ON: CPA issues CALL TO ACTION regarding natural gas expansion
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On December 13, 2018, the CPA issued a “Call to Action” to its Ontario members regarding concerns about the unfair approach to natural gas expansion in Ontario.
In September, the Ontario government announced that it would introduce legislation to expand natural gas. Bill 32, Ontario Access to Natural Gas Act, 2018, received royal assent on December 6. The government is now in the process of designing the regulatory framework.
In response, Ontario CPA members are making their voices heard by writing to their respective MPPs to draw their attention to the issue and try to influence the development of the regulations.
To this end, the CPA has submitted comments that set out program-specific criteria to the Ministry of Energy, Northern Development and Mines.
In its submission, the CPA asserted that it is imperative the regulations under the act ensure fairness and maintain competitiveness in Ontario’s energy sector. The CPA provided several recommendations with the intent to limit expansion by providing strict requirements to be incorporated in the regulations that would determine:
- which expansion projects are eligible
- which new customers get the benefits
- whether there is an annual cap on this rate relief (i.e., an annual cap on total expansion spending)
- what the gas company is compelled to disclose on the customer bill, including how the surcharge line will be written on existing customers’ bills
If not already done, Ontario CPA members should write to their local MPP to garner support to limit the expansion of natural gas.
The CPA’s full submission can be viewed here. We will continue to monitor the regulatory process and update members when the draft regulations become available and will advise if there are open hearings for public consultation.
For more information on this call to action, please contact Allan Murphy, Vice President, Government Relations at allanmurphy@propane.ca or 613.683.2278.
