this,
but
the
member
commented
on
people
not
eligible
for
affordability
payments,
and
that
goes
back
to
the
broad-based
relief
so
and
and
there's
more
that
I
didn't
include,
but
you've
got
electricity
rebates,
natural
gas
price
protection.
You
know:
we've
we've
Frozen,
auto
insurance
rates,
we've
provided
broad
pro-secondary,
affordability
measures
so
and
again,
an
average
household
in
Alberta
who's
not
receiving
the
targeted
supports.
C
So
again,
a
household
without
seniors
without
dependent
children
without
albertans
on
core
support
programs
is
estimated
to
benefit
to
up
to
900
or
more
over
this
period,
and
that
is
significant
relief.
A
A
D
Out
I'll
leave
it
to
the
discretion
of
the
minister,
but
I'd
love
to
go
back
and
forth
if
we
could.
Yes,
thank
you
Minister
and,
first
of
all,
thank
you
very
much
for
such
outstanding
work
in
this
file.
The
questions
that
I'm
going
to
have
for
you
today,
sir,
are
predominantly
around
page
one
or
page
11
and
page
12.
Pardon
me,
but
I
know
that
out
in
my
constituency
you
know
I
knew
some
use.
D
Some
phraseology
is
simply
as
what
matters
to
you
and
I
know
that
you
do
a
similar
approach
in
your
area
and
I.
Think
when
we're
talking
about
the
affordability
file
here
in
hats
off
again
to
your
department
working
across
Ministries,
because
it
resonates
not
only
with
the
folks
in
my
area
that
you
know
say
that
they're
rural
predominantly,
but
also
for
the
folks
that
are
more
urban
setting
as
well
and
the
other
thing
that
I
get
comments
back
on.
That
is
that
it
wasn't
just
a
throw
spaghetti
at
the
wall
type
function.
D
It
was
timely,
strategic
and
getting
to
dealing
with
folks
in
a
manner
that
really
mattered
and
helped
them.
The
other
thing
that
came
back
too
is
a
lot
of
folks
were
cognizant
of
the
other
challenges
and
the
issues
out
in
the
area
again:
Emily,
Smith
and
I.
D
We
share
the
the
two
big
Power
generating
plants
out
here
so
folks
in
our
area
understand
where
the
driving
costs
the
electricity
were,
and
some
of
the
phase
out
in
the
carbon
tax
and
everything
else
now
it
hits
and
on
the
distribution
file,
as
well
as
the
the
transmission
files,
and
the
Reas,
of
course
are
are
no
novices
when
it
comes
to
the
pool
itself
and
how
it's
been
affected.
So
with
that
I
really
appreciate
all
the
work
that
you
guys
have
done.
D
This
Minister
I'd
like
to
kick
off
if
I
could,
on
the
topic,
that's
going
to
address
the
affordability
so
key
page
or
key
objective
1.1
on
the
page
11
the
business
plan,
States
ministry
will
lead,
facilitate
and
coordinate
the
government's
effort
to
address
albertan's
cost
of
living
concerns
and
I
know
that
top
of
or
affordability
is
obviously
top
of
mind
right
now.
So
first
part
of
the
question,
sir,
is:
how
does
your
ministry
provide
this
leadership
within
the
government
of
Alberta
and
what
are
some
of
your
key
areas
of
focus
in
23,
24.
C
Thank
you
to
the
member
of
the
question
my
mem.
My
Ministry
has
led
Alberta's
response
to
affordability
by
developing
and
coordinating
the
implementation
of
Alberta's
affordability
action
plan.
Our
plan
provides
both
broad-based
and
targeted
supports
to
help
albertans
with
inflation
and
the
associative
rising
cost
of
living
initiatives
that
form
part
of
our
plan
are
included
in
budget
2023.
C
We
forecasts,
2.3
billion
in
affordability,
related
expenditures
in
2023-24,
and
programs
to
reduce
energy
and
utility
costs
have
directly
contributed
to
a
lower
rate
of
inflation
in
Alberta
compared
to
other
provinces
and
have
broad
benefits
to
Consumers
and
businesses.
Fuel
tax
relief
has
lowered
input
costs
for
businesses,
who
can
then
pass
these
lower
costs
onto
consumers
further.
This
relief
ensures
that
Alberta's
struggling
with
cost
of
living
do
not
need
to
worry
as
much
much
about
the
cost
of
commuting
or,
for
example,
taking
their
kids
to
activities.
C
Grocery
prices
we
know,
have
been
a
major
issue
for
albertans
and
the
additional
additional
support
through
the
affordability
payments
through
the
savings
through
our
fuel
tax
relief
program
will
certainly
help
and
for
our
most
vulnerable.
Our
contributions
to
food
banks
will
ensure
that
the
lowest
income
albertans,
the
most
vulnerable,
will
also
have
access
to
food.
C
Low-Income
Transit
support
ensures
that
even
more
albertans
can
afford
transportation
for
work
and
daily
living.
Our
government
has
also
heard
loud
and
clear
that
albertans
have
concerns
with
cost
increases
for
specific,
essential
Services.
We
have
taken
decisive
action
to
troll,
auto
insurance
rates
by
limiting
rate
increases
until
January
2024..
C
We
will
continue
to
monitor
affordability
challenges
this
coming
year,
the
budget
forecasts
inflation
to
ease,
but
we
still
see
pressure
in
particular
areas,
notably
for
food.
That
is
why
we've
ensured
that
the
most
significant
supports
the
affordability
payments
and
the
full
fuel
tax
continue
until
June
30th,
giving
us
time
to
assess
and
respond
to
the
inflation
and
cost
of
living
situation.
C
At
that
time,
albertans
will
continue
to
be
protected
by
ongoing
protection
measures
such
as
the
permanent
natural
gas
and
fuel
tax
relief
based
on
oil
price
triggers
and
indexation
of
provincial
income
tax
and
social
benefit.
Programs
will
also
provide
longer-term
support
to
all
albertans
and
our
most
vulnerable.
Thank.
D
You
thank
you
Minister
for
that
Folsom
answer
and
I
guess
just
to
put
it
in
in
layman's
terms
here
again
with
the
business
plan.
If
we
were
looking
at
a
typical
family
of
four
I
know:
you're
a
family
man
as
well
you're,
an
overachiever
you've
got
more
than
the
typical
family
of
four
somewhere
to
myself.
But
can
you
outline
what
the
affordability
supports,
how
that
would
impact
them
a
typical
family
for
our
real
everyday
albertans,
going
to
be
impacted
by
this.
C
Yeah
great
question
so,
taking
the
current
months,
we
can
point
to
the
range
of
ways
a
family
will
benefit.
First
for
two
dependent
children.
The
family
will
receive
200
per
month.
In
affordability,
supports
for
a
total
of
twelve
hundred
dollars.
Tax-Free.
These
payments
are
tax-free.
They
they
also
don't
impact
any
eligibility
for
other
support
programs
they'll
receive
1200
from
January
to
June.
C
Second,
each
time
the
family
fills
up
their
vehicle,
they
will
receive
ongoing
relief
through
our
fuel
tax
and
for
the
purposes
of
this
example,
let's
assume
the
family
fills
up
their
Jeep
Grand
Cherokee
weekly
they'd
be
saying
saving
50
a
month
in
fuel
taxes
alone.
That
would
be
three
hundred
dollars
in
fuel
tax
savings
from
January
to
June,
on
top
of
the
twelve
hundred
dollars
in
tax-free
affordability,
payments.
C
What's
more,
they
are
protected
from
rate
increases
to
the
insurance
on
that
vehicle.
Through
our
pause
on
auto
insurance
rate
increases,
assuming
both
parents
work
and
the
children
are
in
full-time
daycare,
the
family
may
be
saving
as
much
as
twelve
hundred
dollars
a
month
through
our
affordability,
affordable
child
care
support.
This
agreement
with
the
federal
government
means
that
Alberta's,
unique
child
care
system
is
supported
to
provide
lower
cost
and
high
quality
care
to
parents.
C
C
Finally,
when
they
receive
their
paychecks,
the
provincial
income
tax
withheld
will
be
lower
as
a
result
of
the
indexation
of
our
personal
income
tax.
This
means
more
money
in
their
pockets
to
spend
on
household
essentials,
excluding
the
changes
to
auto
insurance
and
the
tax
indexation.
The
family
would
be
fourteen
hundred
dollars
and
seventy
five
fourteen
hundred
seventy
five
dollars
better
off
in
the
month
of
March
than
they
would
have
been
in
the
absence
of
our
government
supports.
C
You
also
asked
about
the
income
threshold
for
affordability
payments.
This
threshold
was
chosen
to
mirror
the
income
threshold
used
to
determine
eligibility
for
the
Child
Care
Subsidy,
and
this
supports
consistency,
consistency
and
can
be
seen
as
a
reasonable
Benchmark
for
middle-income
Alberta
families.
