Editorial in The Suburban: Hydro-Québec sets the record straight

Hydro-Québec would like to set the record straight following the editorial published in The Suburban on March 11, containing a number of erroneous claims.

Electricity rates in Québec are the lowest in North America
Contrary to what is claimed in this editorial, even with the rate adjustment set by the Régie de l’énergie that will come into effect on April 1, 2015, applicable rates for Hydro-Québec’s residential customers are currently, and will remain, the lowest in North America.

Setting electricity rates in Québec
Contrary to what the editorial asserts, Hydro-Québec does not set electricity rates in Québec. In compliance with legislation in effect, only the Régie de l'énergie has that authority. The Régie de l’énergie is an economic regulatory body whose mission is to reconcile public interest, consumer protection and the fair treatment of the electricity transmission provider and distributors. It is a public process involving many stakeholders, including consumer association representatives. It is therefore completely false to affirm that Hydro-Québec can charge whatever it likes to its customers.

Customer service
The average wait time to speak with a customer service representative is about 190 seconds, not 32 minutes as falsely stated in this editorial.

The editorialist of The Suburban also mentions the number of customers who had their service interrupted. To be fair to all of its customers, Hydro-Québec must sometimes cut service to certain customers for non-payment. However, last year, Hydro-Québec signed some 100,000 payment arrangements with customers who had a hard time paying their electricity bill.