The Editor:
MLA Don MacIntyre’s fairy tale on Regulated Rate Options (Aug.31) is very confusing. Using such phrases as “white knight”, “once upon a time”, “seizing the power”, and “hatched a plot” does little to advance the credibility of the article.
Regulated electricity rates have averaged 3.77 cents per kWh over the last 13 months (the rate I paid), while fixed rates have averaged 6.08 cents. MacIntyre does not point out that under the new 6.8 cent cap the increase over that amount could be paid out of the carbon tax. Deregulated electricity, legislated by Ralph Klein and his PC government, was a disaster, by Klein’s own admission , and by 2012 rates were over 15 cents per kWh. The PC’s negotiated the “Enron Clause” to compensate the electricity generators for revenue shortfalls. MacIntryre wants to blame the NDP for this? There is no evidence that switching from coal generation, to natural gas, solar, wind , and hydro will increase electricity prices unreasonably.
The new United Conservative Party has no plan to mitigate climate change. MacIntyre says climate change is real, but there is no scientific evidence that man is the main cause. Therefore, he advocates getting rid of the carbon tax and keeping coal generators open. He forgot to point out that a federal carbon tax will start in 2018 at $10 per tonne rising to $50 by 2022. And, yes, the federal government has approved Alberta’s carbon tax rebates.
Perhaps U.S. Republican congressman, Tim Walberg, summed up MacIntyre’s position best – “God can take care of it”
Ray Kowalski