Our
intention
with
the
program
was
to
support
low,
all
low
and
middle
income,
albertan
families
that
have
been
impacted
by
inflation
and,
as
I
mentioned
previously
at
this
threshold.
This
includes
80
percent
of
Alberta
families,
all
low
and
middle
income.
We
excluded
the
top
20
percent
most
wealthy.
D
D
Would
you
mind
speaking
a
little
bit
more
about
the
significant
rise
of
cost
of
inflation
and
what
you're
doing
to
do
to
address
those
so
in
specifics
or
would
the
minister
provide
an
overview
of
the
impacts
and
inflation
of
the
cost
of
living
trans
facing
albertans,
and
the
second
part
is:
has
any
of
the
work
undertaken
by
this
ministry
had
an
impact
on
reducing
inflation,
so
both
how
you're
going
to
address
it
and
if
we
had
any
metrics
on
the
back
end
to
see
if
it's
effective?
D
C
You
for
the
questions,
so
overall
consumer
inflation
has
receded
somewhat
in
recent
months
months,
but
remains
elevated
in
Alberta
inflation,
which
is
measured
as
the
year-over-year
growth
and
the
Consumer
Price
Index
or
CPI
was
five
percent
in
January
2023.
While
this
is
a
moderation
from
the
8.4
percent
High,
we
saw
in
June
of
last
year,
it
is
still
elevated
compared
to
historical
Norms.
The
five
percent
rate
in
January
compared
to
the
National
rate
of
6
percent,
is
our
rate
of
five
percent
is
lower
than
what
you're
seeing
across
Canada.
C
Interestingly,
a
key
driver
of
the
lower
rate
of
inflation
in
Alberta
compared
to
other
parts
of
Canada,
is
our
affordability
program.
Statistics
Canada
reported
that
Alberta
inflation
rate
was
down
largely
in
part
due
to
Falling
Energy
prices
for
consumers,
which
was
supported
by
the
electricity
rebate
program
and
our
fuel
tax
relief
program
and
statistics.
Canada
had
this
to
say,
electricity
prices
in
Alberta
fell
45.6
in
January,
compared
with
December
the
largest
monthly
decline
on
record.
The
decline
follows
a
provincial
initiative
to
reduce
electricity
rates
and
increase
the
provincial
electricity
rebate.
C
Alberta
was
the
only
province
with
a
year-over-year
decline
in
gasoline
prices,
minus
6.4
percent.
This
reflects
the
complete
suspension
of
the
provincial
gas
tax,
starting
January
1st
and,
of
course,
that
runs
until
June,
30th
and
then
returns
based
on
oil
price
triggers
in
January
among
the
provinces,
Alberta
had
the
lowest
rate
of
inflation
in
Canada.
C
According
to
statistics
Canada,
this
was
directly
attributable
again
to
our
affordability,
action
plan
budget
2023
forecasts
inflation
to
continue
to
ease
averaging
3.3
percent
next
year.
This
is
still
above
the
target
pursued
by
the
Bank
of
Canada,
and
inflation
has
become
more
broad-based
in
recent
months,
as
many
components
have
seen.
Significant
increases,
food,
shelter
and
energy
are
presently
the
main
contributors
to
Alberta's
headline
consumer
inflation
increases
in
October
2022
food
inflation
accounted
for
over
one
quarter
of
Alberta's.
C
Overall
inflation
followed
by
shelter,
inflation,
excluding
natural
gas
and
electricity,
which
contributed
27
percent
food
inflation,
I
should
have
mention,
is
28
of
the
contribution
to
inflation
and
energy
contributed
13.6
percent,
all
other
goods
and
services
accounted
for.
The
remaining
44.3
percent
of
inflationary
increases.
C
Two
areas
where
we
continue
to
have
concerns
in
the
inflation
data
are
food
and
shelter.
Food
inflation
remained
elevated
in
Alberta
in
January,
seeing
a
small
increase
due
to
prices
of
beef
and
chicken
and
food
inflation
accelerated
in
January
to
10.5
percent
close
to
a
40-year.
High
High
interest
rates
are
increasing
housing
costs
for
consumers,
for
example
through
increased
costs
of
servicing
a
loan
and,
in
turn,
rental
costs
that
are
passed
on
to
renters
and
also
contributing
to
ongoing
price
inflation
for
services.
C
Price
inflation
in
these
specific
areas
are
things
we
will
continue
to
monitor,
but
some
of
our
responses,
such
as
our
our
support
for
food
banks,
fuel
tax
relief,
our
affordability
payments
are
specifically
targeted
to
support
albertans.
With
these
price
increases.
Ongoing
inflation
in
specific
areas
means
that
albertans,
particularly
those
on
low
and
fixed
incomes,
are
facing
challenges
and
struggling
to
pay
for
daily
Necessities
like
heat
transportation
and
food.
However,
what
is
also
clear
is
that
our
government
has
taken
action
that
is
actually
lowering
pressure
on
families
and
the
inflation
rate
in
this
province.
D
Thank
you
and
Minister.
We
know
that
in
Alberta
here,
at
least
with
the
last
two
budgets
that
came
out,
they
definitely
don't
balance
themselves.
We
know
that
we
know
that
a
lot
of
these
inflationary
problems
that
we're
having
right
now
were
created
by
others
by
ideological
type
policies
that
put
in
place
inclusive
of
the
carbon
tax,
premature
phase
out
of
coal,
the
overbuild,
the
transmission,
so
there's
a
ton
of
things
that
we've
inherited
now.
Quite
frankly,
all
the
chickens
have
come
home
to
roost
on
it.
D
So
with
that,
can
you
talk
a
little
bit
about
the
inflationary
pressures
as
it
relates
to
to
energy
a
performance
indicator
on
1B
on
page
11
of
the
business
plan,
breaks
down
the
rate
of
inflation
for
various
Goods,
both
in
Alberta
and
across
Canada.
You
have
a
metric
there
between
2018
21
and
22.
The
inflation
rates
were
higher
in
Alberta
or
sorry.
The
inflation
regards
the
energy
rates
grows
significantly
higher.
D
These
rates
were
higher
in
Alberta
than
the
rest
of
Canada,
even
in
22
With,
the
Energy
prices
it
still
Rose
at
a
similar
pace.
So
two-part
question
on
that,
sir,
as
Alberta
is
Canada's
largest
producer
of
energy,
why
is
that
the
case
what's
going
on
in
Alberta
here,
since
we
sit
on
all
these
assets,
I
think
we
expect
the
ministry
to
affordability
and
issues
to
make
a
meaningful
impact
in
this
area.
C
Yeah,
thanks
for
the
questions,
the
inflation
rate
for
energy
for
consumers
is
comprised
of
some
prices
which
are
set
in
international
markets
and
others
that
are
set
in
local
markets.
For
example,
prices
for
oil
are
set
in
international
markets
and
have
seen
significant
increases,
particularly
during
2022..
This
has
been
fueled
in
part
by
geopolitical
uncertainty
and
the
war
in
Ukraine.
The
drivers
of
inflation
are
quite
clearly
outside
of
Alberta's
control.
C
Well,
these
ones
increasing
oil
prices
have
enhanced
our
budget
position
through
increases
in
royalties,
but
also
contributed
to
higher
gasoline
prices
for
albertans
An
approved
budget
position
has
enabled
us
to
take
actions
that
have
offset
some
of
the
costs
for
albertans
through
our
fuel
tax
relief
program.
This
in
turn
has
lowered
the
measured
rate
of
energy
inflation
prices
of
other
energy
sources
that
comprise
the
measure
of
energy.
Inflation
are
set
at
a
more
local
level.
C
C
It
is
important
to
note
that
natural
gas
rates
are
based
on
Market
fundamentals
related
to
supply
and
demand.
The
government
does
not
control
natural
gas
prices
in
Winter
2022.
The
increase
in
natural
gas
prices
reflects
the
lag
between
production
and
increased
Global
demand
for
energy
as
economies
recovered
from
covid-19
and
the
impacts
of
Russia's
war.
In
Ukraine
there
has
been
a
recent
decrease,
thankfully,
of
natural
gas
prices
with
the
Alberta
natural
gas
price
at
2.85
cents
in
March
of
2023.
C
and
I
believe
that
you'd
also
asked
about
Ministry
initiatives
to
to
impact
inflation.
Our
government's
actions
to
tackle
energy
inflation
have
had
a
meaningful
impact,
such
that
in
January
2023.
We
saw
the
largest
monthly
fall
in
electricity
prices
on
record.
According
to
statistics,
Canada
and
I
quote,
electricity
prices
in
Alberta
fell
45.6
percent
in
January,
compared
with
December
the
largest
monthly
decline
on
record.
The
decline
follows
a
provincial
initiative
to
reduce
electricity
rates
and
increase
the
provincial
electricity
rebate.
C
C
We
can
see
here
that
the
impact
of
our
policies
for
consumers-
it
means
lower
prices,
more
flexibility
in
their
finances.
