ORDER NUMBER

F-7-26

 

IN THE MATTER OF

the Utilities Commission Act, RSBC 1996, Chapter 473

 

and

 

FortisBC Inc.

2025 and 2026 Annual Review of Rates

Participant Cost Award Application

 

BEFORE:

M. Jaccard, Panel Chair

T. A. Loski, Commissioner

 

on February 26, 2026

 

ORDER

WHEREAS:

 

A.      On March 18, 2025, the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) issued Order G-69-25 for FortisBC Energy Inc. and Order G-70-25 for FortisBC Inc. (FBC) approving a Rate Setting Framework (Rate Framework) for 2025 through 2027 (Rate Framework Decision). In accordance with the Rate Framework Decision, FBC is to conduct an annual review process to set rates for each year (Annual Review);

B.      By Order G-314-24 dated November 27, 2024, the BCUC approved FBC’s application for an interim general rate increase of 5.65 percent, effective January 1, 2025, on an interim and refundable/recoverable basis;

C.      By Order G-180-25 dated July 22, 2025, the BCUC established the regulatory timetable for the FBC 2025 and 2026 Annual Review of rates, which included FBC filing its application, public notice, intervener registration, one round of information requests, and final and reply arguments;

D.      On July 31, 2025, FBC submitted its application for the 2025 and 2026 Annual Review of Rates (Application), requesting, among other things, approval to make the existing 2025 interim rates as permanent, effective January 1, 2025, and permanent approval of a 3.45 percent general rate increase, effective January 1, 2026;

E.       By letter dated August 18, 2025, the BCUC accepted intervener requests from the following parties:

•         British Columbia Sustainable Energy Association (BCSEA);

•         Industrial Customer Group (ICG);

•         The Commercial Energy Consumers Association of British Columbia (the CEC);

•         Movement of United Professionals (MoveUP);

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

•         Residential Consumer Intervener Association (RCIA).

In the same letter the BCUC required BCOAPO and RCIA to participate as one intervener group and to file all submissions jointly;

F.       On December 9, 2025, by Order G-293-25 with decision, the BCUC issued its final decision on the Application;

G.      The following participants filed Participant Cost Award (PCA) applications with the BCUC with respect to their participation in the proceeding:

H.      By letter dated January 13, 2026, FBC provided its comments on the PCA applications, stating that, if the BCUC is satisfied with the PCA applications, then it has no further comments and takes no position on the PCA applications; and

I.         The BCUC has reviewed the PCA applications in accordance with the criteria and rates set out in the BCUC Rules of Practice and Procedure and makes the following determinations.

NOW THEREFORE pursuant to section 118(1) of the Utilities Commission Act, and for the reasons outlined in the decision accompanying this order, the BCUC orders as follows:

 

1.       Costs are awarded to the following participants in the listed amounts below, inclusive of applicable taxes, for their participation in the FBC 2025 and 2026 Annual Review of Rates proceeding:

2.       FBC is directed to reimburse the above-noted participants for the awarded amounts in a timely manner.

DATED at the City of Vancouver, in the Province of British Columbia, this           26^th           day of February 2026.

 

BY ORDER

 

Electronically signed by Mark Jaccard

 

M. Jaccard

Commissioner

 

FortisBC Inc.

2025 and 2026 Annual Review of Rates

Participant Cost Award Application

 

1.0              Introduction

On March 18, 2025, the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) approved a Rate Setting Framework (Rate Framework) for FortisBC Energy Inc. and FortisBC Inc. (FBC) covering a three-year period from January 1, 2025 to December 31, 2027 (Rate Framework Decision).[1] As per the Rate Framework Decision, an annual review process is required to set rates for each year of the framework (Annual Review).

 

Prior to the issuance of the Rate Framework Decision, the BCUC had approved FBC’s application for a 5.65 percent general rate increase on an interim and refundable/recoverable basis, effective January 1, 2025.[2]

 

On July 22, 2025, the BCUC established the regulatory timetable for the FBC 2025 and 2026 Annual Review of rates, which included FBC filing its application, public notice, intervener registration, one round of information requests (IRs), and final and reply arguments.[3] On July 31, 2025, FBC filed its application for the 2025 and 2026 Annual Review of Rates (Application), requesting, among other things, approval to set the existing approved 2025 interim rates as permanent, effective January 1, 2025, and a permanent general rate increase of 3.45 percent, effective January 1, 2026.

 

The following parties registered as interveners in the proceeding:

•         BC Sustainable Energy Association (BCSEA);

•         British Columbia Old Age Pensioners' Organization, Active Support Against Poverty, Disability Alliance BC, Council of Senior Citizens’ Organizations of BC, and Tenants Resource and Advisory Centre (BCOAPO) and Residential Consumer Intervener Association (RCIA) (collectively, BCOAPO-RCIA);[4]

•         The Commercial Energy Consumers Association of BC (the CEC);

•         Industrial Customers Group (ICG); and

•         Movement of United Professionals (MoveUP).

 

By letter dated August 18, 2025, the BCUC reminded interveners that items approved in the Rate Framework Decision were not to be re-visited as part of the proceeding, either in IRs or arguments, and that the scope of the proceeding is the Application and its contents. To promote regulatory efficiency and to reflect the focused scope of the proceeding, interveners were directed to limit their IRs to a maximum of 20 questions, including sub-questions.[5]

On December 9, 2025, the BCUC issued its final decision on the Application (2025–2026 Annual Review Decision).[6]

 

This decision addresses the Participant Cost Award (PCA) applications received by the BCUC from participants with respect to their participation in the proceeding, as further described in Section 3.0 below.

