Seniors left out in the cold on the redistribution of overpayments to Hydro-Québec
Réseau FADOQ shared its concerns with Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Jonatan Julien regarding Bill 34, which aims to redistribute overpayments to Hydro-Québec between 2005 and 2017 and is currently before the National Assembly.
The Network is concerned that many seniors will miss out on the $500 million in bill credits from Hydro-Québec, even though they were customers during the period in question.
”This is the case for seniors who have decided to sell their homes and move to private seniors’ residences where electricity is included in the rent. These customers will miss out on this measure and the rate freeze scheduled for April 2020 to March 31, 2021. This situation must be remedied,” said Réseau FADOQ Chair Gisèle Tassé-Goodman.
Rate hike
Bill 34 stipulates that rates will be set based on inflation from 2021 to 2024. This raises a red flag for Réseau FADOQ.
In recent years, the rate increase authorized by the energy board has been less than the annual increase in the consumer price index. With 35% of people age 65 and older living on less than $20,000 per year, it’s clear that any rate hike will have significant impacts on this segment of the population.
“It’s unacceptable for seniors to be forced to choose between medication and food because their electricity bills are constantly climbing,” said Ms. Tassé-Goodman.