Everyone should pay

David Iqaqrialu, MLA for Uqqummiut, knocked the Nunavut Power Corp.’s policy of high charges and cutting off power. Iqaqrialu also managed to raise the ire of fellow MLA Ed Picco, the minister responsible for the power corporation.

Picco said without NPC, the new power plant in Clyde River would have cost the residents of that community a lot of money.

“Because we had our own power corporation in the Government of Nunavut, there was no increase in Clyde River on their bill,” Picco said.

Picco also said NPC has not had a rate change in since 1998.

In response to comments that users who don’t pay their bills get cut off, Picco said that before their power is cut, all late bill-payers get a 60-day notice, 30-day notice, a two-week notice, and a 48-hour notice.

“That is the way it is in the year 2003,” Picco said.

Picco said during the winter months, the NPC does not cut off power.

“It is against the law to cut off the power when you get into the months of November, December, January and February,” Picco said.

Picco said in some cases where someone has a bill that is $2,000, or $3,000, workers put a regulator on the account. This means there is power, but only enough to run the furnace and appliances.

“At times in my community, they have a bill for less than $100, and their power is cut off. Much mistreatment is happening in my community and I am sure that I am not the only one. They have power bills that are less than $100, and they have to get their power cut off,” Iqaqrialu said.

Iqaqrialu, who appeared to challenge Picco’s truthfulness, earned a verbal warning from speaker Kevin O’Brien.

“I would like to caution the member on comments and words that refer to the minister’s integrity. Words like honesty and not correct. I don’t believe that’s your intent, but they’re not words that we permit in the house,” O’Brien told Iqaqrialu.

Picco said the size of the bill doesn’t affect the decision to cut off power.

“If you haven’t paid your phone bill and it’s only $10 and you haven’t paid it for six months, they’ll cut you off,” Picco said. “If you haven’t paid your Visa bill and it’s only $50 and you haven’t paid it for six months, you have no credit coverage…. If you have a bill for $50 and you haven’t paid it for 90 days, that’s three months, then the power corporation is in the position to collect. ”

Picco said he had asked the NPC’s Jobie Inooya to phone each community and go on each local radio station and explain how the billing is done.