The leader of the Nova Scotia’s official opposition is calling for meaningful action from Premier Tim Houston and Nova Scotia Power after a proposed rate increase.

NSP has applied for a hike of 8 per cent over the next two years and has been undergoing rate hearings since the beginning of the month.

Claudia Chender says that jump is unreasonable considering the poor quality of service and wants to hold the utility accountable.

“We have found ourselves in a place where entire communities can lose power for 48 hours in the middle of winter, and it’s barely newsworthy. This is a company that is not providing an essential service in the way that we need it to,” says Chender.

According to the NDP, almost half of Nova Scotian’s are paying more than they can afford to keep the lights on since 2021.

Houston recently made himself energy minister, but Chender says he’s been absent and has not launched a full review of NSP.

“We need a government that is going to pay attention to this file, and that is going to take action on behalf of Nova Scotians. And if the premier can’t do that, then he should find someone who will,” stresses Chender.

Meanwhile, Houston has been critical of the utility and had previously commented about the power company’s move to increase rates, stating that they’re ‘out of touch’ with Nova Scotian’s.

“We reject Nova Scotia Power’s request, and we’re planning to intervene. It’s an out of touch time for that type of increase. We will continue to look to support Nova Scotians across the spectrum,” Houston previously told reporters.

This comes after a massive cyber security breach in the spring, when more than 250,000 customers were affected.

Houston also called for a formal investigation over what he says are inflated bill estimates in the wake of the breach.

-with files from Jacob Moore