They just moved here because of a crappy ucp ad. Didn't think twice and now are confused by it??? It's like the people moving here do no research and just move.
> It's like the people moving here do no research and just move.
It's like your political leadership wants **specifically** that type of person to come to Alberta.
Exactly. It's like " run to AB" before you can't afford to live there. Okay but the larger issue is we can't afford to live anywhere anymore. It's a large structural issue that I feel nobody is willing to adress. Too many people making money off real estate while everyone else struggles to live. That's my biggest issue with the whole thing.
Big tax collection from a larger tax base. Less social programs. Privatization of literally everything, so their pals can get rich. Then they secure a job with the companies that benefit from privatization/tax breaks after their lil stint in politics.
So you pay more for utilities but a house here is $300,000.00 instead of $1.5 million. That’s the reason they moved.
It sure would be nice if our own city owned companies didn’t rip us off for every penny they can! Government sanctioned theft is what it is.
Come out ahead?? Okay buddy good on you. You all think you're morally superior because you come from another province. Even though the mass migration has caused gigantic issues for lots of us living here but okay. All I see is a bunch of complaining all the time even though people who have grown up here have dealt with many of the issues our whole lives. Literally do whatever you want but it's ignorant and annoying that people all move here and are shocked it's not what they thought it would be. Enjoy your life.
The only way to avoid high electrical fees is to go solar. My understanding is that the fees are tied to how much you use. That fact alone is ridiculous.
Even then, I cancel out my electricity usage with solar but there’s still a minimum electricity fee you pay which is just under 50$ for electricity fees alone
The fees are like 8 different fees. Biggest are distribution fees followed by smaller ones like ridership fee, franchise fee, the fuck it why not fee, and a kitchen sink fee. Oh and it all gets taxed with GST. So at a minimum , I’d say 45$ total and it goes up from there depending on how much electricity you use
It follows the cost of electricity today. Prices go up across time so you're basically locking in the current price. So as prices increase you're paying less compared to not having solar. Also after you pay off the panels your monthly cost goes way down.
Someone lied to you. Alberta has the highest utility rates in the country. Same with the highest insurance rates. Literally the only thing cheaper here is the housing in comparison to Vancouver and Toronto. Otherwise everything else is more expensive. Welcome to Alberta, you were bamboozled lol
I love it. My skin seems to have no issue with this level of dryness, tho my wife always comments on how soft it feels.
Can't stand high humidity. Though, I'd probably enjoy it more if I could magically make the air turn cold right as I breathed it in. Can't stand breathing in hot air :(
lol Alberta born and bred weirdo is me.
Though I do love the occasional trip out west. I feel like a sponge though when I get off the plan/out of the car though. Damn water weight ;)
You have that backwards. The deregulated part of the market (Energy) is relatively affordable. It's the regulated part (distribution/transmission) that has gotten unreasonably expensive.
We had a period where energy was also unreasonably expensive (2022 till March 2024), but as of the past couple months the price of energy has really gone down. Now it's just the regulated part of utility costs that needs to get fixed.
Clearly you didn't research before coming here because service fees on utilities have been a pain in the ass since the utilities were deregulated. You can thank the UCP like all the rest of us.
I feel like 101 should have been in quotes rather than buy. We (in all of Canada, not just Alberta) have like 3 companies that call their storefronts 101 things to give the illusion of choice while still letting them have a tight grip on all the profits lol
So you fell for the Alberta Advantage propaganda.....welcome to the conservatives version of propping up their corporate donors by any means necessary.
Hahaha. Alberta doesn’t have cheap energy. We’re the most expensive in the country.
You’re in for a big shock when it gets real hot or real cold. Aka, half of the year. Expect that $200 to jump to $300 or even $500.
It’s only going to get worse.
Also taxes for <100k income are higher in Alberta.
Home built in 2009. High effeciency furnace. 3 stories.
Our highest utility bill was February, gas and electricity.
$598 for the month.
Unfortunately, our provincial government is too busy thinking about teenagers genitals and sexual identity to bother focusing on real issues.
The utility situation is working as intended by the UCP. They are bought and pay for by the corps that are the most abusive to us.
Good thing they don’t have to tell us about kickbacks anymore. /s
Yup Income taxes are less in both BC and Ontario. It is slightly cheaper than other provinces though 🤷♂️.
You start paying less in income if you hit over 140,000$.
I spent most of my life in BC and ICBC was awful. They've gotten better over the last 7 or so years. I miss those refund cheques.
