At a time when Albertans were using record levels of electricity, the leader of the Alberta NDP launched a petition campaign to push for regulation of Alberta's energy market.ìWe now have record prices,î Brian Mason said during last week's cold snap. ìIt's not a very functional system and it creates very unstable prices in the electricity market,î he said.ìI don't think that it's fair to force ordinary families to become experts on the electricity market and understand how to hedge and make predictions and gamble with their family's budgets.îFrom Jan. 9-20, Olds, Didsbury and Carstairs all experienced an increase of 14 per cent in electrical usage, FortisAlberta reported. Sundre's usage increased by seven per cent and Innisfail's by nine per cent.Emergency alerts were issued on Sunday and Monday nights.ìOn Monday night, we hit record demand for electricity, at 10,609 kilowatt hours,î said Dawn Delaney, senior external communications advisor with Alberta Electric System Operator. ìThat's enough to power seven to nine million Alberta homes at their peak demand. It's a lot of electricity.îLaunching his petition campaign last week, Mason said Albertans are fed up with out-of-control power rates.ìWe're paying the highest price for power ever this month and consumers are riding a power rate rollercoaster month to month,î he said. ìThe numerous calls, faxes and emails we've received on the issue tell me Albertans want off this ride. People are showing us their power bills from a decade ago to show just how much more they're paying these days.ìIt's outrageous that some people are paying double what they did 10 years ago.îUnder the current system, he said, ìa middleman sells power back to you at a premium. Because the middleman needs to make a profit, consumers end up paying more in the long run.îInstead, he said, ìelectricity companies should have to appear before a board, to justify their power price increases.îAlbertans need to know that there is an alternative to wild price fluctuations and corporate profiteering, Mason added.ìThe answer is a regulated electricity market. Power is an essential service and Albertans deserve the assurance of reliable, low prices only regulation can offer.îThe online petition is getting an ìexcellent response,î Mason said.ìWe've already collected several hundred signatures. The petition will be tabled in the legislature on Feb. 7, when it reconvenes. The other thing Albertans can do is to call their MLA and ask to re-regulate their electricity.î