2.0              Legislative Framework and BCUC Rules of Practice and Procedure

Section 118(1) of the Utilities Commission Act provides that the BCUC may order a participant in a proceeding before the BCUC to pay all or part of the costs of another participant in the proceeding.

 

Part VI of the BCUC Rules of Practice and Procedure (Rules) stipulates the eligibility requirements and criteria used in assessing cost awards, including the process for applying for a cost award and eligible costs. The Rules were updated by Order G-192-25 dated August 7, 2025. For proceedings initiated prior to August 7, 2025, but after June 30, 2022, the rates for professional services set out in Attachment A to the Rules adopted by the BCUC in Order G-296-24 apply. 

 

Rule 41.01 sets out that the BCUC will determine the amount of a cost award, if any, and the criteria that it will consider, so far as is applicable.

3.0              PCA Applications

The following participants filed PCA Applications with respect to their participation in the proceeding:

 

Date (2025)	Participant	Application
November 6 (revised on December 20)	MoveUP	$2,116.80
December 1 (revised on December 29)	ICG	$11,207.00
December 9	The CEC	$18,886.15
December 10	BCSEA	$7,270.38
December 23	RCIA	$11,551.58
December 23 (revised on December 24)	BCOAPO	$19,740.88

 

The following table summarizes the funding hours sought by each participant, by activity, in their respective PCA applications: 

 

Participant	Review and Registration	Information Requests	Arguments and Reply	Other Activities	Total
MoveUP	1.60	1.80	2.00	0.00	5.40
ICG	2.50	16.50	17.00	0.00	36.00
The CEC	6.00	36.70	46.00	3.00	91.70
BCSEA	1.90	13.40	6.10	0.00	21.40
RCIA	3.25	9.25	33.35	0.00	45.85
BCOAPO	8.80	16.20	33.70	2.00	60.70

 

On January 13, 2026, FBC provided its comments on the PCA applications, stating that it has no further comments and takes no position on the PCA applications if the BCUC is satisfied that the participants have met the eligibility requirements, that the time and amounts claimed for participation are reasonable and appropriate in the circumstances, and that the level of participation has met with the BCUC’s criteria and requirements.[7] Participants did not provide any reply comments.

Panel Determination

The Panel has reviewed the PCA applications in accordance with the BCUC Rules. The Panel is satisfied that all participants are eligible for a cost award in accordance with Part VI of the Rules and have contributed to a better understanding of the issues in this proceeding. The Panel awards PCA amounts to MoveUP, BCSEA, RCIA and BCOAPO as applied for. However, the Panel finds that adjustments are warranted to the participant cost awards applied for by the CEC and ICG, as further explained below.

 

The CEC

 

The Panel reduces the PCA amount awarded to the CEC by 20 percent and awards $15,108.92 to the CEC, inclusive of applicable taxes. The Panel finds that the 91.70 hours claimed by the CEC are unreasonably high in light of the focused scope of this proceeding. The Panel notes that the scope of this proceeding was determined to be the Application and its contents, and all participants were limited to a maximum of 20 questions to promote regulatory efficiency. However, the CEC’s hours claimed for IRs, and arguments and reply are 36.70 hours and 46.00 hours, respectively, which the Panel considers excessive in the circumstances.

 

Additionally, the Panel notes that the CEC’s final argument included submissions on certain topics that were beyond the established scope of this proceeding or pertained to matters that had not been previously explored in the proceeding. For example, despite the fact that the mechanism for earnings sharing was determined in the Rate Framework Decision, the CEC submitted its concerns about the increasing trend in FBC’s earnings sharing amounts.[8] The CEC also made submissions on FBC’s Rate Schedule (RS) 96 electric vehicle fast-charging rate, when the RS 96 rate is unrelated to the scope of the proceeding and further, there was no evidence in the proceeding to make a determination on the CEC’s recommendation.[9] In the Panel’s view, such submissions create inefficiencies in the proceeding and result in unnecessary costs.

 

Finally, the Panel observes that the CEC’s final argument excessively restates certain portions of the evidentiary record and FBC’s final argument. The Panel finds this approach to be unnecessary and duplicative, particularly for topics where the CEC did not have any specific issues or concerns, or the topic was otherwise uncontroversial. The Panel encourages the CEC to reassess its approach to final arguments in future proceedings, to avoid repetition and reduce costs.

 

ICG

 

The Panel reduces the PCA awarded to ICG by 15 percent and awards $9,525.95 to ICG, inclusive of applicable taxes. The Panel finds certain submissions in ICG’s final arguments to be outside the scope of this proceeding. For example, ICG opined on FBC’s Customer Satisfaction Index and Reliability Service Quality Indicators (SQIs), but there was no evidence available in the proceeding to re-adjudicate SQIs that were approved in the Rate Framework Decision. ICG also made submissions on the RS 96 rate despite that rate being unrelated to general rate changes. Such submissions created inefficiencies in the proceeding and resulted in unnecessary costs.

 

 

Dated at the City of Vancouver, in the Province of British Columbia, this           26^th           day of February 2026.

 

 

 

 

 

Electronically signed by Mark Jaccard

_________________________________

M. Jaccard

Panel Chair/Commissioner

 

 

 

 

Electronically signed by Tom Loski

_________________________________

T. A. Loski

Commissioner