Hydro-Québec seeks approval to charge customers for paper bills

The public utility says a $1.40 fee would help curb rising postal costs and push more customers toward online billing. Hydro-Québec's head office in Montreal, Thursday, November 14, 2024. (The Canadian Press/Graham Hughes) (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press)

Some Hydro-Québec customers may have to start paying to receive a paper bill in the mail in the new year.

The Crown corporation has asked the the energy board (Régie de l’énergie) to authorize a $1.40 fee for each paper bill it sends by mail, saying the charge would encourage more customers to switch to online billing.

In an email, Hydro-Québec said the measure would save the public utility about $12 million and ultimately create “downward pressure on rates.”

In its request, the utility noted that from 2016 to 2024 the share of customers using online billing has steadily increased and now stands at about 70 per cent.

“On Jan. 13, 2025, Canada Post increased its postage rates by about 25 per cent because of the rising cost of mail delivery services.”

“As a result, for 2025, the Distributor (Hydro-Québec) estimates postal costs will reach nearly $21 million — an increase of more than $4 million compared with 2024 — despite a record-high adoption rate for Internet Billing and a record-low number of mailed statements.”

The Crown corporation said customers who do not have access to home internet or mobile data and customers aged 75 and over will be exempt from the fee. No proof will be required for the exemption.

“We propose a user-pay approach to ensure fairness for customers who have chosen the online bill,” Hydro-Québec said by email.

But Ruth Pelletier, founder of Seniors Action Quebec, said Hydro-Québec will only place an additional burden on seniors and low-income families, noting many seniors live on fixed incomes.

“As far as I’m concerned, it’s downright discriminatory. It’s picking an element of society that you know is at a disadvantage to a certain degree, and it’s just not right,” Pelletier said in an interview.

If approved, the public utility plans a six-month grace period to allow customers to switch to online billing. Those who continue to receive a paper bill would automatically be charged the fee as of October 2026.

The board is slated to make its final decision in March.