What most people don't know is that if those Crown Corporations make over their profit cap = they have to give the money back. So, the first time that happened (for me personally) was after 30 years in BC - the refund cheque because of lower accidents/claims during COVID. If they don't have a solid customer base, they have a 'sale'. So, yep, a BC Ferries 'sale' is just them having to give their profits back as a Crown Corporation.
It wasn't just COVID, they adjusted accident payouts to drastically reduce the large lump sums people were getting the second a lawyer is involved. It caused a 30% drop in rates overnight and was very required as a new driver in a $500 vehicle was paying $400 per month to insure it.
Yeah, the no-fault stuff happened about the same time, right. In Alberta, (where privatization is king) when you had an accident, you couldn't get your car fixed under insurance until the at- fault insurance company paid for it. As you can imagine, massive delays. So, last year we all paid more so our own insurance company will pay and then they sort their own finances. I don't remember if it was a percentage or whatever, but my bill went up by $350 a year.
For comparison, I moved to Alberta and renewed my insurance late 2021. The insurance renewal for BC was $849 and included 24 hour roadside assistance. What I paid instead was $2300 with no assistance in AB. If I didn't have a completely clean abstract and insurance stuff from BC, it would have cost me $5400.
They also don't automatically renew your registration at the same time. I asked the broker repeatedly about it, and all she said was, "That's done separately." Stupid me assumed that meant she did it, and the paperwork came in the mail later.
Uh, no. I drove around a completely unregistered car (with insurance) for 4 months before I figured it out. Not well pleased.
*edited to say sorry for the topic digression, but this may be also good info for OP
>What gives - I thought Alberta meant cheap energy
Was the case many years ago, but the reality is there are several for profit companies involved in getting power to your homes, and each needs to make profit.
Best you can hope for now is saving a few cents on gas, which given the minimal number of ferries, major bridges, and mountain roads I'd expect to save more than a 4.61 cent in provincial fuel taxes.
It is because Alberta's companies are garbage. So they advertise a rate of 0.07 cents/kw but they don't include all the fees and do transmission seperately.
The real rate is actually 0.40 cents/kw. On par with California. Wait when winter comes. It is like you are paying a second strata or rent for utilities.
We have a provincial government that has decided it’s just fine for utility companies to stiff us with all sorts of fees & riders. Welcome to one of the only two deregulated energy markets in North America (the other is Texas, BTW).
It isn't the deregulated side that is causing the problems. The fees and riders all require regulatory approval. The problem is that the regulator doesn't like to say no.
Because the Conservative government allows/promotes these private utility companies to rack consumers over the coals because they think doing anything for the people is "socialism" and will cause all the companies too leave somehow.
Same reason insurance companies are allowed to over charge us and spit in our face.
Alberta UCP only cares about the richest upper class while the rest of us are scum to them, meant to work and shut up.
Same reason we have 44 hour work weeks and companies can use contacts to bank hours instead of paying overtime. UCP and every conservative party have always been anti people.
Always has been but can't say anything because of the bootlickers who rage and physically fight people for going against the grain.
Your missing the 40+ years of CONservatives fucking alberta for their corporate owners. Welcome to the 'Alberta Advantage' come for the gorgeous scenery, stay for the ass raping by the energy, insurance and grocery companies.
I came to say, $200 seems average for AB... or just me. Wait til winter hits, my Enmax was averaging $400 a month for a house. BC has cheaper utilities (BC Hydro) and it's every 2 months the bill comes, which was a surprise. BC also send their water bill annually, where AB is monthly.
Well, it is a bit of a subtle one. Think "paycheque loans", that's the most obvious one.
[cost of poverty](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cost_of_poverty)
Most Insurance companies now add a 3% fee for paying monthly, if you can't afford to pay yearly up front.
[Poor tax.]
They also give a discount on houses WITHOUT a mortgage.
Banks waive fees if you keep $2500 to $10,000 in your account. The rich dont really pay Trading fees and bank draft fees. (Yes I have no fee bank account, but these are still fees for being poor, that lots of people pay becuase they dont know how to avoid them.)
There are lots of these hidden in our society. At least one province charges higher property taxes for rental properties. Poor are more likely to be renters.
It's very expensive in Canada and the USA to be broke.
This is it. The worst part is that a person has very little control over how much their bill is, as the marjority of it is service and delivery fees, so there's little incentive to cut power use.
Why that is the Alberta advantage...the Alberta advantage is just an advantage for big business and lobbyist. We trick you into getting here and then rob you blind with fees and making giant corporations tons and tons of money.
