Aaron Hansen of Stratford, P.E.I., has been watching what is happening with a new change proposed for solar customers in Nova Scotia.
Hansen installed a 15 kilowatt rooftop solar system a little more than a year ago.
His $315 monthly electricity bill has been replaced by a $242 payment for his solar panels.
But he said he has no regrets. He said he’ll see the real benefits when the panels are paid off in 10 years, as long as the deal with Maritime Electric doesn’t change.
“I hope it does not happen here,” said Hansen.
“With governments pushing toward net-zero they should not be putting up any barriers whatsoever to [disincentivize] people to put up solar.”
Maritime Electric said it may propose a new rate structure for solar customers in the future. (CBC)
Nova Scotia Power had applied for a new “system access charge” of $8 per kilowatt monthly on net-metered installations.
That would mean a customer with a 10-kilowatt solar system, which generates about $1,800 of electricity a year, would have to pay Nova Scotia Power back $960.
On Wednesday, Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston said his government would pass laws to prevent the Nova Scotia utility from putting the new charge in place, prompting the company to announce it would withdraw the proposed charge from its current rate application.
We don’t have any immediate plans to make any changes.— Kim Griffin, Maritime Electric
P.E.I. Energy Minister Steven Myers said he has not been given any indication Maritime Electric is looking for a similar rate change, but he said if they put one forward he will block it.
More than 2,000 roof-top solar systems have been approved on the Island, with about half of them already up and running.
“We were encouraging people to do it and we want to continue to encourage people to do it but I’ve had a lot of people reach out to me since this Nova Scotia situation has started, worrying that it’s going to happen here,” said Myers.
“We would probably do the same as the government of Nova Scotia did, where we would move to block it. In good faith we told people this is the deal when they put roof-top solar on, that we had a net-metering program. Anybody who has it, we will stand by that commitment.”
No immediate plans for change
Kim Griffin, a spokesperson with Maritime Electric, said she doesn’t have a lot of details about the Nova Scotia Power proposal but at this point the P.E.I.-based, privately-owned utility is not considering changes for its solar customers.
Griffin said what is not known is how many more Islanders will sign up for solar.
Aaron Hansen’s $315 monthly electricity bill has been replaced by a $242 payment for his solar panels. (Wayne Thibodeau/CBC)
“You know if we’re in a situation where more and more people are doing it, that’s certainly the opportunity to not only need to consult with our customers but also to look at infrastructure changes that we’d need to make across the Island to support that,” said Griffin.
“Is it something that we look at? Is it something that is a consideration? It is. But there is also a lot of other things that are a consideration and we wouldn’t be a good utility if we weren’t looking at that. But we don’t have any immediate plans to make any changes.”
In a pending application for a general rate increase with the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission, Maritime Electric argued increased uptake in solar will lead to higher rates for everyone, because it says net metering customers don’t pay for all of the fixed costs associated with providing their service.
The utility said it may propose a new rate structure for solar customers in the future.
“The company will continue to monitor the number of solar installations added to the system each year and will consider the resulting implications in future rate design applications,” Maritime Electric said in its application.
Myers said the province wants to continue to expand its green energy initiatives, and is already looking at home storage of energy, microgrids and smart meters. He said the province is prepared to make its own investment in smart meters to “help alleviate some of the situations that arise with people producing their own renewable energy.”
TORONTO – Canada Goose Holdings Inc. says it has signed a deal that will result in the creation of its first eyewear collection.
The deal announced on Thursday by the Toronto-based luxury apparel company comes in the form of an exclusive, long-term global licensing agreement with Marchon Eyewear Inc.
The terms and value of the agreement were not disclosed, but Marchon produces eyewear for brands including Lacoste, Nike, Calvin Klein, Ferragamo, Longchamp and Zeiss.
Marchon plans to roll out both sunglasses and optical wear under the Canada Goose name next spring, starting in North America.
Canada Goose says the eyewear will be sold through optical retailers, department stores, Canada Goose shops and its website.
