Hydro, bus fare, carbon tax: What's going to cost more in 2015
Increase in some provincial and federal social benefits will offer some reprieve from hikes in new year
As of Jan. 1, various goods and services will cost Quebecers just a little more.
STM monthly pass
As of Jan. 1, 2015 the monthly OPUS card will cost STM users $2.50 more per month.
- Regular fare: $82
- Reduced fare: $49.25
Single fares will go up 25 cents on both regular and reduced fares.
AMT monthly pass
For commuter train users, prices will jump by between $2.50 and $7 per month, depending on the zone.
Licence and registration
The SAAQ announced this fall that it planned to drop the cost of drivers’ licences and car registration in 2016 by 35 per cent.
But before there will be a decrease, there will be an increase.
- Driver’s licence will cost $91.46, up by $1.35.
- Car registration will go up $3.12, to $323.58 on the island of Montreal and $278.58 elsewhere in the province.
Gas prices
Although predicting the cost of gas may be an exercise in futility, prices at the pump should remain relatively stable at between $1 and $1.15 per litre, according to HEC’s chair in energy sector management Pierre-Olivier Pineau.
However, the new carbon market system means gas distributors will have to buy credits for the gas they sell. They’ve decided to pass the cost on to consumers, meaning motorists can expect to pay an additional two or three cents per litre of gas.
Government pension plan
For the second year in a row, a 0.15 per cent increase on Quebec pension plan contributions will come into effect on the first day of the new year. That makes for about $70 on a $50,000 salary.
Employers and employees will split the cost.
Canada Post
Sending a package by mail? It’ll cost you 4.2 per cent more in 2015. As of Jan. 12, Canada Post’s parcel delivery service prices will go up.
Hydro-Québec’s requested hike
The province’s hydroelectric utility is asking the Quebec’s energy board for a 3.9 per cent increase on electricity costs in the new year. If the board accepts, that means the resident of an average-sized home will pay $24 more a year. For those with big homes, it means a raise of $114.
Good news in 2015
The federal government’s new universal child care benefit will mean up to an additional $720 per family.
Child support
In Quebec, child support payments will rise between $2 and $25 a year.
Social support
The maximum annual increase for Quebec pension payments, as well as death and disability benefits, will rise between $192 and $324.