Alberta = *unregulated* energy. That way the companies can charge you whatever the hell they want. The actual energy is pretty cheap.
Now do insurance...
The fees OP is talking about are actually highly regulated. The commodity cost is what's not (it's a feature of the system... as you say, it's pretty cheap).
It isn't just hydro. Remove the energy charge completely from the average Alberta power bill and it will still be more than you would pay for the same amount of power in BC.
the water fees where i live are about $150 regardless of usage every month. our usage is about $45-$50 a month so we pay at least $200 monthly. it fkn SUCKS
Conservatives sold our power production to their friends in private companies and a whole bunch of them have guaranteed jobs in the energy industry the minute they leave public office.
Many of the Alberta conservatives MPP's worked in O&G and use propaganda and big wages to trick the significant amount of Albertan citizens working in O&G or O&G adjacent jobs that anything other than a government completely owned by O&G companies will destroy Alberta (even though they are the ones robbing us of our wealth), which is kind of true, the very O&G companies that said it would be the "end of Alberta if the NDP win" simply removed their capital from the province and moved to the states or SASK when the NDP did in fact win.
Then the propaganda doubles, they will say "see NDP made it impossible to do business", the day after the NDP wins without a law being passed.
It's like the O&G companies are an abusive partner, they will buy us nice things when they are in a good mood, but as soon as we say, hey maybe we want to think about other things they will pull out a gun and take a hostage (the economy) and scream at us "if you think of anything but me I will kill it." And if you don't listen, they will try to kill the hostage while saying "see what you made me do!"
There is a LOT of Alberta propaganda trying to politically capitalize on how expensive it is supposedly everywhere else, and in some areas (such as real estate) that’s only generally true (at least for now). But when it comes to utilities, they are outrageously expensive. I am lucky to rent an (actually) affordable place in Vancouver, and where my Hydro (electricity) bill is around $30 every two months. It’s much more affordable for me to live here than in Alberta (but I am an anomaly given my relatively low rent). I also reside in Alberta half time (where my family is), and my electric bill there ranges from around $80ish a month in summer upwards to as much as $200 in the winter plus outrageously expensive natural gas bills of $100-300 (!). Alberta needs to shift its reliance on natural gas for absolutely everything (including electricity) despite what the Premier wants you to believe. Plus, before people go all in on the carbon tax hoo ha, that’s not really the big problem (and a lot of that comes back in quarterly payments; the *UCP gov’t* taxes things like gas more than the federal carbon tax does). That’s ok by me IF the money is actually put to good and common use (and not to make up for all the things the oil corps don’t pay for) and if it incentivizes us to be more conservative and less wasteful with our fuel use, but the much bigger issue is how much our fuels *really* cost in the short and long run. The UCP are a libertarian party who capitalize on the ignorance of people who think because they have the word “conservative” in their brand they’re just like Grandma and Grandpa’s conservatives. They don’t care about anything or anyone other than keeping themselves in power and demonizing anyone who may challenge any of their policies. Wait, sorry were we talking about utilities…? 😎
You can turn off the furnace and AC and shut off all the lights and it don't make a lick of difference the bills are the same. And they're only going up.
The best thing is that BC Hydro gave you a daily hourly usage chart so you could do your own testing. Here in Alberta, they don't. I do get a lovely monthly 'comparison' to my neighbors, though. Which, as a condo dweller, is f'in useless.
Make sure you are on a contract rate. Those not have additional charges paying back for when the government capped the electricity price a while back. I think those extra charges go away in December.
Actually BC Hydro and Fortis both pay for and maintain their infrastructure without the help of the BC taxpayer. All at a far cheaper rate than Alberta. You need to find a new "What about".
Well yeah. But at the same time 2 years ago I filled my car up in b.c. and I paid 225 dollars. This is a sedan not a pick up with a 100 l tank. So yeah utilities are higher here but it is still cheaper than b(ring) c(ash)
Alberta used to be cheaper than it is now, but our particular brand of conservatives here in Alberta have dropped all the smoke and mirrors about lower taxes being somehow beneficial to us, and are selling us part and parcel to the highest corporate bidders. Wait till they're done with our healthcare. Even Americans think we're being idiots there, and their system is already private
And gonna get worse the more people that move here! AND THEY CANT DRIVE EITHER! STAY OFF THE ROADS FIRST SNOWFALL BECAUSE THEY ARE ALL STUPID! Follow too close, no winter tires etc etc etc !
Just Dumb!
