City MLAs defend hard line on Epcor

Friday, October 18, 2002

City MLAs defend hard line on Epcor
Rural customers riled by faulty bills

Larry Johnsrude

The meeting Mayor Bill Smith failed to attend with rural Tory MLAs over Epcor billing complaints was set up after earlier attempts to stop sloppy billing practices failed, said an Edmonton member of the Conservative government's energy committee.

A meeting that was to be held Wednesday between the Edmonton mayor and 20 rural MLAs followed unsuccessful efforts to get Epcor officials to address billing problems affecting customers outside the capital city, said Gary Masyk, MLA for Edmonton Norwood.

Masyk said Epcor officials and customer representatives met with the standing policy committee on energy last month to discuss problems.

"We gave them (Epcor officials) the benefit of the doubt that they would address the concerns and sort it out for themselves," Masyk said Thursday. "That didn't happen. That's what the meeting was all about yesterday."

Smith and Epcor president Don Lowry left the 20 MLAs in the lurch when they failed to show.

As a result, Energy Minister Murray Smith is threatening to speed up penalties for faulty billing procedures. Earlier this month, he gave Epcor 60 days to correct the problems or face undisclosed penalties. But after the mayor failed to show for Wednesday's meeting, a visibly angry energy minister said he is considering taking action before the 60 days are up.

The mayor said he called the minister's office early Wednesday to cancel. But the energy minister called that a "fabrication."

Mayor Smith wouldn't comment on the minister's remark.

"I don't respond to those things," he said Thursday. "I know Murray Smith well. He knows me. I don't respond to those things."

The issue has the potential for pitting Edmonton Conservative MLAs against rural Tories.

"Our responsibility is to Edmonton residents," said Thomas Lukaszuk, MLA for Edmonton Castle Downs. "But we are also Alberta MLAs looking out for the interests of all Albertans."

He said tougher measures may be required following the cancelled meeting.

Other Edmonton Tory MLAs are also defending the government's hard line with Epcor.

Tony Vandermeer, MLA for Edmonton Manning, said Epcor is risking its rural customer base.

"Epcor is making 350,000 customers out there very angry," he said. "If the day comes that they can go somewhere else, Edmonton residents, as shareholders in Epcor, will suffer because of it."

Brent Rathgeber, MLA for Edmonton Calder, said Mayor Smith's no-show made a tense situation worse.

"There may be some hard feelings developing between the city administration and the province," he said.

Epcor officials are blaming the billing irregularities on the government's electrical deregulation.

Edmonton Rutherford MLA Ian McClelland said that doesn't mean deregulating the power industry was a bad move.

"None of this would probably have happened it were not for deregulation," he said.

"But it's quite another thing to say deregulation should not have occurred. You cannot make a change of the magnitude that has been made and not expect wrinkles."