In an attempt to avoid being held responsible for yet another SaskPower rate hike, the Sask. Party waited until after the Premier had finished speaking with the media to admit that they were imposing the third rate increasing in less than two years.
“These rising rates make it harder for Saskatchewan families to make ends meet and they hurt the bottom line of businesses who are also being stretched by the Sask. Party’s PST hike,” said NDP SaskPower Critic Cathy Sproule. “While the Sask. Party keeps dumping money into their carbon capture debacle, they’re making Saskatchewan ratepayers pay what has become a $1.5 billion job-killing carbon capture tax.”
Since the last election, the Sask. Party raised the rate for SaskPower by 5 per cent in July 2016, by 3.5 per cent in January 2017 and now, another 3.5 per cent. Since forming government, the Sask. Party has raised the power bill for the average family by close to $550.
“These rate increases show how badly the Sask. Party have mismanaged a booming economy,” Sproule said. “Despite a decade of record resource revenue, the Sask. Party also brought in cruel and heartless cuts and raised taxes – including the PST – by about $1 billion. The people of Saskatchewan deserve better.”