Manitoba Hydro wants to increase its rates again. The crown corporation has applied to the Public Utilities Board for a 3.95 per cent increase in April 2016.

An official with the Consumer Association of Canada and Winnipeg Harvest says the increase is almost double the rate of inflation and will amount to a $40.00 a year hike for Winnipeg homeowners and $75.00 per year in rural Manitoba.

The P-U-B already approved a 3.95 per cent rate hike in August. Deputy premier Kerri Irvin-Ross suggests even if the increase is approved, Manitoba will still have some of the lowest home heating

kerri irvin ross
Kerri Irvin-Ross costs in the country.

"Manitobans pay approximately $700 less per year for a home using an average amount of heating compared to someone with the same home is Saskatchewan or in Ontario and $500 less than than the national average.

Irvin-Ross adds, since the province introduced legislation to ensure uniform electricity rates, rural Manitobans have also save approximately $23.5 million per year."

The minister suggests the increases Manitoba Hydro has been applying for are modest and predictable and will keep hydro rates stable into the future.