Canada Goose CEO Dani Reiss told The Canadian Press in August that he envisioned his company eventually expanding into eyewear and luggage.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
Almost seven years since news broke of an alleged conspiracy to fix the price of packaged bread across Canada, the saga isn’t over: the Competition Bureau continues to investigate the companies that may have been involved, and two class-action lawsuits continue to work their way through the courts.
Here’s a timeline of key events in the bread price-fixing case.
Oct. 31, 2017: The Competition Bureau says it’s investigating allegations of bread price-fixing and that it was granted search warrants in the case. Several grocers confirm they are co-operating in the probe.
Dec. 19, 2017: Loblaw and George Weston say they participated in an “industry-wide price-fixing arrangement” to raise the price of packaged bread. The companies say they have been co-operating in the Competition Bureau’s investigation since March 2015, when they self-reported to the bureau upon discovering anti-competitive behaviour, and are receiving immunity from prosecution. They announce they are offering $25 gift cards to customers amid the ongoing investigation into alleged bread price-fixing.
Jan. 31, 2018: In court documents, the Competition Bureau says at least $1.50 was added to the price of a loaf of bread between about 2001 and 2016.
Dec. 20, 2019: A class-action lawsuit in a Quebec court against multiple grocers and food companies is certified against a number of companies allegedly involved in bread price-fixing, including Loblaw, George Weston, Metro, Sobeys, Walmart Canada, Canada Bread and Giant Tiger (which have all denied involvement, except for Loblaw and George Weston, which later settled with the plaintiffs).
Dec. 31, 2021: A class-action lawsuit in an Ontario court covering all Canadian residents except those in Quebec who bought packaged bread from a company named in the suit is certified against roughly the same group of companies.
June 21, 2023: Bakery giant Canada Bread Co. is fined $50 million after pleading guilty to four counts of price-fixing under the Competition Act as part of the Competition Bureau’s ongoing investigation.
Oct. 25 2023: Canada Bread files a statement of defence in the Ontario class action denying participating in the alleged conspiracy and saying any anti-competitive behaviour it participated in was at the direction and to the benefit of its then-majority owner Maple Leaf Foods, which is not a defendant in the case (neither is its current owner Grupo Bimbo). Maple Leaf calls Canada Bread’s accusations “baseless.”
Dec. 20, 2023: Metro files new documents in the Ontario class action accusing Loblaw and its parent company George Weston of conspiring to implicate it in the alleged scheme, denying involvement. Sobeys has made a similar claim. The two companies deny the allegations.
July 25, 2024: Loblaw and George Weston say they agreed to pay a combined $500 million to settle both the Ontario and Quebec class-action lawsuits. Loblaw’s share of the settlement includes a $96-million credit for the gift cards it gave out years earlier.
Sept. 12, 2024: Canada Bread files new documents in Ontario court as part of the class action, claiming Maple Leaf used it as a “shield” to avoid liability in the alleged scheme. Maple Leaf was a majority shareholder of Canada Bread until 2014, and the company claims it’s liable for any price-fixing activity. Maple Leaf refutes the claims.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
Companies in this story: (TSX:L, TSX:MFI, TSX:MRU, TSX:EMP.A, TSX:WN)
TORONTO – TD Bank Group, which is mired in a money laundering scandal in the U.S., says chief executive Bharat Masrani will retire next year.
Masrani, who will retire officially on April 10, 2025, says the bank’s, “anti-money laundering challenges,” took place on his watch and he takes full responsibility.
The bank named Raymond Chun, TD’s group head, Canadian personal banking, as his successor.
As part of a transition plan, Chun will become chief operating officer on Nov. 1 before taking over the top job when Masrani steps down at the bank’s annual meeting next year.
TD also announced that Riaz Ahmed, group head, wholesale banking and president and CEO of TD Securities, will retire at the end of January 2025.
TD has taken billions in charges related to ongoing U.S. investigations into the failure of its anti-money laundering program.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
