Scrapped carbon tax will provide some relief to Manitoba Hydro customers, drivers
CBC
One Manitoban has mixed feelings about receiving a break on his Hydro bills next cycle.
Currently, all Manitoba Hydro customers pay a 'federal carbon charge' on their monthly bills. Earlier this month, Prime Minster Mark Carney signed a directive to remove the consumer carbon tax effective April 1, and the first place Manitobans will notice the change could be their Hydro bill.
Ryan Kochie, a homeowner in the Elmwood area where he lives with his partner and their four children, says the carbon charge was a large portion of his natural gas bill.
"Looking back at February with our $100 bill, [the federal carbon charge] was about $40 on that bill."
Removing the monthly carbon charge will help with the cost of living, Kochie says, while adding he's going to miss the carbon tax rebate he used to get every three months.
"It was definitely a nice bonus to help with unexpected bills and stuff," Kochie said.
"We're very careful in our budgeting as a family of four, so we're watching everything anyway, but having that bonus just helps that monthly budget out, and helps us put more into savings."
Kochie says he has friends living cheque to cheque who depend on the carbon tax rebate to stay afloat.
Manitoba Hydro's website says the average household used 2,075 cubic metres of natural gas in 2024 at a cost of roughly $316, or just over $26 a month in carbon tax.
Peter Chura, media relations officer for Manitoba Hydro, says the Public Utilities Board had to approve the changes to Hydro bills before they could be reflected on customers' bills.
"The federal carbon charge will not apply to any natural gas used by our customers on or after April 1. It will still apply the gas used before then, so that will still appear on customers' bills in a prorated fashion."
Chura says customers on an equal payment plan will see a slight change in their hydro bills as well.
He said the federal carbon charge wasn't being paid to Hydro.
"The federal carbon charge was levied by the federal government. They set the amounts and we would simply collect it on their behalf and then remit that to the federal government."
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