Premier calls for official investigation into Nova Scotia Power’s billing system

Premier Tim Houston is calling for a formal investigation into Nova Scotia Power’s billing system.

Premier Tim Houston, after saying he was considering fining Nova Scotia Power over its handling of the cyberattack last spring, is calling for an official investigation into the utility’s billing system.

Last week, Chris Lanteigne, director of customer care for Nova Scotia Power, said the utility lost its ability to “talk to the meters” at customers’ homes following the cyberbreach, resulting in estimations for roughly 25 per cent of bills.

Many customers have complained about higher-than-expected bills in recent months and Nova Scotia Power CEO Peter Gregg apologized for the overestimations at a government committee.

“I want to acknowledge and apologize for the concern and disruption this has caused,” said Gregg. “My promise to you is that if we have overestimated your bill, we will fix it. If you have overpaid, we will fix it. And if we make a mistake, we will fix it.”

In a letter, Houston called on the Nova Scotia Energy Board — which is already investigating the cyberattack — to launch a formal investigation into the utility’s billing methodology, its consumer protections, potential penalties and possible financial relief to affected customers.

“Customers should not be paying for NSP’s failures,” Houston said in the letter. “The cyberattack was not the fault of Nova Scotians, yet they are bearing the financial consequences of NSP’s operational shortcomings.

“Inadequate does not begin to describe the level of transparency that NSP has shown its customers. Between the time the cyberattack happened and informing customers, to how estimates are calculated and when corrections occur, transparency has been an afterthought.”

Houston asked the Energy Board to provide a public update on the scope and timeline of its investigation.

“This is an incredibly serious issue,” he said. “It’s not lost on me or the Board that knowingly overbilling would constitute regulatory fraud and misreporting revenue to the markets is a form of securities fraud.

“Utilities must be held to the highest standards because of their monopolies serving vulnerable populations.”

On Wednesday, NDP Leader Claudia Chender called on Houston to launch a full review of Nova Scotia Power.

“All of us have to heat our homes and keep the lights on. Nova Scotia Power is the only option for most Nova Scotians. It’s crucial that the government makes this utility work for people,” said Chender in a news release.

Outstanding payments

Along with bill estimations, Nova Scotia Power has reported the cyberattack has affected its ability to send timely payments on invoices to multiple vendors and suppliers. The Energy Board has ordered them to settle these outstanding dues as soon as possible.

The utility said it expects all dues to be paid by the end of the year.

“The Board will also refer this matter to MNP to further investigate causes of the NS Power’s financial technology data compromise and assess its data handling practices,” a letter from the Energy Board reads.

Cyberattack history

Nova Scotia Power said it first found issues with its system on April 25. It later learned a “threat actor” had gained unauthorized access to parts of its network on or around March 19.

The utility informed customers about the breach in early May.

The stolen information — some of which was published on the dark web — included customers’ social insurance numbers, birth dates and bank account information. Nova Scotia Power offered a free, five-year credit monitoring service for impacted customers.

Last week, Gregg said all social insurance numbers will be removed from their systems by March 31 at the latest.

The utility initially reported roughly 277,000 customers were impacted by the cyberattack, but a September report revealed all customers may have been affected.

In a separate report, the utility said it expects to fully recover from the cyberbreach by early 2026.

Separate from the Energy Board, the Privacy Commissioner of Canada has launched an investigation into the cyberattack.

With files from CTV News Atlantic’s Natalie Lombard and Andrea Jerrett

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