ORDER NUMBER
G-92-25
IN THE MATTER OF
the Utilities Commission Act, RSBC 1996, Chapter 473
and
Golden Key Resort Ltd.
Exemption under Section 88(3) of the UCA
BEFORE:
M. Jaccard, Panel Chair
A. C. Dennier, Commissioner
on April 7, 2025
ORDER
WHEREAS:
A. On September 15, 2024, Golden Key Resort Ltd. (GKR), filed an application (Application) with the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) pursuant to section 88(3) of the Utilities Commission Act (UCA) seeking approval for exemption from section 71 and Part 3 of the UCA, except sections 38 and 42, in respect of the resale of electricity to customers of the Cottonwood Meadows Recreational Vehicle Park (the Park) located in Chilliwack, British Columbia;
B. Under the UCA, a public utility is defined in section 1, in part, as:
… a person, or the person’s lessee, trustee, receiver or liquidator, who owns or operates in British Columbia, equipment or facilities for (a) the production, generation, storage, transmission, sale, delivery or provision of electricity, natural gas, steam or any other agent for the production of light, heat, cold or power to or for the public or a corporation for compensation…;
C. In the Application, GKR states that it provides services, including electricity, to customer vehicles at the Park. Electrical equipment, including underground cables and meters, has been installed at the Park to facilitate this service offering;
D. GKR falls within the definition of a “public utility” under the UCA as a result of undertaking the resale of metered electricity to certain customers at the Park;
E. By Order G-276-24 dated October 30, 2024, the BCUC established a written comment process and regulatory timetable for review of the Application, which included public notice of the Application and a letter of comment submission period;
F. Section 88(3) of the UCA provides that the BCUC may grant an exemption from the UCA with the advance approval of the minister responsible for the administration of the Hydro and Power Authority Act;
G. By letter dated April 3, 2025, attached as Appendix A to this order, the Minister responsible for the administration of the Hydro and Power Authority Act granted advance approval to the BCUC to exempt GKR and its customers from section 71 and GKR from Part 3 of the UCA, except for sections 25, 38, 42 and 43; and
H. The BCUC has reviewed the Application and determines that the grant of a partial exemption to GKR from the operation of the UCA is warranted.
NOW THEREFORE the BCUC orders as follows:
1. Pursuant to section 88(3) of the UCA, the BCUC, having been granted advance approval by the Minister responsible for the administration of the Hydro and Power Authority Act, exempts GKR and its customers from the requirements of section 71 of the UCA and GKR from Part 3 of the UCA, except sections 25, 38, 42 and 43, with respect to the resale of electricity to customers at the Park.
2. The exemptions referred to in Directive 1 of this order remain in effect until the BCUC orders that the exemptions no longer apply.
DATED at the City of Vancouver, in the Province of British Columbia, this 7th day of April 2025.
BY ORDER
Electronically signed by Mark Jaccard
M. Jaccard
Commissioner