What
it
means
is
that
for
the
period
when
our
policies
have
been
in
place,
which
is
also
coincided
with
the
highest
prices,
our
policies
have
had
a
clear
and
demonstrable
impact
on
consumer
prices.
Further,
you
mentioned
in
the
first
part
of
your
question
that
we
are
Canada's
largest
producer
of
energy.
C
D
Minister,
if
I
may,
and
we're
down
to
a
little
bit
of
timing
crunch
here,
so
I'll
try
to
Rattle
this
out
a
little
bit
quicker.
Our
key
objectives,
2.2
on
page
12
of
the
business
plan
state
your
ministry's
intention
to
ensure
a
regulated
rates
for
electricity
and
natural
gas,
are
formulated
to
best
serve
albertans.
What
exactly
does
this
entail
and
what
criteria
is
the
ministry
going
to
use
to
determine
what
is
best
for
all
burdens.
C
Yeah
great
question:
in
Alberta,
most
electricity
consumers
have
a
choice
of
energy
retail
service
providers.
The
regulated
rate
option
or
Ro
is
the
default
option
for
residential
small
business
and
farm
customers
who
have
chosen
not
to
or
are
unable
to
sign
a
competitive
contract
currently
about.
39
percent
of
residential
customers
are
on
the
RO,
some
passively
stay
on
it.
Despite
the
recent
High
electricity
prices
and
some
are
not
eligible
for
competitive
contracts
due
to
bad
credit
or
or
a
potential
lack
of
credit
history.
C
B
Sorry
Minister
will
now
move
to
10-minute
block
for
the
official
opposition
and
assuming
you're
still
on
block
time.
Five
minutes
and
five
minutes
so
go
ahead.
Remember.
G
Thank
you
very
much
so
I'm
just
going
to
start
by
going
back
over
actually
I'll
go
back
over
questions
in
a
minute.
We'll
have
a
few
of
these
I'm
sure
I.
Think
the
one
I
want
to
start
with
minister
is
that,
in
response
to
the
minister
from
from
the
to
the
member
from
Cyprus
Medicine
Hat,
you
indicated
that
your
decision
to
include
families
in
the
affordability
payments
was
because
of
increased
Food.
G
Bank
usage,
I'm
curious
about
that,
because
it's
my
understanding
that
there's
been
significantly
increased,
Food
Bank
usage
by
students
as
well
so
post-secondary
students
in
particular,
have
seen
an
increased
need
and
I'm
hearing
this,
not
only
from
Student
Union
who
are
providing
these
sorts
of
information.
But
my
understanding
is
food.
G
Banks
on
campuses
have
actually
seen
increased
demand
and
that
that's
measurable,
so
I'm
I'm
interested
to
know
how
much
since
you
appear
to
be
monitoring
that
how
much
increased
usage
there
is
from
students
which
I
mean
it's
not
a
surprise
to
me
in
the
last
four
years
under
this
government
tuition
has
absolutely
skyrocketed.
So
it's
not
at
all
a
surprise
to
me
that
and
start
having
these
affordability
challenges
and
I'm
a
bit
curious.
What
your
justification
in
that
case
is
for
excluding
students
from
these
payments.
G
I
mean
students
tend
to
be
some
of
the
lowest
income
people.
They
tend
to
have
some
of
the
the
biggest
challenges
we're
certainly
hearing
regularly,
not
just
from
people
writing
into
my
office,
but
from
their
students
union
on
their
behalf
that
they
are
incredibly
incredibly
challenged
in
terms
of
their
ability
to
to
make
ends
meet
to
feed
themselves
to
pay
their
tuition.
So
I'm
just
I'm,
really
curious
why
they
were
excluded
from
this
program.
G
I
think
returning
again
to
the
Natural
Gas
program,
so
I
I,
understand
you'd,
be
saying
it
didn't
pay
out
anything
last
year
and
that
in
this
upcoming
year,
so
in
the
year
that
we're
looking
at
estimates
that
it's
built
into
the
contingency
fund,
I'm,
assuming
that
the
contingency
fund
is
based
on
a
series
of
calculations
as
opposed
to
just
being
a
giant
slush
fund.
So
based
on
that
I'm,
just
wondering
in
that
calculation.
How
much
do
you
project
to
be
spent
on
that?
G
In
terms
of
go
go
forward,
so
you
talked
about
the
fuel
tax
rebate,
continuing
so
in
the
estimates
of
the
upcoming
the
23
24
year.
What
do
you
project
the
foregone
cost
of
Revenue
to
be
as
a
result
of
that
fuel
tax
rebate?
Because,
presumably,
when
you
did
your
calculations
on
on
money
coming
into
the
government,
you
calculated
you
calculated
how
much
revenue
would
be
foregone
based
on
because
you
have
to
project
oil
prices
to
project
Revenue
anyway.
G
So
I'm
just
wondering
what
the
projected
cost
of
that
fuel
tax
rebate
will
be
to
albertans
in
the
coming
year
and
I
guess
the
the
fourth
one
I'll
I'll
go
out
on
this
one
is
I,
asked
a
couple
of
times
about
about
groceries
and
sort
of
what
the
plan
was
to
sort
of
convince
albertans
that
those
costs
were
reasonable
or
that
those
increases
were
reasonable
in
light
of
I
mean
and
again
I'm.
G
Assuming
that
all
members
around
the
table
received
the
same
correspondence
from
their
constituents
regarding
you
know
regarding
their
concerns
about
you
know
the
sudden
surging
price
of
food,
especially
in
light
of
the
fact
that
that
those
prices
aren't
generally
being
passed
on
or
that
increased
income
is
not
being
passed
on.
So
I
would
just
be
curious
in
light
of
the
rejection
of
the
all
Party
Committee
to
examine
that.
What
what
the
other
mechanism
is
like?
What
public
forum.
C
Yeah
and
thank
you
to
the
the
member
for
her
questions,
I
reference
that
the
the
rise
in
food
bank
usage
and
the
observation
from
Food
Bank
operators
that
children
were
one
were
also
increasingly
seen
at
food
banks
was
concerning,
but
the
the
reason
that
families
with
dependent
children
were
targeted
with
the
affordability
payments
is
because
families
spend
more
on
on
home,
shelter
on
on
fuel
on.
C
Certainly
food
and
I
can
tell
you
that
the
average
family
of
four
paid
a
thousand
dollars
more
for
groceries
last
year
and
could
see
another
thousand
dollar
increase
this
year.
An
average
family
of
four
in
Alberta
could
pay
as
much
as
sixteen
thousand
dollars
for
groceries
this
year
and
again,
children
in
particular,
had
their
well-being
was
certainly
impacted
by
the
pandemic.
C
C
The
government
recently
announced
a
caps
to
tuition
increases
for
domestic
students
at
public
institutions
at
two
percent
at
the
institution
level,
from
the
2024-25
year
onwards.
We
also
reduced
the
interest
rate
on
student
loans
and
we
extended
the
student
loan
grace
period.
We
doubled
it
from
6
months
to
12
months
to
give
students
more
time,
more
flexibility
to
find
gainful
employment
and
not
feel
pressured
by
their
student
loans.
C
We
also
increased
eligibility
for
the
repayment
assistance
plan
and
this
plan
helps
students
manage
their
student
loans
and
we
thought
that
that
threshold
needed
to
be
higher,
given
the
rapid
increase
in
interest
rates
that
students
and
everybody
else
was
contending
with.
So
these
measures
will
ease
the
impact
of
inflation,
so
post-secondary
students
can
focus
on
their
education
and
worry
less
about
paying
their
bills.
I'll
also
point
out
that
students
are
eligible
for
electricity
rebates,
I,
know,
students
who
certainly
appreciate
the
fuel
tax
relief
on
their
way
to
and
from
school.
C
They
also
benefit
from
our
changes
to
income
tax.
Our
our
freezing
of
automobile
insurance
increases,
so
we've
provided
broad-based
relief
and
post-secondary,
affordable
affordability,
users
to
post-secondary
students
under
budget
2023,
there's
1.1
billion
in
Alberta
student
loans
to
help
an
estimated
131
thousand
students
pursue
post-secondary
education,
we've
we're
providing
112
million
in
scholarships
and
awards
to
approximately
57
000
students
and
69
million
in
Grants
to
25
000
students.
C
The
member
had
also
asked
about
the
fuel
tax
relief
and
how
much
that
that
is
expected
to
cost
on
police
report
that
Alberta
are
estimated
to
save
570
million
dollars
in
fuel
tax
relief
this
fiscal
year
and
and
and
again
that
this
program
started
last
year.
Albertans
have
already
been
saving
at
the
pumps
and
they
will
continue
to
after
June
30th,
but
based
on
oil
price
triggers
and
again.
We
of
course
wanted
to
support
albertans
with
cost
of
living.
During
this
inflationary
period.
