Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs (SACPA)

The deregulation of Alberta’s electricity system is now 19-years old, and in the last five years three successive Alberta governments have passed on an opportunity to mitigate the shortcomings of an Alberta “energy only market.” This has resulted in Albertans paying more for their energy utilities. Climate change and the climate change debate have significantly impacted retail utility costs in Alberta. The speaker will examine these impacts from a regulatory perspective, and how contemporaneous political influences have caused utility rates to rise for the average ratepayer. He will explain the pricing mechanism employed by the regulator and the industry that set Alberta’s utility rates. The speaker will also detail the deficiencies plaguing the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER), the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC), and the National Energy Board (NEB). He will finish his talk with recommendations that the public can employ to improve our regulatory processes. Speaker: Joe Anglin Joe served four years wit