Open letter to the Yukon Utilities’ Board:
First, the Utilities Consumers’ Group would like to acknowledge the new members to the YUB and remind them that they can dissent to any direction or decision that the other members of this board wish to enshrine in law. Any dissent has to be written into the reasons for a particular board order.
Second, we would like to welcome to the Yukon the chair of this board, Mr. Bruce McLennan. It is good to know that you, as a B.C. resident, along with multitudes of other experts and professionals from Outside are making decisions on behalf of us colonials.
How much extra are Yukon electrical ratepayers paying for you and all these utility aficionados to file multitudes of paper, for flights from Vancouver Island or wherever they live “south of 60,” for accommodations and meals ... to ensure that we are governed appropriately?
All in all, it’s more than a million-dollar process, on top of any other increases that you give Yukon Energy, which our small number of Yukon electrical customers will pay for.
As there will very likely be several more of these regulatory sessions in the upcoming months, it is our obligation to find a far less costly method to regulate our two utility companies than the present rate base/rate of return framework.
Justification for your approval of any increases in our electrical rates must fall under an act, which is theoretically in place to curb the impact on Yukon electrical ratepayers. Or wait a minute - is it there to serve the wallets of the utility shareholders and all these puppet masters from Outside?
Roger Rondeau
Utilities Consumers’ Group