An independent audit has confirmed that Manitoba has maintained its number one position for the lowest cost bundle of utilities in Canada. This announcement was made by Finance Minister Stan Struthers.
The Affordable Utility Rate Accountability Act, passed in June 2012, requires the minister of finance to submit a report each year showing the comparative costs of the province’s utility bundle of electricity, natural gas and automobile insurance in each province. This year’s report will be tabled in the legislature today.
“Our government is committed to keeping life affordable for Manitoba families as we continue to grow our economy,” said Struthers. “Keeping a competitive minimum wage and ensuring low costs for basic services on which families rely is one of the best ways to preserve our high quality of life and make Manitoba such a great place to live.”
The report shows Manitobans pay an average annual cost of $2,731 for electricity, home heating and car insurance. The next-lowest province is British Columbia with a price of $3,408 annually. The province with the highest cost for the same services is Ontario at $7,666 annually, which is $4,935 higher than Manitoba each year or $411 per month.
“The benefit of having publicly owned hydroelectricity and publically owned auto insurance is clear in this report,” said Struthers. “It is unfortunate that the previous administration sold off MTS at bargain rates or we’d have an advantage there as well instead of paying some of the highest telephone rates in the country.”
The report shows that for electricity, Manitobans pay $844 on average per year compared with the countrywide average of $1,345. For home heating, Manitobans pay $735 compared to the Canadian average of $1,470 and car insurance is $1,152 in Manitoba while the national average is $2,014.
The report will be available on the Manitoba Finance website once it has been tabled in the legislature this afternoon.
