power to the people // public outcry on privatized electricity

In 1992, the Progressive Conservative party of Nova Scotia made a decision that has let down the citizens of the province ever since: to privatize the energy in Nova Scotia. Starting its infancy as a state-owned company in 1919, Nova Scotia power prospered over the next century, building power plants & stations, attempting to harness Nova Scotia’s abundant natural resources, renewable & not. As we shift further into a sustainable & renewable system in the coming century, having this necessary resource controlled by for profit conglomerates will hinder the province & its people.  

There’s no two ways about it, electricity is a human right. As humans seem to drift further apart in the material world; the connections, in both senses of the word, that loosely tether us are of the utmost importance. To operate a necessary commodity for profit is to hurt the collective for the benefit of individuals. It’s obvious & easy to observe this deleterious phenomenon in many quotidian sectors that have been monopolized & auctioned off in the private sector. 

Although Nova Scotia attempts to diversify into Green Energy through the parentage of Emera, it is independent purveyors that are colonizing these verdant fields to put up windmills or attaching solar panels. The interests of Emera and these smaller companies are in direct conflict with one another as one robs the demand of the other by changing supply routes.This market conflict is surely to only grow exponentially as more people opt for renewable energy in the province with the highest tides in the world & strong winds to match.

If we want a better energy sector in Nova Scotia, we need to make the energy sector provincialized so the rates can be set for living, not for profit. Although this isn’t a fix to the rampant housing crisis we’re withering through, it does aid tangentially by lessening the cost of living crisis. As household renewable energy options become more commonplace, more & more people will begin to sell their produced energy back to the grid. This system would relieve strain on a provincialized system with a positive feedback loop, whereas this doesn’t make sense in a privatized energy economy, as they lose market share and most importantly of all: money.

As we prepare our province for the renewable energy changeover of today, it’s incredibly important to have a system of checks & balances that support it for tomorrow. To follow along with a system that ideologically operates in the opposing fashion of the technology at the doorstep is shortsighted & will slow down the shift to sustainable energy adoption by years, and it may be years the planet doesn't have anymore. If they only give you one coal Mr Cratchit, burn their abbacusses and warm your hands on the fire multiplying around their counting house.