Tag: Fleecing

Death to Free Taxes: IRS Officially Ends Its Direct File Tax Filing Software | CNET

mdbincbi

Rumors of the demise of the free IRS tax filing software Direct File have been circulating since Tax Day 2025. On Monday, the IRS officially ended the program, at least for 2026. In a letter to 25 states that supported the free filing program, the agency said, “IRS Direct File will not be available in Filing Season 2026,” and “no launch date has been set for the future,” per Nextgov. The IRS did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Read full story here: Death to Free Taxes: IRS…

Read More

Federal budget offers measures to cut telecom costs, citing lack of competition | CTV News

mdbincbi

OTTAWA — The federal government says it plans to take measures aimed at increasing competition in Canada’s telecommunications sector and lowering consumers’ cellphone and internet costs. Ottawa outlined parts of that strategy in the budget Tuesday, including a new “dig once” policy that would encourage companies to co-ordinate when installing fibre optic lines. It also says it will reduce regulatory hurdles when deploying telecom infrastructure across the country, including by consulting on a streamlined tower-siting process later this year. Read full story here: Federal budget offers measures to cut telecom…

Read More

Nova Scotia Power customers to get refund, but likely only a couple bucks apiece | CBC News

mdbincbi

The Nova Scotia Energy Board has ordered Nova Scotia Power to refund more than a million dollars because of a costly shutdown at a coal-powered plant that critics say was avoidable. But before anyone gets dollar signs in their eyes, know that the refund will likely amount to just two or three dollars per customer. The board ordered the refund following an audit of energy costs Nova Scotia Power downloaded to customers in parts of 2022 and 2023. It acted on the recommendation of the consumer advocate, who reviewed the…

Read More

Nova Scotia Power proposes single-digit rate hikes for next 2 years | CBC News

mdbincbi

Nova Scotia Power says it will apply later this month to raise rates in 2026 and 2027 to help pay for $1.3 billion in maintenance and improvements to the electricity grid, while continuing to hit the publicly traded company’s target profit margin. The average rate increase for all customers would be 2.1 per cent for each of the next two years, with the residential rate going up about 4.1 per cent each year. The rate hikes would take effect on Jan. 1 of each year. Read full story here: Nova…

Read More

What’s going on with Nova Scotia Power’s billing in wake of ransomware attack | CBC News

mdbincbi

Nova Scotia Power is sending workers out to manually check power meters at homes to ensure accurate billing, as some customers complain of receiving higher than expected bills. It’s the latest development since a ransomware attack breached the company’s computer systems on March 19 and brought some of its systems to a halt. More than half of the utility’s customers in Nova Scotia — about 280,000 — were informed by letter that their personal information may have been compromised. Read full story here: What’s going on with Nova Scotia Power’s…

Read More

Nova Scotia Power to challenge $10M penalty at public hearing | CBC News

mdbincbi

Two years after the Nova Scotia government slapped Nova Scotia Power with a $10-million fine for failing to meet renewable energy targets, the utility is poised to argue in a public hearing that it shouldn’t have to pay. Lawyers for Nova Scotia Power will appear before the Nova Scotia Energy Board this week in a hearing that’s expected to last several days. They’ll try to convince the board that the utility should not be punished for missing the legislated target because it did all it could to meet it. Read…

Read More

Nova Scotia Power resumes billing customers after ransomware attack | CBC News

mdbincbi

Nova Scotia Power has resumed billing customers after a ransomware attack brought some of the utility’s systems to a halt in April. The company has reopened MyAccount, the online system customers use to view and pay their bills. However, the power usage noted on the bills will be estimated until Nova Scotia Power is fully able to restore its systems. The utility says meters are still accurately recording power use, but the company is not able to retrieve the information from meters and apply it to bills. Read full story…

Read More

‘It’s not justified’: More complaints from Nova Scotia Power customers on bill spikes | Global News

mdbincbi

A growing number of Nova Scotians are experiencing power bills that they say have suddenly doubled or tripled, raising calls for Nova Scotia Power to be investigated. The Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board said they’re looking into some complaints but that investigation is on hold as New Brunswick Power is being audited for similar concerns. After a Global News story last week on the issue, dozens of Nova Scotia Power customers have reached out to share their complaints. Read full story here: ‘It’s not justified’: More complaints from Nova…

Read More

Nova Scotia Power gets green light to raise power rates 2.4% | CBC News

mdbincbi

The Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board has given Nova Scotia Power the go-ahead to raise power rates an average of 2.4 per cent. The money collected through higher rates will cover the first instalment of paying down a $500-million federally backed loan. The electric utility applied for the rate increase last fall after securing a long-sought federal bailout. Nova Scotia Power has said it needed the money to balance unrecovered fuel costs that it had been shouldering as part of the fallout from delays to the Muskrat Falls hydroelectric…

Read More

Growing calls for big grocers to be held accountable for overcharging customers by selling underweighted meat | CBC News

mdbincbi

After Deborah Eakins read the recent CBC News investigation about Loblaw, Sobeys and Walmart grocery stores overcharging customers by selling underweighted meat, she weighed her ground beef. To her surprise, the meat, bought at Sobeys-owned Pete’s Frootique in the Halifax area, appeared to have been weighed with the hard plastic packaging. CBC News purchased three packages of ground beef from the same store and got the same results. The calculated overcharge was $1.23 — six per cent on the $21.29 bill. Read full story here: Growing calls for big grocers…

Read More