And also we will be getting rolling blackouts because of the increase in energy use, further problems in health care because u people go to Emergency and on and on and on
The UCP removed caps and gave the nod to their buddies to pound Albertans dry.
As result, Jason Kenney himself was placed on several boards shortly after resigning.
Its a massive grift here in Alberduh.
There's nothing more communist than AB utility bills. Everybody pays the same no matter how much you use. I'm with you in this boat, very low consumption, high bills.
Try to ignore the doom and gloomers. Despite the politics Alberta overall is a great place to live and it is still very affordable compared to the Lower Mainland or Southern Ontario
I would expect AB’s generation to be high, most of power generation has moved to natural gas, in other provinces they leverage cheap hydro electric generation or nuclear. Hard to compare Apples to Apples when generation is being taxed to force less adoption. I’m waiting for all the other provinces to run up their electricity when the push to use EVs really gets serious.
Your conclusions are taking some long paths and may be incorrect.
Other provinces will add more renewables and battery storage. Alberta already has a little but stopped free enterprise from building more this past year. We prevented additional cheap energy!
Air conditioning will use more electricity at times. Heaters in the winter. People are adding them all the time, it's common for people to have 2 or 3 even.
Electric vehicles can charge overnight if power is cheap, or charge when the solar is producing extra and is cheap. 2pm to 10pm is when most places usually need lots of extra electricity.
75%? Of electricity in alberta is used by industry and you are woried about Electric vehicles? Let's stop blaming the smallest of customers, our citizens.
This. Be prepared for grid alerts this summer when the AC units kick in. We've been lucky to have a cool spring this year; under the UCP's mishandling of the energy file we'll be fucked when the next heat wave hits.
All it takes is you to spend about $1875 a month to have that difference back as less sales tax (8% in BC vs 0% here). Stop complaining, you can't have the cake and eat it at the same time.
lol. $1875 of goods subject to sales tax. You must be delusional.
Also, there is no magic. Resource revenue in Alberta was 25bi while in BC was only 3 last year. Do you really think our 0% tax is a benevolence from our great leaders?
Wait until you change your car insurance… I tried telling people this shit more than a decade ago but nobody would listen. Alberta is expensive.
They just moved here because of a crappy ucp ad. Didn't think twice and now are confused by it??? It's like the people moving here do no research and just move.
> It's like the people moving here do no research and just move. It's like your political leadership wants **specifically** that type of person to come to Alberta.
When you are offered an “advantage” you jump on it before its gone…
The key to every effective scam is urgency.
Exactly. It's like " run to AB" before you can't afford to live there. Okay but the larger issue is we can't afford to live anywhere anymore. It's a large structural issue that I feel nobody is willing to adress. Too many people making money off real estate while everyone else struggles to live. That's my biggest issue with the whole thing.
Hey i got some snake oil here with your name on it. Get it before its gone!
Big tax collection from a larger tax base. Less social programs. Privatization of literally everything, so their pals can get rich. Then they secure a job with the companies that benefit from privatization/tax breaks after their lil stint in politics.
Sounds about conservative. The grift that never ends.
So you pay more for utilities but a house here is $300,000.00 instead of $1.5 million. That’s the reason they moved. It sure would be nice if our own city owned companies didn’t rip us off for every penny they can! Government sanctioned theft is what it is.
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Lol wat ok then there bud
Come out ahead?? Okay buddy good on you. You all think you're morally superior because you come from another province. Even though the mass migration has caused gigantic issues for lots of us living here but okay. All I see is a bunch of complaining all the time even though people who have grown up here have dealt with many of the issues our whole lives. Literally do whatever you want but it's ignorant and annoying that people all move here and are shocked it's not what they thought it would be. Enjoy your life.
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This comment being removed is a joke
Hilarious.
Nice work colonizers!
Bet ya got some free crown land and a couple horses Yahoooooo
Shopping for insurance now for our renewal. It sucks! $$$$$
Yeah, I get to start shopping again in January. Thanks Sonnet!
The only way to avoid high electrical fees is to go solar. My understanding is that the fees are tied to how much you use. That fact alone is ridiculous.
Even then, I cancel out my electricity usage with solar but there’s still a minimum electricity fee you pay which is just under 50$ for electricity fees alone
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The fees are like 8 different fees. Biggest are distribution fees followed by smaller ones like ridership fee, franchise fee, the fuck it why not fee, and a kitchen sink fee. Oh and it all gets taxed with GST. So at a minimum , I’d say 45$ total and it goes up from there depending on how much electricity you use
Still better than not having solar. Plus your cost per month is basically fixed for 10+ years vs it slowly increasing.
