Something is seriously wrong with power bills in Nova Scotia. Over the past year, residents across the province have reported inexplicably high charges—some doubling or even tripling—without any change in their energy usage. It’s frustrating, alarming, and frankly unacceptable. Nova Scotia Power owes its customers answers, and if they won’t provide them willingly, they should be forced to.
Take Jolanta Grossman, a Fall River resident whose bill doubled in 2023 and has never come back down. She’s been doing everything right—unplugging electronics, turning off lights, and being mindful of her consumption—yet she’s still paying significantly more. How does that make sense? Tracy LeBlanc in Richmond County has a similar story: her kilowatt usage has inexplicably soared despite no change in her lifestyle or electrical appliances.
These are not isolated incidents. Since Global News first reported on the issue, dozens of Nova Scotians have come forward with similar experiences. This isn’t just a case of rising energy rates; the numbers simply don’t add up. The Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board (UARB) is supposedly investigating, but that investigation is currently on hold while they wait for the results of an audit into New Brunswick Power. Why are we waiting for another province to get answers when people here are struggling to pay their bills now?
New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt did the right thing by ordering a third-party audit of the utility’s billing and meter-reading systems. That’s the kind of leadership Nova Scotians need right now. But our own Premier Tim Houston is leaving it to the UARB, dodging responsibility. Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Claudia Chender is saying what many of us are thinking: the government has done nothing to rein in Nova Scotia Power or provide meaningful relief.
For years, Nova Scotia Power has operated as a monopoly with little oversight, and this is the result. They claim they won’t charge anyone for power they didn’t use, yet countless residents are seeing bills that defy logic. Their explanation? It’s been an exceptionally cold winter. But cold winters aren’t new to Nova Scotia, and people aren’t suddenly consuming two to three times more electricity than before.
At this point, the public trust in Nova Scotia Power is crumbling. It’s time for a full, independent audit of their billing system, just like what’s happening in New Brunswick. Customers deserve transparency and accountability, not vague reassurances and empty platitudes. People are already struggling with the rising cost of living, and these unexplained power bills are pushing many to the breaking point. If the government and regulators don’t act soon, it will only reinforce what many already believe: Nova Scotia Power is untouchable, and the rest of us are left to suffer the consequences.
