Market prices for coal, oil and natural gas have fallen nearly 50% in the last two years, prompting a decline in electricity rates across North America, except in Nova Scotia where electricity rates continue to rise and we continue to pay among the highest rates on the continent. Allowing electricity rates in Nova Scotia to rise one more time, before freezing them for three years, runs counter to market trends, send the wrong economic signals and hinders economic recovery. Higher electricity rates do not benefit Nova Scotia consumers. Nova Scotia needs market competition that will prompt suppliers to improve productivity, attract and sustain new businesses in the province and create the right environmental incentives to reduce consumption.