C
We
continue
to
evaluate
additional
ways
that
we
can
support
both
students,
families
and
other
albertans,
with
inflation
and
High
Cost
of
Living,
and
that
includes
evaluating
our
electricity
system
to
see
if
we're
exploring
generation
distribution
transmission,
all
the
way
down
to
retail
providers,
to
see
if
we
can
better
use
our
existing
transmission
and
distribution
to
prevent
further
builds
and
and
we're
also
looking
at
the
regulated
rate
option
to
see
if
we
can
get
that
reform
so
that
it
has
less
volatility,
more
stability
that
is
more
affordable
for
albertans,
and
that
may
include
supporting
albertans
to
explore
competitive
rate
options.
C
F
Okay,
thank
you,
Mr
chair
and
thanks
again
to
the
minister
and
your
staff,
six
questions
that
I'd
like
to
to
ask.
First
of
all,
on
page
14
of
your
business
plan,
2022
to
2026
under
statement
of
operations,
you
have
utility
rebate
and
Grant
programs.
It
goes
this
year
from
the
forecast
at
648
million
down
to
2020
324
to
47
million,
and,
of
course,
there
was
nothing
in
the
budget
for
it
before
648
million
was
spent
last
year.
Can
you
please
give
me
some
clarity
around
why
that
is
and
those
numbers
please
thank
you.
F
Secondly,
on
the
department
of
affordability
and
utilities.
On
page
nine
of
your
business
plan,
bullet
number
four
manages
the
policy
and
programs
supporting
the
ins,
expansion
and
upgrade
reading
of
rural
utility
infrastructure.
F
Very
glad
to
see
that
there's
some
special
recognition
for
the
needs
in
rural
utilities
from
you
know
the
cost
of
transmission
lines
needing
to
be
serviced
and
those
kind
of
things,
but
but
what?
What
is
your
long-term
focus
with
that?
Is
it
to
make
it
more
affordable
for
for
Alberta
small
towns
that
that
a
lot
of
them
are
already
burdened
by
the
fact
that
so
many
of
their
deep
services
and
their
roads
and
those
kind
of
things
have
to
to
be
redone?
F
And
how
can
we
have
our
Rural
Electric
associations
be
fully
engaged
in
in
providing
competitive
service
for
all
albertans
I
know?
In
the
past,
there's
been
some
bottlenecks
and
an
unlevel
playing
field
between
our
our
bigger
utility
companies
and
Reas.
Are
you
doing
anything
to
address
that?
Are
we
doing
anything
to
enhance
competition
for
for
albertans,
appreciate
your
consumer
advocacy
coming
down
and
helping
explain
the
situation?
F
I
would
suggest,
though,
that
2000
to
2500
bills
that
finally
get
you
know
to
where
we
can't
find
the
the
person
that
owes
or
or
the
homeowner
or
the
the
tenant
is,
is
a
small
part
of
the
the
problem.
I
want
to
take
a
bit
of
my
hat
off
to
the
people
of
Medicine
Hat,
where
I
hear
time
and
time
again
when
people
can't
afford
their
utilities.
F
This
is
going
to
make
housing
affordability
for
our
youth
next
to
Impossible.
I,
wonder
if
there's
anything
on
your
your
radar
at
all
long
term,
I
asked
you
in
the
last.
The
last
group
of
questions
just
give
me
one
two
or
three
examples
of
where
red
tape
has
been
reduced
to
make
life
more
affordable
for
albertans
I
know
it's
not
directly
your
your
responsibility,
but
that
is
a
cross.
F
Ministry
situation
and
I
would
just
like
to
to
know
where,
where
we've
actually
been
effective
on
on
reducing
red
tape,
I
also
asked
it
last
time
about
the
ongoing
cost
of
transmission
lines.
F
I
understand
that
the
big
Builders
and
the
big
providers
of
those
lines
were
guaranteed
somewhere
between
a
nine
and
a
nine
and
a
half
percent
interest
rate,
and
that's
when
the
going
bank
rate
might
have
been
two
or
three
now
that
that
bank
rate
has
doubled
or
tripled.
My
goodness
Earl
Albert
is
going
to
have
to
pay
more,
is,
and
is
there
a
way
to
renegotiate
the
cost
of
these
lines?
I
mean
we've
seen
Renewables
explode
throughout
around
the
province
and,
of
course
they
they
may
be
the
main
beneficiary
of
these
lines.
F
It's
it's
allowed
them
to
hook
into
the
utility
grid,
with
a
lot
less
costs.
Maybe
there's
a
way
to
to
have
some
of
those
companies
pay.
Some
of
this
cost,
rather
than
that
Alberta
family,
raising
three
kids
trying
to
pay
for
utilities,
food
and
send
three
kids
to
to
University
or
trade
school
I'll.
Just
close
again,
the
number
of
people
that
have
come
to
my
office
and
and
talked
about
shutting
down
their
business.
F
C
Thank
you
to
the
member
for
the
question,
so
yeah
I
wanted
to
get
to
red
tape,
reduction
and
I'm
pleased
to
report
that
affordability
utilities
has
taken
significant
action
to
reduce
red
tape
and
we've
already
achieved
our
red
tape
reduction
Target.
The
ministry
has
reduced
its
regulatory
count
by
37.5
percent
exceeding
the
government
of
Alberta
Target
of
33
percent.
The
reductions
made
are
already
creating
cost
savings
for
industry.
To
date,
affordability,
utilities
and
its
agencies
have
saved
industry
an
estimated
125
million
dollars.
C
We've
made
substantial
progress
in
addressing
industry
concerns
about
regulatory
burdens
and
we're
committed
to
working
together
to
make
further
improvements.
The
government
continues
to
participate
in
Industry
panels
that
provide
direct
input
into
red
tape,
reduction
initiatives,
and
we
appreciate
the
red
tape
reduction
submissions
we've
received
from
both
the
industry
panel
and
the
public.
My
favorite
red
tape
reduction
initiative
was
the
digitization
of
Alberta
Registries
so
that
albertans
can
do
driver's
licenses
and
plates
online.
That
was
a
significant
cost
savings
to
government,
albutens
and
and,
more
importantly,
probably
a
significant
Time
Savings.
C
So
that's
the
specific
example
that
I
would
highlight,
in
addition
to
the
the
work
of
the
ministry
in
the
125
million
in
estimated
savings
I'm,
going
to
turn
it
over
to
Matt.
To
comment
on
the
business
plan
and
the
statement
of
operations.
H
Thank
you
Mr,
so
you
had
asked
about
the
648
million
in
the
2223
forecast
and
going
down
to
47.5
million
in
the
estimate
so
you're
right,
that
is,
for
the
utility
rebate
and
Grant
programs.
The
648
million
represents
the
six
months
of
payments
from
October
to
March
period.
H
That's
635
million
for
that
program,
which
includes
the
nine
and
a
half
million
dollars
for
the
administration
that
Minister
had
referenced
earlier.
In
addition
to
this,
what's
included,
that
is
the
12
and
a
half
million
for
the
foregone
interest
to
the
regulated
rate
option
providers
that
is,
is
being
saved
being
passed
on
to
Consumers.
H
So
that's
what
makes
up
the
648
and
what
you
see
for
the
47
and
a
half
million
dollars
is
just
the
final
month
of
electricity
rebate,
payments
in
the
month
of
April,
going
to
the
nearly
two
million
dollars
to
residences
homes
and
businesses
and
Farms.
So
it's
concluding
with
that
final
in
April.
C
Yeah,
thank
you
very
much.
We
we
administer
three
programs
to
support
rural
Alberta
in
meeting
their
utility
needs.
The
first
is
the
rural
electric
program,
so
that
assists
individuals
in
providing
electric
services
to
areas
with
low
population
densities
that
are
otherwise
uneconomical
to
serve
at
a
level
consistent
with
higher
densities
density
areas
in
Alberta.
C
The
program
Grant
supports
the
construction
of
distribution
services
and
or
the
upgrading
and
modernization
of
Aging
infrastructure
throughout
rural
Alberta,
affordability
and
utilities
is
committed
to
ensuring
rural
albertans
have
access
to
an
efficient
and
modern
utility
distribution
system
that
is
safe,
reliable
resilient
and
environmentally
responsible
annual
core
funding
of
seven
hundred
thousand
dollars
for
the
rural
electric
program.
Grant
is
being
maintained
through
to
2025..
C
So
we
are
increasing
support
for
the
Rural
Gas
program
Grant,
which
assists
distributors
or
individuals
in
providing
gas
services
to
areas
with
low
population
densities
and
that
are
otherwise
uneconomical
to
serve
at
a
level
consistent
with
higher
density
areas
in
Alberta
program
grants
support
the
construction
of
just
distribution
services
and
or
the
upgrading
into
modernization
of
Aging
infrastructure
throughout
rural
Alberta
afforded
funding
for
the
Rural
Gas
program.
Grant
is
being
increased
from
previous
years
to
assist
in
addressing
The
Chronic
oversubscription
of
this
program,
which
I'm
sure
you've
heard
about
driven
by
consumer
demand.
