![]() The Legault government, which had decided to link rate changes to the consumer price index (CPI), had to backtrack in 2022 and cap the increase because of the exceptional surge in inflation and the discontent that a 5 per cent rate rise would have caused. However, the MEI's proposal is likely to be unpopular. "If you have a big house, you're going to use a lot more electricity than someone living in a three-bedroom or four-and-a-half-bedroom, for example." "We need to ensure that the government puts in place a targeted financial assistance programme so that the less well-off can absorb this rate increase," he added. Giguère concedes that, without targeted mitigation measures, such an increase would hurt the less well-off. The think-tank is proposing to spread the increase over "10 years or so." ![]() ![]() This compares with an average of 14.93 cents in cities in eastern Canada, or roughly twice as much. In 2022, Quebecers were paying an average of 7.59 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh). The MEI's proposal could, however, represent a substantial increase for households. "We look at Hydro-Québec's accounts and say to ourselves, 'If I adjust my behaviour, it will cost less,' and I think the economic logic behind that is quite clear," he said. An increase in rates would help to curb this appetite by sending "a price signal," explained MEI public policy analyst Gabriel Giguère in an interview. Quebecers are relatively greedy when it comes to electricity consumption, where rates are lower than the North American average. The proposal is one of the recommendations made by the think-tank associated with the economic right as part of the consultations conducted by the Ministry of Energy on the framework and development of clean energy. Quebec would have a better chance of improving its energy efficiency by increasing electricity rates rather than maintaining its current programs, argues the Montreal Economic Institute (MEI). ![]()
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