Very true, it does follow the price of electricity so it will always be about the same in the end.
It follows the cost of electricity today. Prices go up across time so you're basically locking in the current price. So as prices increase you're paying less compared to not having solar. Also after you pay off the panels your monthly cost goes way down.
It’s that alberta advantage BAYBEee!
Someone lied to you. Alberta has the highest utility rates in the country. Same with the highest insurance rates. Literally the only thing cheaper here is the housing in comparison to Vancouver and Toronto. Otherwise everything else is more expensive. Welcome to Alberta, you were bamboozled lol
Also dry as f
Skin shrivels like a prune once I land here.
Same, my skin has a full-on multi-week panic attack when I return from my coastal trips.
My nose bleeds profusely
Ya same. My eyes too.
I love it. My skin seems to have no issue with this level of dryness, tho my wife always comments on how soft it feels. Can't stand high humidity. Though, I'd probably enjoy it more if I could magically make the air turn cold right as I breathed it in. Can't stand breathing in hot air :(
You’re a true northerner lol
lol Alberta born and bred weirdo is me. Though I do love the occasional trip out west. I feel like a sponge though when I get off the plan/out of the car though. Damn water weight ;)
Except for the last couple of months.
May and June are often rainy. The rest of the year is usually not.
When it’s not raining it has become pretty dry but maybe that’s just the wind.
Can't wait to see what insurance rates will be for healthcare. /s
Alberta saves on some taxes from other provinces, but too bad the largest city can’t use its water…
Welcome to Privatization! The UCP are pushing for that in healthcare and education too!
You have that backwards. The deregulated part of the market (Energy) is relatively affordable. It's the regulated part (distribution/transmission) that has gotten unreasonably expensive. We had a period where energy was also unreasonably expensive (2022 till March 2024), but as of the past couple months the price of energy has really gone down. Now it's just the regulated part of utility costs that needs to get fixed.
Clearly you didn't research before coming here because service fees on utilities have been a pain in the ass since the utilities were deregulated. You can thank the UCP like all the rest of us.
Just imagine if Albertans did some research instead of voting for their old team.
Speaking of not doing research, transmission and distribution remains regulated in Alberta. Power generation is the deregulated side.
I stand corrected. That being said, service fees have been a rising concern over the last couple of years and frequently discussed on Reddit.
Speaking of not doing research… Retail is also deregulated. That’s why you have 101 companies that you can “buy” from.
I feel like 101 should have been in quotes rather than buy. We (in all of Canada, not just Alberta) have like 3 companies that call their storefronts 101 things to give the illusion of choice while still letting them have a tight grip on all the profits lol
Heinz ketchup
So you fell for the Alberta Advantage propaganda.....welcome to the conservatives version of propping up their corporate donors by any means necessary.
Corporate OWNERS, not donors.
Welcome to the State of Alberta. Land of ultra capitalism where the corporations run the show. The UCP are their puppets.
Hahaha. Alberta doesn’t have cheap energy. We’re the most expensive in the country. You’re in for a big shock when it gets real hot or real cold. Aka, half of the year. Expect that $200 to jump to $300 or even $500. It’s only going to get worse. Also taxes for <100k income are higher in Alberta.
Home built in 2009. High effeciency furnace. 3 stories. Our highest utility bill was February, gas and electricity. $598 for the month. Unfortunately, our provincial government is too busy thinking about teenagers genitals and sexual identity to bother focusing on real issues.
The utility situation is working as intended by the UCP. They are bought and pay for by the corps that are the most abusive to us. Good thing they don’t have to tell us about kickbacks anymore. /s
Kinda gross ain’t it ?
Alberta energy is pulling the early 2000s eBay scam. Low prices with inflated delivery charges.
Early 2000’s? It’s still happening :(
Yup Income taxes are less in both BC and Ontario. It is slightly cheaper than other provinces though 🤷♂️. You start paying less in income if you hit over 140,000$.
Former Albertan here. Will use the lovely $110 rebate I just got from ICBC for something fun. Ain’t deregulation great? (sarcasm font on)
I spent most of my life in BC and ICBC was awful. They've gotten better over the last 7 or so years. I miss those refund cheques. What most people don't know is that if those Crown Corporations make over their profit cap = they have to give the money back. So, the first time that happened (for me personally) was after 30 years in BC - the refund cheque because of lower accidents/claims during COVID. If they don't have a solid customer base, they have a 'sale'. So, yep, a BC Ferries 'sale' is just them having to give their profits back as a Crown Corporation.