C
Annual
core
funding
for
the
Rural
Gas
program
is
5.7
million
and
is
being
maintained
through
to
2025..
This
grant
funding
supports
rural
construction
by
the
Federation
members,
ATCO
Gas
and
pipelines
limited
and
Apex
utilities.
We
also
have
the
remote
Area
Heating
allowance
or
Raha
the
best
app
them
in
the
business.
B
E
Hey
Mr
Church
excellent.
Well,
thank
you
very
much
Minister
for
coming
out
here
tonight
and
providing
information
to
the
huge
crowd
of
individuals
watching
us
here
online
and
also
huge
thanks
to
all
of
your
staff,
the
ones
here
at
the
table,
as
well
as
the
ones
at
the
back.
So
thank
you
very
much
for
the
work
that
you
do
for
all
Burtons.
E
So
a
couple
questions,
I
I
know:
you've
touched
space
a
little
bit
about
the
affordability
grants
but
I
and
the
supports,
but
I
want
to
kind
of
touch
based
on
a
couple
groups
that
haven't
really
been
highlighted.
You
know,
as
I've
said
many
times
in
here
in
my
writings,
Spruce
Grove
Stony
plane.
E
It
continues
to
have
one
of
the
lowest
average
average
age
population
groups
in
the
entire
Province
I
think
it's
Spruce
Grove,
the
average
age
is
about
30
at
32
in
Stony
Plains
about
34
and
everywhere
you
looked
out
throughout
my
riding.
There's
there's
kids.
It
seems
like
everywhere
and
I
know.
A
key
part
of
your
package
minister,
putting
forth
was
putting
forth
package
that
really
helped
Target
those
Alberta
households
with
children
and
so
I
know.
E
When
I'm
out
visiting
with
my
constituents
here
in
my
area,
the
financial
relief
that
the
government
of
Alberta
has
provided
to
families
with
kids
has
been
extensive.
First
of
all,
I
guess,
I
was
just
hoping
if
you
could
elaborate
a
little
bit
specifically
on
on
the
focus
that
the
government
has
on
families
with
children
and
how
we've
been
able
to
support
them.
C
Yeah,
thank
you
so
as
part
of
our
affordability
action
plan,
the
government
has
has
provided
significant
relief,
both
broad-based
and
targeted
to
families.
So
as
part
of
that
plan,
so
far,
we've
we've
extended
the
fuel
tax
relief
for
at
least
the
next
six
months.
We've
expanded
electricity
rebates
to
provide
households
a
total
of
up
to
five
hundred
dollars
in
electricity
rebates.
We
've
provided
better
protection
against
future
electricity,
natural
gas
price
spikes
and
we've
also
resumed
the
indexation
of
Alberta's
core
support
programs,
including
H.
C
The
assured
income
for
the
severely
handicapped
income
support
the
Alberta
seniors
benefit
and
the
Alberta
child
and
family
benefit,
as
the
member
was
alluding
to
we've,
provided
additional
targeted
payments
totaling
up
to
six
hundred
dollars
per
child
to
families
in
Alberta.
These
are
the
same
affordability,
payments
that
seniors
65
and
up
and
albertans
on
core
support.
C
Programs
are
also
eligible
for
we've,
also
provided
additional
support
in
in
terms
of
post-secondary
we've
Frozen,
auto
insurance
rate
increases,
and,
if
you,
if
you
add
up
the
estimated
benefit
for
the
broad-based
measures
for
a
family
that
would
be
900-
and
that
is
mainly
the
electricity
rebates
up
to
500
and
fuel
tax
savings,
a
200
per
car,
400
mid-sized
vehicle
upwards
of
six
hundred
dollars
for
trucks,
depending
on
what
you
drive
and
how
often
so
broad-based
measures
alone
for
households
for
families
up
to
900
or
more
and
then,
depending
on
the
number
of
children.
C
They
have
that's
six
hundred
dollars
per
child
over
the
next
six
months.
Again,
economists
have
estimated
the
additional
cost
burden
that
excess
inflation
places
on
families,
and
it
was
estimated
at
90
a
month.
So
it
was
our
intention
to
ensure
that
children
didn't
pay
the
price
of
excess
inflation.
We
wanted
to
provide
families
with
the
flexibility
to
really
support
the
health
and
well-being
of
their
children.
We
wanted
kids
to
focus
on
being
kids
and
I.
Think
that's
really
important.
C
After
the
the
couple
years,
we
saw
there
during
the
pandemic,
so
overall,
our
package
of
measures
sought
to
ensure
an
appropriate
balance
of
broad-based
supports,
which
are
available
to
the
vast
majority
of
albertans,
along
with
additional
targeted
supports
oops
like
family
seniors
and,
of
course,
our
most
vulnerable.
Thank
you.
E
And
no
thank
you
very
much
for
that.
Minister
I
know
when
I
go
to
the
local
Leisure
Center,
you
know
I'm
chatting
with
parents,
I
know
I've,
my
wife
and
I
have
coached
soccer,
and
you
always
in
conversations
with
families
and
parents
and
I
know
the
affordability.
Payments
constantly
comes
up
as
as
as
a
valued
type
of
support
for
families
in
our
area.
E
So
for
that,
thank
you
before
I
kind
of
continue
that
line
of
questions
I
I
do
want
to
ask
a
couple
questions
about
an
issue
that
is
very
focused
on
my
writing.
That
actually
has
to
do
with
electricity
as
well
as
coal,
and
you
know
I
guess
the
first
question
I
have
is
you
know
it
has
to
do
with
the
phase
out
of
coal
power
generation.
C
Yeah,
thank
you
very
much
so
as
noted
based
on
on
current
plans,
all
Alberta
Coal
Fire
generation
will
be
phased
out
by
the
end
of
2023
much
sooner
than
federally
mandated
in
in
2030..
This
is
due
in
part
to
the
powerful
economic
incentives
through
our
Technology
Innovation
and
Emissions
reduction
regulation.
C
Carbon
pricing
and
corporate
interest
in
environmental,
social
and
governance
goals
have
created
strong,
market-based
incentives
for
additional
investment
in
zero
and
low
carbon
intensity
generation
capacity.
Alberta
has
partnered
with
other
provinces
to
support
the
development
of
small
modular
nuclear
reactors
or
SMR
technology
in
Canada
and
albertans
will
certainly
have
the
opportunity
to
comment
on
any
potential
projects
through
that
engagement
process.
But
the
core
of
your
question
is:
like
you,
sorry
like
the
member
and
all
of
us.
We
constantly
hear
from
our
constituents
about
electricity.
C
We
constantly
hear
about
the
affordability
challenges
that
families
and
albertans
are
facing
and
and
again
that's
why
we
came
forward
with
affordable
affordability,
measures
that
directly
targeted
both
electricity
and
also
the
other
areas
that
albertans
were
seeing
cost
increases.
So
we
we
started
off
with
the
fuel
tax
relief,
13
cents
per
liter
on
every
leader
of
gas
and
Diesel,
which
is
in
effect
until
June
of
this
year.
We
continued
our
electricity
rebate
program
to
provide
up
to
500
in
electricity
relief
until
April
2023.
This
month's
rebate
is
25
dollars.
C
We've
also
done
other
things.
We've
continued
our
investment
into
affordable
child
care.
That's
another
thing
that
I'm
sure
comes
up
in
the
members
constituency,
and
this
is
significant.
This
is
this
is
saving
families
that
utilize
Child
Care
between
four
and
400
and
650
a
month,
and
that's
going
to
continue.
C
The
savings
are
going
to
continue
to
increase
the
cost
of
child
care
is
going
to
continue
to
decrease
towards
25
2025-26,
which,
where
we're
targeting
an
average
of
ten
dollars
a
day,
we've
also
made
permanent
changes
to
our
course
support
programs,
so
that
the
the
albertans
that
that
we,
we
constantly
discuss
their
programs
with
whether
it
be
a
sure
or
income
support.
We
want
to
make
sure
they're
calibrated
correctly,
but
I'm
pleased
to
report
that
they're
now
indexed.
C
They
will
continue
to
increase
with
inflation,
to
ensure
that
albertans
who
need
that
support
will
continue
to
receive
it,
and
we
also
retroactively
indexed
income
taxes
so
that
all
albertans
would
pay
less
tax,
come
tax
time
or
receive
a
higher
rebate
and
have
lower
withholdings
on
their
other
checks,
moving
forward,
which
is
critically
important
at
a
time
of
excess
inflation
and
increased
cost
of
living.
C
I
am
pleased
to
report,
though,
that
out
that
Alberta
and
the
member
opposite
knows
this
well,
Alberta
does
have
the
highest
weekly
earnings.
We
have
the
lowest
taxes.
