Alberta Government to Extend $50 Electricity Rebate for 3 More Months: Kenney | Globalnews.ca

Albertans are getting a little more relief from high electricity costs.

Premier Jason Kenney says the province will extend its previously announced $50 electricity bill rebates for an additional three months.

“We know that Albertans are struggling with the rising cost of living, especially energy inflation that is driving a lot of that,” Kenney said in an interview with Global News on Tuesday, before publicly announcing the extension of the refund on Wednesday.

“We’re hearing from Albertans that more needs to be done to help them get through this cost of living crisis. So we’re extending the $50 a month rebate that people will receive on their electric bill for another three months.

“This will go to almost two million homes.”

The province announced earlier this year that more than 1.9 million Alberta homes, farms and small businesses will receive $50 monthly credits on their July, August and September electricity bills, for a total of $150.

Now, eligible Albertans will also see that $50 rebate for a total of six months.

“That’s $300 relief for 1.9 million households, on top of the 13-cent reduction in gas tax and natural gas rebate,” the prime minister said.

“The bottom line … is that people are getting real cash back.”

On Tuesday, Alberta NDP energy critic Kathleen Ganley said the $50 rebate amount is too small at a time when Albertans face “a cost-of-living crisis like never before.”

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“Some bills are hundreds of dollars a month more than they were this time last year,” Ganley said. “This amount is too small and by October the higher bills will probably come back.

“Our position remains that $50 is insufficient. We continue to think that there is much more that the government should be doing.”

Ganley called on the government to extend the rebate program through the winter.

“Because of repeated delays in getting these rebates, Albertans are going to see these rebates stop, probably in November or December, when prices are likely to go up again,” he said.

“Albertans deserve to know they have a government behind them…we’re asking them to do a little more than they’ve done.”

Kenney said Tuesday that the province is looking at other measures to help Albertans with the cost of living, but added that the government needs to be cautious.

“It wasn’t that long ago, just a few months ago, that we were still in deficit as a province. One thing we know about oil and gas prices in this province is that they fluctuate. What goes up will come down. So before we consider any other option, we need to make sure that we’re on a solid fiscal footing, that we have lasting surpluses.”

The province previously said that Albertans who are currently connected to the system and who have used electricity in the last calendar year, up to a maximum of 250 megawatt hours per year, are automatically eligible for rebates.

The government said the $50 rebates will be automatic on eligible people’s bills; Albertans do not need to apply to receive a refund.

The rebate will be included on each bill as a line titled “GOA Utility Commodity Rebate.”