Pallister government using COVID-19 as an excuse to gut public oversight
What do you call a government using a global pandemic to push through legislation that takes away the right to public consultation and impartial oversight on water, electricity, hydro rates and other important services?
Unfortunately, there is no punchline to this. Using the COVID-19 pandemic to push through legislation that guts a public oversight is exactly what the Pallister government in Manitoba is doing with Bill 44 – the so-called Public Utilities Ratepayer Protection and Regulatory Reform Act.
The bill's name seems to be trying to soothe Manitobans into a false sense of security that the Pallister government has their best interests at heart. Ironically, the government is looking to push the bill through as early as this October without public input, despite the fact that it would dramatically impact public participation in rate setting, gut the Public Utilities Board, and have a serious financial impact for Manitobans. [Read more]
Say goodbye to transparency