By: John Chilibeck, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Source: The Daily Gleaner
January 24, 2026

Review panel member Michael Bernstein. Photo: Government of New Brunswick

People have told an NB Power review team their biggest concern with New Brunswick’s public utility is unaffordable electricity bills that keep going up.

Last March, the Holt Liberal government appointed a trio of experts to conduct a comprehensive review of NB Power in light of several mounting problems facing the province’s 106-year-old monopoly electricity provider.

Last week, nine months in, the review team released a 25-page report, “What We Heard,” summing up public feedback.

Not surprisingly, New Brunswickers are upset about rate shock.

“Affordability is a key issue, whether it’s electricity or housing or groceries, and particularly when we’ve had now two years in a row in New Brunswick of close to 10% rate increases,” said Michael Bernstein, one of the panel experts, in an interview.

“People are very concerned. And you add to that the fact that heating is primarily done through electricity, and therefore from a pocketbook perspective, higher electricity prices really do have an impact on people’s financial situation,” he said.

“We heard that loud and clear.”

‘When will increases end?’

It was the number one issue from about 4,000 respondents in all forms of feedback ranging from in-person and virtual sessions, one-on-one meetings, survey responses, written submissions and e-mail inquiries.

“Many participants expressed deep worry over the possibility of rising electricity costs, noting that recent increases far outpace inflation and wage growth and risk making heat inaccessible,” the panel’s report says.

Review panel member Duncan Hawthorne. Photo: Government of New Brunswick

“Questions such as ‘When will the increases end?’ and ‘Where are power rates going in the next three to five years?’ were common, underscoring widespread anxiety about long-term affordability,” the report adds.

NB Power has jumped rates 23% for its 400,000 residential and business customers over the last three years.

It also plans to hike them 4.75%  higher this April with further increases in the next several years that will likely exceed the rate of inflation.

This has led to dismay. Anti-poverty activists say the price hike is an attack against the most vulnerable, and businesses argue it’s forcing them to make hard choices, such as layoffs at the Irving Paper mill in Saint John, which handed out pink slips to half of its staff last January.

Gov’t meddling

NB Power executives, including CEO Lori Clark, say government meddling with rates over the last dozen years or so has meant electricity prices haven’t kept up with inflation. They also point to high debt costs, badly aging infrastructure and increased demand for electricity as reasons people must pay more for the power they receive.

That has not taken the rough edge off the bills.

And yet, Bernstein knows there’s little his panel can do to lower rates. As an experienced executive in the Canadian power and infrastructure sector, and a senior advisor with the Boston Consulting Group, he knows NB Power needs more money.

He admitted when the panel talked about “mitigating” rates rather than “lowering ” them, people were disappointed.

“The reality is there’s no kind of reasonable scenario in which our rates are going lower, and that’s not just for New Brunswick, that’s globally, that’s across Canada. If you’ve been following what’s happening in the U.S., it is more expensive to produce electricity and electricity demand is going up.”

Nuclear power

Review panel member Anne Bertrand. Photo: Government of New Brunswick

The trio, which includes nuclear expert Duncan Hawthorne and governance guru Anne Bertrand, heard from a wide variety of people. As one would expect, some of the advice was contradictory.

“Nuclear energy and small modular reactors (SMRs) sparked intense debate,” their “What We Heard” report says.

“Supporters argued that nuclear is essential for reliability and cost stability, pointing to Point Lepreau’s role in the current system,” it adds.

“Opponents countered with concerns about the true environmental impact, safety, radioactive waste, and financial risk and warned against repeating past mistakes.”

A note from the review panel appears to defend nuclear power.

“Nuclear energy has been designated by the Canadian government and many international organizations as a clean energy source,” their note says.

“While opinions may vary, we feel it is important to recognize this designation as it is a non-emitting resource.”

Fossil fuels

The report also mentions opposition to the proposed gas/diesel plant in Tantramar.

“Similarly, fossil fuel projects — particularly the proposed Tantramar gas plant — drew criticism from those who see them as outdated and incompatible with climate goals,” it says.

“A few participants defended natural gas as a transitional option, but this view was far less common.”

“Secondary to the conversation around renewable energy, participants repeatedly emphasized the need to keep climate change and social equity at the heart of decision-making,” the report says.

“Many noted that energy poverty and affordability are inseparable from environmental goals, urging decision-makers to ensure that net-zero commitments do not come at the expense of vulnerable communities.”

The review panel itself seems to warn against adopting wind and solar alternatives at “massive scale” as many people urged.

“There was also the view that since there are no fuel costs associated with these green technologies, this would be the cheapest option for New Brunswick,” they write, adding that although the panel does acknowledge the benefits of green technologies, building them would incur significant capital costs.

“It is also the case that New Brunswick has very high electrical demand in the cold winter months and therefore wind and solar technologies, without some form of long duration storage or other back-up power, would not provide the reliability New Brunswickers require,” they write.

Final recommendations

The experts will provide the provincial government with their recommendations in March.

Bernstein said there will be a lot in that final report to chew over. It will include what he called high-level thematic items covering governance, legislative and regulatory reforms to help modernize NB Power.

“But we’re also diving into some more detailed perspectives of things… that can make a difference. So some quick wins,” he added.

To read the “What We Heard” report, click here.

To read Erica Butler’s CBC story on the “What We Heard” report including panel member Michael Bernstein’s comments about the current viability of battery storage to back up renewables, click here.

This story was written by Local Journalism Initiative Reporter John Chilibeck of Brunswick News with additional files from Bruce Wark.