With many Albertans experiencing sticker shock over skyrocketing utility bills, the NDP opposition is calling for action from the provincial government.

They held a live press conference this afternoon (Feb. 17) to address the sharp increases and suggest a few courses of action from the UCP government.

NDP leader Rachel Notley was joined by energy critic Kathleen Ganley and municipal affairs critic Joe Ceci.

Ganley read quotes from three Alberta residents who have written to them, including Okotokian Sheila Fendall:

"No matter what you do, you can't get ahead. I'm concerned about the environment but this isn't about how much we use, I am an average user. It's about the fees we're charged, those are unbelievable. It makes it impossible to save money, to put any away for later. I just retired and I am struggling. Someone in the corporate tower somewhere is getting rich, but the rest of us are being left behind."

Notley pointed to several actions from the UCP that she directly attributes to rising rates, namely their decision to remove the price cap on the Regulated Rate Option.

"Had the UCP government left the cap in place, electricity prices per kilowatt-hour would be less than half of what consumers are seeing today on their bills. Between 2017 and 2019, electricity prices were capped at 6.8 cents per kilowatt-hour for Alberta consumers on the regulated rate option. Today, Alberta residential consumers on the RO are paying up to 16 cents per kilowatt-hour, a nearly threefold increase.

"The UCP has also taken no action to address the rising cost of transmission and distribution and has been slow to support new technologies and, in addition, has made less investment in energy efficiency and renewable energy, all of which could have helped reduce prices and empowered consumers to reduce their bills."

The NDP had a few suggestions on how to ease the burden on Alberta families, including reinstating the rate cap and implementing an electricity rebate.

They also said any new measures should be income-tested and based on average electricity usage as to not over-burden struggling families.

The press conference comes a week ahead of the budget being delivered on Feb. 24.

Premier Kenney said earlier this week that the budget would include a natural gas rebate, while again calling for an end to the federal carbon tax.