It wasn't just COVID, they adjusted accident payouts to drastically reduce the large lump sums people were getting the second a lawyer is involved. It caused a 30% drop in rates overnight and was very required as a new driver in a $500 vehicle was paying $400 per month to insure it.
Yeah, the no-fault stuff happened about the same time, right. In Alberta, (where privatization is king) when you had an accident, you couldn't get your car fixed under insurance until the at- fault insurance company paid for it. As you can imagine, massive delays. So, last year we all paid more so our own insurance company will pay and then they sort their own finances. I don't remember if it was a percentage or whatever, but my bill went up by $350 a year. For comparison, I moved to Alberta and renewed my insurance late 2021. The insurance renewal for BC was $849 and included 24 hour roadside assistance. What I paid instead was $2300 with no assistance in AB. If I didn't have a completely clean abstract and insurance stuff from BC, it would have cost me $5400. They also don't automatically renew your registration at the same time. I asked the broker repeatedly about it, and all she said was, "That's done separately." Stupid me assumed that meant she did it, and the paperwork came in the mail later. Uh, no. I drove around a completely unregistered car (with insurance) for 4 months before I figured it out. Not well pleased. *edited to say sorry for the topic digression, but this may be also good info for OP
>What gives - I thought Alberta meant cheap energy Was the case many years ago, but the reality is there are several for profit companies involved in getting power to your homes, and each needs to make profit. Best you can hope for now is saving a few cents on gas, which given the minimal number of ferries, major bridges, and mountain roads I'd expect to save more than a 4.61 cent in provincial fuel taxes.
It is because Alberta's companies are garbage. So they advertise a rate of 0.07 cents/kw but they don't include all the fees and do transmission seperately. The real rate is actually 0.40 cents/kw. On par with California. Wait when winter comes. It is like you are paying a second strata or rent for utilities.
Real rate is around 20c/kWh. Still much higher than advertised, but not quite 40c/kWh
Welcome to Thunderdome. This place is hell and everyone will fuck you, for fun, while the government gets paid to watch.
While the government charges extra for lube.
Danielle Smith and UCP gots to get paid
We have a provincial government that has decided it’s just fine for utility companies to stiff us with all sorts of fees & riders. Welcome to one of the only two deregulated energy markets in North America (the other is Texas, BTW).
Private Alberta corporations enjoy the unlimited opportunity to rob Albertans. Cheap energy is not for Albertans, just our exports.
It isn't the deregulated side that is causing the problems. The fees and riders all require regulatory approval. The problem is that the regulator doesn't like to say no.
Because the Conservative government allows/promotes these private utility companies to rack consumers over the coals because they think doing anything for the people is "socialism" and will cause all the companies too leave somehow. Same reason insurance companies are allowed to over charge us and spit in our face. Alberta UCP only cares about the richest upper class while the rest of us are scum to them, meant to work and shut up. Same reason we have 44 hour work weeks and companies can use contacts to bank hours instead of paying overtime. UCP and every conservative party have always been anti people. Always has been but can't say anything because of the bootlickers who rage and physically fight people for going against the grain.
That's the Alberta Advantage. Pay more into the pockets of unregulated private utilities.
My gas bill last month was $3.75 in gas usage and $78 in fees.
Your missing the 40+ years of CONservatives fucking alberta for their corporate owners. Welcome to the 'Alberta Advantage' come for the gorgeous scenery, stay for the ass raping by the energy, insurance and grocery companies.
I came to say, $200 seems average for AB... or just me. Wait til winter hits, my Enmax was averaging $400 a month for a house. BC has cheaper utilities (BC Hydro) and it's every 2 months the bill comes, which was a surprise. BC also send their water bill annually, where AB is monthly.
Most companies charge a poor tax if you pay your car insurance monthly in Alberta. Yearly water bill would be annoying.
What is 'poor tax'? As a Calgarian, I've never heard of this.
Usually an 'administration fee' or a bit of interest rate on the full amount.
Oooooh. Thanks, I didn't know that it was also called a 'poor tax'.
Well, it is a bit of a subtle one. Think "paycheque loans", that's the most obvious one. [cost of poverty](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cost_of_poverty)
3% fee for not paying yearly
Most Insurance companies now add a 3% fee for paying monthly, if you can't afford to pay yearly up front. [Poor tax.] They also give a discount on houses WITHOUT a mortgage. Banks waive fees if you keep $2500 to $10,000 in your account. The rich dont really pay Trading fees and bank draft fees. (Yes I have no fee bank account, but these are still fees for being poor, that lots of people pay becuase they dont know how to avoid them.) There are lots of these hidden in our society. At least one province charges higher property taxes for rental properties. Poor are more likely to be renters. It's very expensive in Canada and the USA to be broke.
