Ontario energy company to issue more than $2.6M in customer credits after billing error
Ontario energy company to issue more than $2.6M in customer credits after billing error
A thermostat can be seen above. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
An Ontario energy company that was overcharging customers until earlier this year will provide one-time credits totalling more than $2.6 million, the Ontario Energy Board (OEB) has confirmed.
In a statement issued Tuesday evening, the OEB said it had accepted an Assurance of Voluntary Compliance (AVC) from Elexicon Energy Inc., which serves approximately 173,000 customers in the Durham region area. An AVC is a binding written commitment to correct violations identified by a regulatory body.
“Under the terms of this AVC, Elexicon acknowledges that a billing system error resulted in customers across all rate classes being charged more than certain OEB-approved charges,” the statement said. The error was resolved in May, the board said.
Elexicon must pay a fine of $7,500 and provide credits totalling $2,658,000, the board said. To customers in its Veridian Rate Zone, the company must provide credit equivalent to four years of overcharges. Customers in its Whitby Rate Zone will receive credits for 15 months worth of overcharges.
The refunds will be issued through a one-time credit which will appear on customers’ bills within 90 days, it said.
The board says the error was discovered when it became aware of “a billing issue relating to the proration of certain charges” earlier this year. At that time, it requested all electricity distributors review their billing systems.
“Elexicon reviewed its billing system and reported that it had been incorrectly prorating its fixed monthly charges and as a result overcharged its customers,” the statement said.
“All licensed electricity distributors must be rigorous in applying OEB-approved rates and calculating accurate billing amounts for their customers,” Brian Hewson, vice-president of consumer protection at the OEB, said in the statement.
“Billing accuracy is foundational to customer trust and the OEB is assured that Elexicon has fixed this billing issue.”
A gay man is taking the federal government to court, challenging the constitutionality of a policy restricting sexually active gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned.
A Quebec woman said she was very surprised to find her stolen Audi had been used in what’s being described as an “absolutely insane” Ontario mall robbery.
A team of preteen Ukrainian refugees that have been scattered across Europe by war arrived Wednesday in Quebec City, where they'll get the chance to compete in a renowned hockey tournament.
Nearly a year since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, community organizers say there is still work to be done to help the thousands of Ukrainian refugees looking to start a new life in Canada while coping with the hardships they've faced coming here.
After a tiny radioactive capsule went missing in the Australian outback, an expert in Canada says the likelihood of the same happening in this country is unlikely, given our strong regulations governing the handling of radioactive materials.
As Black History Month gets underway, Canada Post has unveiled a new stamp honouring Chloe Cooley, a young Black woman who was known to challenge her enslavement in the late 18th century.
Canada's new special representative on combating Islamophobia has apologized for words that hurt Quebecers after leaders in that province called for her resignation.
Montreal police say two men are in hospital Wednesday night with stab wounds after an altercation in a home in the city's Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough.
Gillian Burnett was almost finished her work day on Jan. 24 when she received a terrifying call about her young son. Waylon, 20-months-old, was found submerged in an outdoor pool at a home daycare near Petrolia, Ont.
A hearing is underway to determine if Udo Haan is not criminally responsible for the death of his wife Edra Haan, who was found in the aftermath of the 2018 house explosion in Kitchener, Ont.
Chief Mark Crowell made a presentation at a council meeting Wednesday justifying the proposed $214 million budget for the Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS).
Tsuut'ina Nation Police Service officials are encouraging any local victims to come forward following the arrest of actor Nathan Lee Chasing Horse in Las Vegas on sex assault charges.
Ottawa ranks 45th out of 62 cities across Canada and the United States in a study on downtown recovery, with activity levels at 51 per cent of pre-pandemic levels.
While crews have resumed operations in an attempt to open the Rideau Canal Skateway for its 53rd season, an NCC spokesperson tells CTV News Ottawa the canal will not open in time for the first weekend of Winterlude on Friday.
Following a suicide bomb blast that killed more than 100 people in a mosque in Pakistan’s northern city of Peshawar, community leaders in Windsor-Essex are reminding people these attacks are rare and should not be simply dismissed as a byproduct of living in that part of the world.
As the City of Barrie prepares for extreme cold to move through the area later this week, local shelters are working on expanding space for those in need.
A new 911 dispatch system in New Brunswick means that now fire departments aren’t getting dispatched to all medical calls leaving residents waiting and first responders in the dark.
More than four months after Hurricane Fiona hit Atlantic Canada, people are still dealing with damaged homes as they wait for help from insurance companies and provincial aid programs.
Calgary police are looking for suspects involved in an altercation that lasted for approximately an hour, spanned several communities and ended with a gun being fired.
Tsuut'ina Nation Police Service officials are encouraging any local victims to come forward following the arrest of actor Nathan Lee Chasing Horse in Las Vegas on sex assault charges.
The organization regulating medical care and services in Manitoba is apologizing for racism directed towards Indigenous people when accessing health care in the province.
B.C.'s Ministry of Health is continuing its multi-year trend of paying millions more dollars each year to private surgical centres for the delivery of public health care, CTV News has learned.
Changes to the amount of time the public gets to voice their opinion during Surrey City Council meetings has caused controversy among former councillors.
Alberta's former chief medical officer of health has landed a new role in British Columbia. Dr. Deena Hinshaw was named a deputy provincial health officer for B.C. on Wednesday.
A thermostat can be seen above. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
