Canadian Combined Budgets
Canada’s budgets increased by 32 percent to $768 million USD since 2007, the first year of data collection.3 Combined budgets showed particularly dramatic growth in low income budgets, which nearly doubled, and load management budgets, which increased by 92 percent. Residential and commercial and industrial budgets grew by 29 and 26 percent, respectively.
The rate of growth was nearly identical for the two fuel types. From less than 4 percent in 2007, Canadian low income budgets have grown to nearly 6 percent of gas and electric sector budgets, calculated excluding load management programs. By comparison, in 2008 low income budgets represented 13 percent of gas and electric sector budgets in the U.S.
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3 This report uses the September 2, 2008 Bank of Canada exchange rate of CAD$1=USD$0.93 throughout. Calculated in Canadian dollars, this budget increase would be higher.