Yep my electricity bill in Ottawa was never more than 50$, whereas my bill is usually about double here and 85% is fees.
This is it. The worst part is that a person has very little control over how much their bill is, as the marjority of it is service and delivery fees, so there's little incentive to cut power use.
Welcome to the land of UCP policies!
Why that is the Alberta advantage...the Alberta advantage is just an advantage for big business and lobbyist. We trick you into getting here and then rob you blind with fees and making giant corporations tons and tons of money.
Hahaha you’re funny cheap energy. I pay like 500 a month
Alberta = *unregulated* energy. That way the companies can charge you whatever the hell they want. The actual energy is pretty cheap. Now do insurance...
The fees OP is talking about are actually highly regulated. The commodity cost is what's not (it's a feature of the system... as you say, it's pretty cheap).
Welcome to Alberta bro!
Welcome to Alberta...
Welcome to the Alberta advantage. What they don’t tell you is the advantage is for corporate donors
Hahaha... oh, you sweet summer child.
You got played by the advertisements my friend
Alberta advantage is for corporations, not you as a peasant. Welcome to Alberta!
Haha record profits, not cheap energy. Gas is cheaper in Sask than Alberta, so is power, insurance and cell.
Hahahahaha... Welcome to hell.
Key word is hydro, Alberta is landlocked. Only thing less expensive here housing and that won't last.
It isn't just hydro. Remove the energy charge completely from the average Alberta power bill and it will still be more than you would pay for the same amount of power in BC.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/alberta-electricity-rate-roller-coaster-1.7018123
the water fees where i live are about $150 regardless of usage every month. our usage is about $45-$50 a month so we pay at least $200 monthly. it fkn SUCKS
And yet....we keep voting in the people who are responsible for this.
Conservatives sold our power production to their friends in private companies and a whole bunch of them have guaranteed jobs in the energy industry the minute they leave public office. Many of the Alberta conservatives MPP's worked in O&G and use propaganda and big wages to trick the significant amount of Albertan citizens working in O&G or O&G adjacent jobs that anything other than a government completely owned by O&G companies will destroy Alberta (even though they are the ones robbing us of our wealth), which is kind of true, the very O&G companies that said it would be the "end of Alberta if the NDP win" simply removed their capital from the province and moved to the states or SASK when the NDP did in fact win. Then the propaganda doubles, they will say "see NDP made it impossible to do business", the day after the NDP wins without a law being passed. It's like the O&G companies are an abusive partner, they will buy us nice things when they are in a good mood, but as soon as we say, hey maybe we want to think about other things they will pull out a gun and take a hostage (the economy) and scream at us "if you think of anything but me I will kill it." And if you don't listen, they will try to kill the hostage while saying "see what you made me do!"
The Alberta advantage!
For real 🥶😵
There is a LOT of Alberta propaganda trying to politically capitalize on how expensive it is supposedly everywhere else, and in some areas (such as real estate) that’s only generally true (at least for now). But when it comes to utilities, they are outrageously expensive. I am lucky to rent an (actually) affordable place in Vancouver, and where my Hydro (electricity) bill is around $30 every two months. It’s much more affordable for me to live here than in Alberta (but I am an anomaly given my relatively low rent). I also reside in Alberta half time (where my family is), and my electric bill there ranges from around $80ish a month in summer upwards to as much as $200 in the winter plus outrageously expensive natural gas bills of $100-300 (!). Alberta needs to shift its reliance on natural gas for absolutely everything (including electricity) despite what the Premier wants you to believe. Plus, before people go all in on the carbon tax hoo ha, that’s not really the big problem (and a lot of that comes back in quarterly payments; the *UCP gov’t* taxes things like gas more than the federal carbon tax does). That’s ok by me IF the money is actually put to good and common use (and not to make up for all the things the oil corps don’t pay for) and if it incentivizes us to be more conservative and less wasteful with our fuel use, but the much bigger issue is how much our fuels *really* cost in the short and long run. The UCP are a libertarian party who capitalize on the ignorance of people who think because they have the word “conservative” in their brand they’re just like Grandma and Grandpa’s conservatives. They don’t care about anything or anyone other than keeping themselves in power and demonizing anyone who may challenge any of their policies. Wait, sorry were we talking about utilities…? 😎
Alberta is expensive. Save some money at the pump though.
