Canadian provincial governments have moved to shield customers in four major regions from increased costs associated with federal greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction policies that had previously fallen between the cracks.

carbon capture

The moves by Alberta, Ontario. Nova Scotia and Quebec tackle a gap left by the carbon tax, a cornerstone of Canada’s GHG reduction policy. The system rebates the tax on fuel to consumers, but not hardware or delivery expenses that average half of natural gas and power utility costs.

The Nova Scotia government introduced legislation to set a 1.8% cap on annual nonfuel rate increases by Nova Scotia Power (NSP) until the end of 2024. Additions to consumer bills would be held down to $18.7-22.5 million.

An NSP rate application to the Nova Scotia Utility and Review...