Utility Billing – Rules
The Alberta Utilities Commission (“AUC”) initiated a consultation process to incorporate requirements for emergency billing relief into a new rule to provide predictability and transparency for stakeholders. The AUC announced that it was seeking feedback on the 2023 Emergency Billing Relief Program (“EBRP”) to inform a potential development of a new rule regarding the EBRP. The rule would formalize a billing relief process for evacuation orders resulting from emergency events such as wildfires, floods or other natural disasters.
In previous wildfire-related and government-issued mandatory evacuations, the AUC coordinated procedures to suspend utility billing for residents under evacuation. In 2023, the AUC created the EBRP for the 2023 wildfire season, which provided billing relief for residents evacuated from their homes. The program was set out in the 2023 Emergency Billing Relief Program Manual (the “2023 Manual”).
The consultation will consist of a written process to gather input and feedback related to the EBRP.
