Chapleau residents will be able to voice their opinion on a proposed rate increase for Chapleau Hydro.
The Ontario Energy Board's announced plans for a community meeting next Tuesday, February 5th, noting the provincial regulator does want to hear from Chapleau Hydro customers about the proposed rate changes.
In a recent email to JJAM FM News, the local utility confirmed it's asking for a rate increase for all classes, noting their current rates are based on 2012 capital and operation costs with yearly inflation, even though they've added $238,000 in assets since then, along with $450,000 in assets previously owned by a now-defunct affiliate of Chapleau Hydro.
The OEB says Chapleau Hydro's application - if approved as filed - would mean a "typical residential customer using 750 kilowatt hours of electricity per month" would see a monthly increase of about $1.96, while commercial customers using 2000 kilowatt hours a month would see a monthly increase of $17.40.
That's lower than the numbers provided to JJAM FM by Chapleau Hydro, who stated that a residential customer using 750 kilowatt hours a month is expected to see an increase of $2.88 per month and a commercial customer using 2000 kilowatt hours a month would see an increase of $21.09 a month.
The O-E-B says utilities "rarely get all they ask for", with 38 percent of the more than 140 major rate applications reviewed since 2009 getting a smaller increase than requested.
The community meeting will be held at the Legion Hall on Tuesday, February 5th, from 6:30 to 8:30 pm.