Nova ScotiaNDP Leader Claudia Chender is calling on the premier — who recently appointed himself energy minister — to launch an ownership and regulatory review of Nova Scotia Power.NDP Leader Claudia Chender says trust in the utility is low and bills continue to increaseMichael Gorman · CBC News · Posted: Nov 24, 2025 4:46 PM EST | Last Updated: 2 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 4 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.NDP Leader Claudia Chender is calling on Premier Tim Houston to launch an ownership and regulatory review of Nova Scotia Power. (Mark Crosby/CBC)NDP Leader Claudia Chender is calling on the premier — who recently appointed himself energy minister — to launch an ownership and regulatory review of Nova Scotia Power.Claudia Chender made the request in a letter to Premier Tim Houston on Monday.“We have a utility that is not performing in any of the ways we measure performance,” she said in an interview.“And now we have a premier who has appointed himself the energy minister and has promptly taken himself on the road. What we need is an energy minister who’s going to prioritize power affordability for Nova Scotians.”Looking at optionsHouston has recently made trips to Alberta, the United States and Europe, all to promote energy generation opportunities in the province, including onshore and offshore wind and natural gas, as a means of spurring economic development.But Chender said those promotional efforts are happening at the same time as Nova Scotia Power customers are seeing their bills increase and the utility continues to deal with the fallout of a massive data breach this year that resulted in the theft of personal information of hundreds of thousands of people.Her letter to Houston says Nova Scotians are paying on average $400 a year more for their electricity since the PCs formed government in 2021.“What we need to do is understand how that could be better. I think that’s government’s job, is to figure out how we can deliver these services in the best way possible.”Govts move away from utility ownershipChender’s party has advocated for a low-income power rate and a one-time rebate of 10 per cent for all customers as ways to help soften the blow of increased costs.Adam Fremeth, the E.J. Kernaghan Chair in Energy Policy at Western University’s Ivey Business School, said governments across the country have moved away from utility ownership.“It tends to go in the other direction, that there’s efforts to bring private capital into the investment of these types of utilities to allow them to have more flexibility and have a bit more discipline,” he said in an interview.“Private directors and those with know-how in these areas tend to bring a lot more discipline to management and how these organizations are run.”Putting aside the massive cost that would go into making Nova Scotia Power a public utility again, Fremeth said there are other aspects that would make it a complicated transaction.NDP Leader Claudia Chender says the PC government has not done enough to address increasing power rates in Nova Scotia. (Jeorge Sadi/CBC)He said studies have shown that governments tend not to be as efficient when it comes to running electric utilities and they tend only to step in if the private market is unable to resolve or fix problems.Aside from ownership of the utility, Chender said a review could also consider ownership of the electricity grid and programs that could help ease the burden for low-income customers.Her letter to Houston also raised concerns about recent legislative changes that could allow for the removal of the HST rebate now applied to Nova Scotia Power bills.“So instead of making people’s bills more affordable right now, [the government is] actually giving themselves the power to make them more expensive. And I think people should be really concerned about that.”NSP president to appear before committeeA statement from Houston’s office said the rebate remains in effect.It touted steps by the Progressive Conservatives to ensure accountability and affordability for Nova Scotians through increased penalties tied to poor performance and allowing more competition through diversified energy sources such as wind.”The Energy Board, as the regulator, is tasked with holding the utility to account and making decisions in the best interests of ratepayers. We have faith in them to do that work on behalf of all Nova Scotians.”Meanwhile, Nova Scotia Power president Peter Gregg is scheduled to appear before the legislature’s standing committee on natural resources and economic development on Tuesday following a request advanced by Progressive Conservative MLAs on the committee.A news release from the NDP said at least one committee member anonymously voted against including representatives from the Energy Department on Tuesday’s witness list.MORE TOP STORIESABOUT THE AUTHORMichael Gorman covers the Nova Scotia legislature for CBC, with additional focuses on health care and rural communities. Contact him with story ideas at michael.gorman@cbc.ca
NDP calls for ownership and regulatory review of Nova Scotia Power