We've
got
a
booming
job
market
with
a
hundred
thousand
vacancies,
so
that's
probably
worthy
of
an
affordability
measure
mentioned
in
itself,
because
we
know
that
the
best
way
to
enable
people
to
afford
cost
of
living
is
is
for
them
to
have
meaningful
employment
and
I'd
like
to
thank
the
member
opposite
for
his
efforts
in
in
creating
an
environment
that
does
just
that.
C
We
are
back
to
electricity,
I'm,
very
pleased
to
say
that
Alberta
is
projected
to
be
the
national
leader
in
in
future
renewable
generation.
We
are
the
destination
and
that's
where
the
majority
of
future
green
projects
are
being
built
and
yeah.
Thank
you.
E
E
It
really
talks
about
the
accelerary
call
phase
out
that
you
know
you
kind
of
alluded
to
that
were
expected
to
reach
by
2030
and
I'm
also
pleased
to
know
that
many
of
the
workers
that
you
talked
about
with
the
highest
weekly
earnings
continues
to
be
the
case
here
in
Alberta
I
will
say
you
know
there
was
a
for
many
workers
that
were
put
out
of
work
in
my
riding
due
to
the
previous
government's
accelerated
coal
phase
out.
E
Maybe
they
were
not
able
to
experience
those
High
wages,
many
of
which
had
to
go
to
BC,
to
work,
but
it's
nice
to
know
that
at
least
for
some
of
them
they've
been
able
to
transition
into
other
lines
of
work.
But
I
know
that
economic
pain
in
my
writing
still
continues.
As
Spruce
Grove
Stony
Plain
relaxing
a
park,
life
continued
to
probably
have
the
highest
source
of
workers
that
were
displaced
when
that
sector
was
prematurely
shut
down
a
couple
years
ago,
but
I
guess
I
was
just
hoping
in
the
last
couple
seconds.
B
C
G
Okay,
so
I
think,
just
because
of
the
the
nature
of
the
block
time
we're
sort
of
running
out
of
time
to
get
answers.
So
I
think
in
this
instance
I'm
just
going
to
ask
questions
then
pass
it
over
to
the
minister
and
I'll
come
back
with
the
rest
of
my
questions
in
in
future
blocks.
G
So
the
first
question
is
about
because
I
think
I
think
that
you
gave
me
the
numbers
for
the
the
last
fiscal.
So
the
fiscal,
that's
we're
in
current.
Well,
are
we
still
in
it?
Currently?
Yes,
we
are
still
in
it
currently
so
I'm,
just
looking
for
the
foregone
fuel
tax
revenue
projected
in
23.24
I
know
Minister
that
you
said
that
that
was
part
of
part
of
the
contingency
fund,
but
obviously
that
isn't
just
a
random.
Oh
sorry
that
one
wasn't
part
of
the
contingency
fund.
G
My
apologies,
sorry
that
would
be
in
the
projections.
The
revenue
projections,
obviously
so
I'm
just
wondering
what
what
we're
estimating
the
foregone
fuel
tax
revenue
to
be
for
23.24,
because
you'll
know
what
the
benchmarks
are
for,
where
it
phases
in
and
out,
and
you
know
what
you
projected
oil
to
be
so
I
assume
that
someone
somewhere
has
done
that
calculation.
G
The
second
question
is
on
the
natural
gas
program,
which
did
say,
was
in
the
contingency
fund,
which
again
I'm
just
I'm.
Just
assuming
that,
as
as
you
know,
we
all
attempt
to
be
wise.
Fiscal
managers
that
you
wouldn't
just
have
a
giant
slush
fund
sitting
around,
and
so
you
would
have
made
some
sort
of
estimate
in
the
contingency
fund
of
how
much
certain
programs
were,
and
so
I'm
just
wondering
how
much
of
that
was
expected
to
be
for
the
natural
gas
program
and
that's
the
contingency
fund
for
23.24.
G
So
just
to
repeat
for
both
questions.
It's
for
23.24
and
I'm.
Just
asking
how
much
you
expect
to
forego
in
revenue
on
the
fuel
tax
and
how
much
you
expect
albertans
to
benefit
from
on
the
natural
gas
program,
as
I
mean
I,
continue
to
be
of
the
view
and
understand
from
experts
that,
in
fact,
that
program
still
will
continue
to
be
a
fake
program
that
in
fact,
has
no
money
allocated
to
it.
So
those
are
the
two
questions.
Thanks.
C
Thank
you
to
the
member
for
the
questions
again,
the
the
projected
costs
or
foregone
fuel
tax
revenue
would
be
570
million
for
23.24
and
and
then
the
program
would,
of
course
the
cost
would
be
based
on
the
oil
prices
as
the
program
after
June
30th
is
based
on
oil
price
Traders
in
terms
of
the
contingency.
C
That's
there's
1.5
billion
dollars,
I
believe
in
this
budget,
inter
for
contingency
and
and
that
would
be
for
disasters,
emergencies,
unforeseen
events
and
but
it
could
also
include
affordability,
measures,
and
but
that
is
a
treasury
board
in
finance,
item
and
question,
and
so
I
would
encourage
you
to
to
direct
the
the
questions
on
the
contingency
to
treasury
board
and
finance.
B
J
Thank
you
very
much
and
thank
you
Minister
for
being
here
so
I
want
to
refer
reference
most
of
my
questions
to
outcome.
Number
two:
safe,
reliable,
affordable
utility
system,
which
includes,
of
course,
the
concept
of
being
modern
and
competitive
and
adaptive
and
addressing
the
cost,
of
course,
to
albertans
and
regulatory
regime
that
is
formulated
at
best
serve
albertans.
So
my
questions
to
start
with
are
going
to
address
the
issue
of
self-supply,
which
is
part
of
our
regulatory
system.
J
Part
of
policy
and
I
guess:
I
have
a
couple
of
questions
there.
One
of
the
concerns
relates
to
self-supply
with
export
as
part
of
our
reality
in
Alberta.
J
So
I'd
appreciate
your
comments
on
that
particular
piece
and
how
you're
going
to
address
that?
Has
anything
been
done
to
keep
it
fair
for
for
albertans.
C
Yeah,
thank
you
to
the
member
for
the
questions,
so
enabling
self-supply
with
export
will
promote
investment
in
generation
for
self-supply,
but
will
also
allow
the
export
of
access
capacity
to
the
electricity
market
and,
of
course,
that
would
put
downward
pressure
on
the
on
the
pool
price.
This
allows
large
industrial
consumers
to
lower
their
production
costs
and
earn
extra
Revenue
through
exports
to
the
electricity
Market
interest
in
self-supply
with
export
is
growing.
It
is
currently
only
permitted
in
limited
circumstances,
and
these
limitations
are
seen
as
a
barrier
to
investment
and
the
attraction
of
new
opportunities.
C
We
are
further
enabling
self-supply
with
export
through
the
electricity
statutes
modernizing
Alberta's
electricity
grid
Amendment
act
2022,
which
includes
amending
legislation
of
Regulation
to
broadly
enable
unlimited
self-supply
with
export,
requiring
that
self-supply
with
export
facilities,
pay
their
fair
share
of
system
costs
through
the
Alberta
Electric
System
operators
or
isos
tariff,
and
ensuring
all
self-supply
with
export
projects
are
aligned
with
independent
system
operator
rules
as
any
other
generating
unit.
This
will
provide
regulatory
Clarity
to
albertans,
who
are
interested
in
self-supply
with
export,
but
do
not
currently
qualify
for
an
ISD
or
an
industrial
system
designation.
C
J
C
J
Okay,
a
separate
question
but
related:
how
are
you
going
to
address
the
issue
that
is
sometimes
called
economic
withholding
by
some
of
the
generators
who
choose
not
to
deliver
power
to
the
grid
unless
the
price
is
at
a
threshold
that
they're
happy
with,
and
you
could
say
somewhat
in
an
attempt
to
make
sure
the
price
stays
up
there
by
refusing
to
to
deliver
power
to
the
grid?
How
do
you
address
that
issue
of
economic
withholding.
C
Well,
the
the
primary
way
that
that
we're
going
to
address
power
prices
is
through
competition.
Economic
withholding
is
a
feature
of
our
Market.
It
is
an
allowable
practice
and
generators
are
engaging
in
and
utilizing
it
and
at
times
it
does
increase
the
pool
price,
but
it
also
sends
Market
signals.
It
sends
signals
that
are
resulting
in
six
to
seven
thousand
megawatts
of
new
generation
that
are
expected
to
come
online
in
our
province
in
the
coming
year.
C
So
you
know:
we've
we've
created
a
competitive
market
for
electricity
generation,
it
is
attracting
new
generation
and
ultimately,
that
is
the
best
way
to
provide
the
lowest
cost.
Electricity
to
albertans
will
continue
to
evaluate
our
Market
things
like
economic
withholding
our
congestion-free
policy,
the
our
transmission
and
distribution
regimes,
we're
going
to
continue
to
evaluate
it
to
make
sure
that
it
is
meeting
the
needs
of
albertans
and
will,
of
course,
consult
with
industry,
participates
participants
and
albertans
before
making
any
major
changes.
