Orders

ORDER NUMBER

F-5-16

IN THE MATTER OF

the Utilities Commission Act, RSBC 1996, Chapter 473

and

Application for Participant Assistance / Cost Award

for the Corix Multi-Utility Services Inc.

Application for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity for Additional Capital and

Amended Rates for UniverCity Neighbourhood Utility Service on Burnaby Mountain

BEFORE:

R. D. Revel, Panel Chair/Commissioner

on February 29, 2016

ORDER

WHEREAS:

A.      On October 7, 2015, Corix filed an application with the British Columbia Utilities Commission (Commission) for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) for additional capital and amended rates for UniverCity Neighbourhood Utility Service (NUS) on Burnaby Mountain (Application);

B.      The Application requested approval under sections 45, 56, 60 and 61 of the Utilities Commission Act for expenditures to replace and expand the capacity of the existing temporary natural gas facilities with a larger capacity natural gas boiler on the basis of Corix’s interpretation of the Thermal Energy Systems Guidelines. Corix also requested approval of amended levelized rates;

C.      The following parties registered as interveners in this proceeding:

•         British Columbia Sustainable Energy Association and Sierra Club of BC (BCSEA)

•         British Columbia Old Age Pensioners’ Organization, Active Support Against Poverty, Disability Alliance BC, Council of Senior Citizens’ Organizations of BC and the Tenant Resource and Advisory Centre (BCOAPO)

•         Creative Energy Vancouver Platforms Inc.

•         Origin Strata Council

•         Strata Plan EPS1458

D.      On October 23, 2015, by Order G-173-15, the Commission proposed that a Streamlined Review Process (SRP) was suitable for the review of the Application, requested comments from interveners on the appropriateness of an SRP, and established a preliminary regulatory timetable including one round of information requests;

E.       BCSEA and BCOAPO submitted initial Participant Assistance/Cost Award (PACA) budgets on November 6, 2015. No other interveners submitted PACA budgets;

F.       The Application was reviewed through one round of Commission and intervener information requests and an SRP;

G.     BCSEA submitted its application for PACA funding to the Commission on January 5, 2016, and BCOAPO submitted its application for PACA funding on January 14, 2016. No other interveners submitted applications for PACA funding;

H.      On January 20, 2016, Corix provided its comments on BCSEA’s and BCOAPO’s PACA applications stating it “has reviewed the applications and considers the requests to be reasonable”; and

I.        The Commission reviewed the PACA applications with regard to the criteria set out in the PACA Guidelines appended to Commission Order G-72-07, as well as comments from Corix, and considers that the PACA awards are warranted.

NOW THEREFORE pursuant to section 118(1) of the Utilities Commission Act, the Commission orders as follows:

1.       Participant Assistance/Cost Award funding is approved for the following interveners in the amounts shown below for their participation in the Corix Multi-Utility Services Inc. Application for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity for Additional Capital and Amended Rates for UniverCity Neighbourhood Utility Service on Burnaby Mountain.

2.       Corix Multi-Utility Services Inc. is directed to reimburse the above participants in a timely manner for the respective amounts that have been awarded.

DATED at the City of Vancouver, in the Province of British Columbia, this        29^th      day of February 2016.

BY ORDER

Original signed by:

R. D. Revel

Panel Chair/Commissioner