Editor, The Times:
To all candidates and residents in the Kamloops North Thompson Riding
The popular belief is that the reason BC Hydro initiated the 2-tier billing was to initiate conservation. We believe it is more to do with dollars and politics, as 2-tier billing places a huge burden on customers in areas that do not have natural gas or another feasible choice as an alternative energy source to heat their homes. These areas are also spread all over the province so there is little worry about loosing a lot of votes in the urban areas that have natural gas.
Most citizens in B.C. have natural gas (home heat, hot water and cooking are natural gas), so the vast amount of 2-tier billing does not invite much conservation, it just unfairly gouges the people in areas that do not have natural gas.
This 2-tier billing system is discriminatory, unfair and should be illegal because as BC Hydro is owned by all B.C. citizens we should all be treated equally by being charged the same "rate" as it is now. After all data is taken into consideration we have to pay a "rate" of approximately four cents per kwh more than those with natural gas. (I would also assume this is contrary to our constitution).
We would have no problem paying for what we use if all B.C. residents were paying the same "rate".
We think another reason they think they can gouge us in rural areas is that the people in urban centres with natural gas have no reason to care because 2-tier billing has little effect on their bills.
In B.C. "we own" the cleanest, greenest, safest, 100 per cent efficient, most sustainable source of energy to heat our homes – and some of us get punished more than others for "having" to use it.
The All Candidates Meeting on April 26, 6:30 p.m., at Clearwater Secondary School Pit, and the All Candidates Meeting on April 27, 7 p.m. at the North Thompson Fall Fair Hall is the best opportunity for voters to show all candidates that this 2-tier BC Hydro billing system is an issue. Maybe this will be the first step to stopping the BC Hydro bullying of small groups of citizens in our province.
Gary Gammel,
Barriere, B.C.