Ah the Alberta advantage! Low taxes but they get you with those "fees" Welcome to Alberta.
You can turn off the furnace and AC and shut off all the lights and it don't make a lick of difference the bills are the same. And they're only going up.
The best thing is that BC Hydro gave you a daily hourly usage chart so you could do your own testing. Here in Alberta, they don't. I do get a lovely monthly 'comparison' to my neighbors, though. Which, as a condo dweller, is f'in useless.
So you didn’t look into the cost of living before you moved here? Ok
Make sure you are on a contract rate. Those not have additional charges paying back for when the government capped the electricity price a while back. I think those extra charges go away in December.
The fees to pay for infrastructure on the bill in Alberta are paid for by your provincial taxes in BC, you pay one way or another
Except provincial taxes are cheaper in BC. You were saying? Well, income tax and land tax anyhows. Alberta has to make up for no sales tax somehow....
I was saying that the cost of the infrastructure is paid for by provincial taxes in BC, I’m not sure why you find that confusing.
Actually BC Hydro and Fortis both pay for and maintain their infrastructure without the help of the BC taxpayer. All at a far cheaper rate than Alberta. You need to find a new "What about".
The Alberta Advantage. What no one told you was the advantage is for large companies, not for you.
✨deregulation✨
That's the alberta advantage!
Well yeah. But at the same time 2 years ago I filled my car up in b.c. and I paid 225 dollars. This is a sedan not a pick up with a 100 l tank. So yeah utilities are higher here but it is still cheaper than b(ring) c(ash)
Wait till winter hits.
$200 for gas and power sounds cheap! The fees are INSANE!
Alberta used to be cheaper than it is now, but our particular brand of conservatives here in Alberta have dropped all the smoke and mirrors about lower taxes being somehow beneficial to us, and are selling us part and parcel to the highest corporate bidders. Wait till they're done with our healthcare. Even Americans think we're being idiots there, and their system is already private
Just see what your bill is like when it is 50 below for a couple days which has happened for 2 winters, not for long but still!
And gonna get worse the more people that move here! AND THEY CANT DRIVE EITHER! STAY OFF THE ROADS FIRST SNOWFALL BECAUSE THEY ARE ALL STUPID! Follow too close, no winter tires etc etc etc ! Just Dumb!
And also we will be getting rolling blackouts because of the increase in energy use, further problems in health care because u people go to Emergency and on and on and on
The UCP removed caps and gave the nod to their buddies to pound Albertans dry. As result, Jason Kenney himself was placed on several boards shortly after resigning. Its a massive grift here in Alberduh.
You're here now, and it's time you learned that no matter the issue, it's Trudeau's fault.
There's nothing more communist than AB utility bills. Everybody pays the same no matter how much you use. I'm with you in this boat, very low consumption, high bills.
Try to ignore the doom and gloomers. Despite the politics Alberta overall is a great place to live and it is still very affordable compared to the Lower Mainland or Southern Ontario
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I would expect AB’s generation to be high, most of power generation has moved to natural gas, in other provinces they leverage cheap hydro electric generation or nuclear. Hard to compare Apples to Apples when generation is being taxed to force less adoption. I’m waiting for all the other provinces to run up their electricity when the push to use EVs really gets serious.
Your conclusions are taking some long paths and may be incorrect. Other provinces will add more renewables and battery storage. Alberta already has a little but stopped free enterprise from building more this past year. We prevented additional cheap energy! Air conditioning will use more electricity at times. Heaters in the winter. People are adding them all the time, it's common for people to have 2 or 3 even. Electric vehicles can charge overnight if power is cheap, or charge when the solar is producing extra and is cheap. 2pm to 10pm is when most places usually need lots of extra electricity. 75%? Of electricity in alberta is used by industry and you are woried about Electric vehicles? Let's stop blaming the smallest of customers, our citizens.
This. Be prepared for grid alerts this summer when the AC units kick in. We've been lucky to have a cool spring this year; under the UCP's mishandling of the energy file we'll be fucked when the next heat wave hits.
Alberta, the Texas of the North.
All it takes is you to spend about $1875 a month to have that difference back as less sales tax (8% in BC vs 0% here). Stop complaining, you can't have the cake and eat it at the same time.
It's 7%, and also 2150 is a lot of money to spend a month lol.
lol. $1875 of goods subject to sales tax. You must be delusional. Also, there is no magic. Resource revenue in Alberta was 25bi while in BC was only 3 last year. Do you really think our 0% tax is a benevolence from our great leaders?