163_2021 — Direction to the British Columbia Utilities Commission Respecting the Customer Crisis Fund Program

s. 1 — Definitions and interpretation

In this direction:

s. 1 — Act

Act means the Utilities Commission Act;

s. 1 — Customer Crisis Fund program

Customer Crisis Fund program means the program established on the effective date by the authority to provide grants to residential customers experiencing a temporary financial crisis and facing termination of service for failure to pay for that service;

s. 1 — customer crisis fund regulatory account

customer crisis fund regulatory account means the regulatory account of the authority established under commission order G-166-17;

s. 1 — effective date

effective date means the date the orders referred to in section 4 (1) are made.

s. 2 — Application

This direction is issued to the commission under section 3 of the Act.

s. 3 — Customer Crisis Fund program

s. 3(1)

The commission must allow the authority to defer to the customer crisis fund regulatory account

s. 3(1)(a)

the amounts incurred by the authority in administering the Customer Crisis Fund program, and

s. 3(1)(b)

grants provided to residential customers under the Customer Crisis Fund program.

s. 3(2)

The total amount deferred under subsection (1) must not exceed the sum of the following amounts:

s. 3(2)(a)

$13 000 000;

s. 3(2)(b)

interest that accrues after December 31, 2024 on the balance in the customer crisis fund regulatory account.

s. 4 — Tariff

s. 4(1)

Within 10 days of receiving an application from the authority, the commission must issue final orders so that the authority's Electric Tariff is amended as set out in the Appendix to this direction.

s. 4(2)

The commission may not amend, cancel or suspend the rates set out in the amendments made under subsection (1), except on application by the authority.

Schedule

Appendix