Thank
you.
J
E
J
J
Let's,
let's
change,
subject
a
little
bit:
energy
storage,
you
know
if
we're
really
going
to
use
our
market-based
renewable
electricity,
Generation
I.
Think
one
of
the
questions
that
that
gets
raised
a
lot
is
is
with
regards
to
storage.
It's
it's
one
of
our
one
of
the
key
objectives:
2.1
as
well.
So
since
it's
important,
how
are
you
going
to
encourage
energy
storage?
J
Can
you
get
any
sense
of
what
the
impact
might
be
on
our
electricity
system
and
can
you
provide
maybe
some
some
I
don't
know
an
overview
of
some
existing
or
proposed
energy
storage
projects
that
are
that
are
on
the
Verizon
for
Alberta.
C
Yeah,
thank
you
to
the
minister
to
the
member
for
the
question
we
passed
legislation
last
spring.
The
electricity
statutes
Amendment
act,
which
enabled
energy
storage
by
incorporating
a
legal
definition
of
energy
storage,
allowing
distribution
and
transmission
utilities
to
own
and
operate
energy
storage
assets
as
part
of
their
regulative
functions
within
clearly
prescribed
limits,
and
by
allowing
the
use
of
competitive
processes
to
procure
energy
storage
assets
for
distribution
and
transmission
services.
C
This
legislation
addresses
the
regulatory
uncertainty
cited
by
many
developers
as
the
reason
for
not
moving
forward
with
energy
storage
projects,
we're
creating
new
opportunities
to
store
energy
at
times
when
prices
are
low
for
use
later,
when
prices
are
high,
also
known
as
energy
Arbitrage,
and
providing
non-wires
alternatives
on
the
distribution
and
transmission
system
for
further
cost
savings.
Enabling
storage
in
legislation
combined
with
our
commitment
to
a
competitive
market,
has
already
encouraged
the
development
of
over
3
000
megawatts
of
energy
storage
projects
that
are
that
are
now
in
the
planning
stages.
C
The
iso
is
currently
developing
new
services
that
will
leverage
the
unique
properties
of
energy
storage
resources.
It
has
procured
30
megawatts
of
energy
storage
capacity
to
help
it
develop
technical
requirements.
The
potential
impact
energy
storage
resources
bring
many
benefits,
including
helping
reduce
the
long-term
cost
of
electricity
in
Alberta,
enabling
the
integration
of
intermittent
renewable
energy
resources
and
optimizing.
The
investment
in
future
transmission
and
distribution
infrastructure,
energy
storage,
Technologies
offer
proponents
and
generators
a
significant
degree
of
flexibility
in
how
they
can
meet
their
electricity
needs
with
the
flexibility
of
both
location
and
scale.
C
These
assets
can
provide
efficient
and
effective
transmission
and
distribution
services
that
can,
in
some
circumstances,
be
more
cost
effective
and
easier
to
implement
than
a
wire
solution
requiring
costly
new
infrastructure
and
those
costs,
as
you
know,
are
often
passed
on
to
rate
pairs
in
the
energy.
Only
Market
a
storage
resources
can
reduce
the
pool
price
by
promoting
the
integration
of
the
renewable
energy
resources
through
offers
in
the
ancillary
Market
energy
storage
resources
can
also
reduce
cost
by
storing
renewable
energy
output
during
periods
of
low
demand
and
discharging
during
periods
of
high
demand.
C
J
Maybe
you
can
answer
this
in
the
next
section,
but
I,
but
I
want
you
to
4
talks
about
system,
reliability
and
I.
Think
the
reliability
of
the
system,
of
course,
is
extremely
important.
So
I'm
just
wondering
maybe
two
things:
how
are
you
planning
or
thinking
about
protecting
against
system
disruptions,
such
as
extreme
weather
events?
We
saw
that
a
couple
years
in
Texas.
Secondly,
I'm
wondering:
where
does
the
retail
consumer?
J
How
should
I
say
this?
The
consumer
generator
distributed
generation?
How
does
that
fit
into
system
reliability,
and
are
we
doing
anything
to
enhance
the
consumer's
contribution
to
stability
in
the
grid
through
through
generation
I
think,
especially
in
the
urban
areas,
as
we
get
into
electric
cars
and
all
the
rest
of
the
demand
is
going
to
be
massive,
we
need
some
some
local
generation
if
I
can
dare
call
it
that.
Are
you
taking
that
into
account
in
any
way
as
you
move
forward,
and
that's
only
seven
seconds?
Yes
and
that's
our
next
type.
B
Yeah,
thank
you
we'll
now
move
on
to
a
10-minute
block
for
the
official
opposition
and
member
again,
we
have
up
to
five
minutes.
G
Okay
so
I'm
actually
going
to
jump
in
on
some
of
the
questions
that
were
just
offered
by
the
member
from
okay
I
thought.
That
was
some
interesting
information,
so
I
know,
as
was
mentioned,
that
a
tariff
with
respect
to
this
expanded,
self-supply
and
Export
is
under
development.
I'm
just
wondering
when
we
expect
that
to
be
developed,
it's
been
ongoing
for
a
while.
G
G
I
know
the
ACT
is
in,
but
certainly
what
I
have
heard
is
the
fact
that,
because
you
can,
if
you
sort
of
pair
storage
with
your
renewable
in
its
own
area,
you
can
bring
storage
on
fairly
easily
to
sell
at
different
times.
But
if
it's
sort
of
Standalone
it's
still
charged
as
a
generator
and
a
load
I
mean
it's.
My
understanding
that
to
encourage
the
adoption
of
more
of
a
more
storage,
you
would
want
to
change
that
I'm,
just
wondering
if
work
is
underway
on
those
rules
and
regulations
to
alter
that.
G
You
also
indicated
that
there's
3
000
megawatts
of
energy
storage-
that's
planned
I
was
wondering
if
that's
Standalone
storage
or
if
it's
storage,
that's
sort
of
paired
with
renewable
kind
of
behind
the
fence.
G
One
of
the
ones
I
wanted
to
Circle
back
to
was
in
sorry
in
the
the
estimates
line.
Two
point:
one:
affordability
and
utilities
that
doesn't,
as
far
as
I
understand,
contain
any
actual
payments
to
albertans,
so
it
went
from
5
million
and
a
half
roughly
to
just
over
12
million
it's
sort
of
doubled,
so
I'm
just
I'm
really
curious.
Why
that
went
because
it's
all
in
the
same
year,
it's
from
budget
to
forecast
so
I'm
just
sort
of
curious.
G
G
I
mean
that's
fine
I'm,
not
that
interested
in
who
who
precisely
the
staff
are
it's
just
that,
presumably
when
they
split
the
ministry
of
energy
into
two,
they
took
the
office
budget
and
split
it.
The
energy
office
budget
went
from
at
667
000
to
1.048
million
57
increase
your
Minister's
office
budget
went
from
572
000
to
832
000,
which
is
or
sorry
847
000,
which
is
a
48
increase,
so
I'm
just
curious,
like
I'm,
not
interested
in
where
the
actual
staff
went
I'm
just
curious.
G
G
Let's
see
oh
one
of
the
things
I
wanted
to
return
to
was
in
your
business
plan,
the
discussion
of
reviewing
transmission
distribution
and
other
costs
I'm
just
I'm
just
trying
to
get
a
sense
of
like
what
that
review
is
Who's
involved
in
that
review.
Is
the
review
public
you?
G
Will
it
be
done
yeah?
Will
it
be
done
in
a
public
forum?
If
so,
you
know
what
is
the
public
forum
what's
the
mechanism
for
for
albertans
to
provide
their
sort
of
feedback
on
that
I
would
be
interested
in
that
and
I.
Think
probably
the
other
thing
that
I
wanted
to
go
back
to
was
around
the
affordability
payments
and
I
appreciate
the
decision
to
include
people
with
children.
I
think
it's
the
right
decision,
that's
a
great
decision.
G
It's
just
I
think
that
all
of
the
factors
that
you
cited
like
in
terms
of
increased
costs
and
increased
groceries
and
increased
housing
costs
and
those
sort
of
difficulties
all
apply
to
post-secondary
students
also
so
I'm
just
I'm
just
curious.
Why
those
folks
were
excluded.
I
appreciate
you
saying
that
you
know
the
percentage
on
student
loans
has
gone
down
while
it
went
down
because
you
put
it
up,
it
was
the
UCP
government
that
raised
it
in
the
first
place.
G
So
just
reversing
your
own
decision
isn't
really
I
would
say
an
improvement
in
the
circumstances
of
students
and
so
I'm.
Just
you
know
they.
They
have
all
the
same
factors
about
food
bank
uses
being
up
I'm,
just
wondering
why
they
were
left
out.
C
Yeah,
thank
you
to
the
members
for
the
questions
and
again,
we've
provided
both
broad-based
and
targeted.
Inflation
relief,
affordability
supports
and
we
talked.
They
never
talked
about
families
and
students
and
families
and
students
are
both
eligible,
of
course,
to
benefit
from
our
fuel
tax
relief
program,
13
cents
per
liter,
13.6
cents
per
liter
from
January
until
June
on
every
liter
of
gas
and
Diesel
until
at
least
June
30th,
at
which
point
the
program
will
revert
to
oil
price
triggers
and
that's
providing
real
support.
We've
also
provided
electricity
rebates
again.
C
Families
and
students
or
families,
including
students,
will
benefit
from
up
to
five
hundred
dollars
in
electricity
rebates
from
July
to
April
2023
from
July
22
to
April.
2023..
We've
also
made
other
changes
that
will
benefit
both
students
and
families,
like
our
changes
to
income
tax,
affordable
child
care.
Let's
remember
some
students
are
parents,
they're
saving
between
400
and
650
a
month
in
affordable
child
care.
We've
made
investments
in
supports
related
to
low-income,
Transit,
again
available
to
families
and
students,
and
then
on
you
know,
we're
committed
to
ensuring
post-secondary
education
is
accessible
and
affordable.
C
So
we
announced
four
measures
specific
to
students.
The
first
was
a
cap
to
tuition
increases
for
domestic
students
at
public
institutions,
which
you
capped
at
two
percent
at
the
institution
level,
from
the
2024-25
year
onwards.
I,
as
a
member
noted,
we
reduced
the
interest
rate
on
student
loans,
but
this
was,
after
a
period
of
a
significant,
the
most
rapid
rise
in
interest
rates
in
in
recent
history.
C
This
is
also
from
a
position
of
fiscal
strength.
The
budget
is
balanced.
C
This
is,
after
it's,
after
three
years
of
fiscal
restraint
and
with
a
balanced
budget
that
we
are
in
a
position
to
provide
these
affordability
supports
to
provide
this
inflation
relief
and
to
do
things
like
remove
the
interest,
reduce
the
interest
rate
on
student
loans
for
students.
We
also
extended
the
student
loan
grace
period
from
six
months
to
12
months.
We
doubled
it
so
that
students
would
have
time
to
find
gainful
employment
again,
there's
a
hundred
thousand
jobs
available
in
Alberta.
Right
now
we
have
the
highest
weekly
earnings
in
the
country.
C
C
We
also
provided
targeted
relief
to
families,
because
again,
families
spend
more
on
fuel
and
heat
and
homes
and
and
groceries,
then
than
individuals,
and
we
wanted
to
ensure
that
children
again
were
held
harmless
from
the
impacts
of
inflation
and
the
High
Cost
of
Living.
That
comes
with
it.
So
we
provided
all
families
in
Alberta
all
low
and
middle
income
families
in
Alberta,
with
up
to
600
over
six
months,
100
a
month
for
each
child
under
18.,
and
we
excluded
the
top
20
percent
wealthiest
families.
C
Because
again
we
wanted
to
Target
this
additional
inflation
relief
and
affordability,
support
to
low
and
middle
income,
Alberta
families,
so
I
I
hope
it's
it's
clear
that
we've
provided
significant,
broad-based
relief
to
all
albertans,
including
students,
and
then
we've
provided
targeted
inflation
relief
to
students
through
the
four
measures
that
I
detailed
and
targeted
support
for
families
through
the
affordability
payments
and
again
there's
over
1.1
million
albertans
enrolled
on
that
program.
It's
been
very
successful
credit
to
the
to
the
government
and
specifically
technology
and
Innovation
for
Rolling
that
out
very
quickly
for
albertans.
C
H
Thank
you,
minister.
So
yeah,
the
the
that
expense
item
went
up
to
12.2
million
from
the
5.6
million
you're
right.
It
doesn't
include
any
of
the
actual
rebate
program
or
payments,
sorry,
but
it
does
include
development
and
developing
and
implementing
the
affordability
action
plan,
and
that
includes
a
campaign
to
inform
albertans
of
how
to
obtain
affordability
payments.
It
also
includes
the
work
on
the
review
of
the
regulated
rate
option
and
additional
resources
and
supplies
and
services
necessary
to
fulfill
the
mandate's
priorities.
C
J
There
we
go
I'll,
give
you
the
opportunity
to
respond
to
the
reliability
piece
again,
just
about
system
disruptions,
weather
events
and
whether
or
not
there
is
some
place
in
that
equation.
For
the
self
Supply
at
the
retail
level,
you
know
generate
the
electricity
where
it's
used.
Would
that
help
alleviate
the
pressure
on
the
system.
C
Yes,
thanks
for
the
questions,
so
Alberta
has
a
robust
and
reliable
system
developed
to
operate
effectively
in
varying
conditions,
including
our
province's
significant
seasonal
temperature
swings.
Generally
speaking,
there
is
more
than
adequate
electricity
Supply
in
Alberta
The
Province
currently
has
over
18
000
megawatts
of
installed
capacity
in
the
system
to
serve
a
peak
demand.
We
just
hit
a
record
recently
of
around
12
000
megawatts.
The
iso
is
responsible
for
the
reliable
operation
of
the
power
grid
and
to
ensure
that
the
system
remains
stable.
C
The
iso
procures
additional
power
to
hold
and
reserve
and
can
take
mitigating
actions
when
the
power
system
is
under
stress
last
winter,
the
iso
closely
monitored
the
convergence
of
extreme
cold
temperatures,
tight
Supply
conditions
and
increased
Reliance
on
natural
gas
for
electricity
generation,
which
had
the
potential
to
impact
system,
reliability.
The
same
conditions
could
be
seen
next
winter
during
tight
conditions.
The
iso
first
suspends
electricity
exports,
then
alerts
industry.
C
The
iso
may
also
cancel
transmission
maintenance
to
ensure
all
available.
Electricity
is
Flowing,
Implement
voluntary
curtailment
programs,
where
participants
are
asked
to
reduce
their
energy
use
to
predetermined
levels
and
request
emergency
Imports.
As
the
last
option
to
maintain
reliability,
the
iso
can
initiate
temporary
rotation
hour.
Outages
grid
alerts
typically
occur
during
the
peak
hours
of
electricity
consumption,
which
is
4
PM
to
7
pm.
C
A
grid
alert
is
communicated
via
iso's
social
media
accounts
and
website
to
help
curb
some
non-essential
demand
and
preserve
emergency
Reserve
capacity.
The
grid
alert
will
remain
in
place
until
the
power
system
is
back
to
normal,
and
the
iso
has
not
been
required
to
implement
rolling
outages
due
to
lack
of
electricity
Supply
in
nine
years.
The
system's
working,
so
while
it
might
sound
concerning
these
alerts,
are
actually
an
indication
that
the
system
and
the
protections
it
entails
are
working
as
as
intended
for
albertans.
C
As
I
said
last
winter,
the
iso
closely
monitored
the
convergence
of
extreme
cold
temperatures,
tight
Supply
conditions
and
increased
Reliance
on
natural
gas
for
electricity
generation
yeah
and
in
December
2022
Alberta
set
a
new
all-time
hourly
Peak
demand
of
12
193
megawatts
and
several
grid
alerts
were
issued
due
to
a
prolonged,
extreme
cold
snap,
coinciding
with
unplanned
generator
outages.
The
alerts
were
short-lived
and
the
system
conditions
returned
to
normal
and
yeah.
Thank
you.
J
And
it
left
so,
let's
just
touch
on
the
little
PC
I
appreciate
the
the
grid
alerts
asking
consumers
not
to
use
power
when
there's
a
challenge,
but
can
do
you
see
us
moving
to
an
Era
where
grid
alerts
to
the
retail
generator
I'm
going
to
use
that
language
I,
don't
know
what
else
to
call
them
could
be
also
alerted
to
contribute
power
to
the
system
to
back
it
up.
C
That
the
future
is
the
bi-directional
flow
of
electricity
and
distributed
generation.
Of
course
you
got
to
have
a
lot
of
technology
in
place
for
that
all
to
work
so
right
now
we
we
see
it
as
both
an
opportunity,
but
also
a
challenge.
The
grid
must
evolve
to
fully
utilize
distributed
generation
and
to
have
the
the
by
flow
of
electricity.
So
the
short
answer
is
yes.
B
I
apologize
for
the
interruption,
but
I
must
advise
the
committee
that
the
time
allotted
for
this
portion
of
consideration
of
the
ministry's
estimates
has
concluded
I'd
like
to
remind
committee
members
that
we
are
scheduled
to
meet
in
a
half
an
hour
at
7
pm
to
continue
our
consideration
of
the
estimates
of
the
ministry
of
affordability
and
utilities.
We
will
be
switching
rooms
to
the
Rocky
Mountain
room,
so
grab
a
quick
bite
to
eat
and
meet
us
there
and
please
be
reminded
there
is
no
food
allowed
in
the
committee
rooms.