durhamregion.com | This Week | Thursday, December 15, 2023 | 2 Preplan Today We offer families all the of modern amenities with timeless values of trust, caring service and commitment to the community Family owned and operated. 110 Dundas Street E.,Whitby 905-668-3410 • wctownfuneralchapel.com eplan T y We offer families all the of modern amenities with for the sake of your loved onesP: 905-430-4300 E: info@whitby.ca whitby.ca What You Need To Know This Week in Whitby Reporting An Issue This Winter This winter, if you notice any snow or icy conditions on roads, sidewalks, or trails after we've been through, tell us about it! Use our new online reporting form to report your concern at any time. Scan the QR code or visit whitby.ca/Snow Holiday Closures As the holiday season, approaches, please note that Town Hall and some facilities, including the Whitby Public Library, will have modified holiday hours over the next few weeks. See what's open and closed and view the waste collection schedule at whitby.ca/News We wish you and your loved ones a happy and safe holiday season. Christmas Tree Collection Christmas trees will be collected in blue collection areas from January 16 to 21 and yellow collection areas from January 23 to 28. Visit whitby.ca/Waste to learn which colour area you are in. Please clean natural Christmas trees of any tinsel, decorations, wire, stands or bags, and cut trees longer than 3 metres (10 feet) in half. The Town unfortunately can't collect trees that are frozen in snow banks. Apply For A Community Grant Community groups do so much good in our Town! To help them continue their important work, we are offering Community Development grants of up to $25,000. Mayor's Fundraiser grant applications are due by December 31, 2022. whitby.ca/CommunityFunds A billing error by Elexicon and Oshawa Power means the utilities are refunding millions of dollars to their customers. Several Ontario electricity utilities overcharged customers due to a billing system error where a daily charge was calculated on the basis that every month of the year had 30 days -- so 360 days in the year -- but the charge was levied all 365 days of the year. When one electricity utility discovered the error, the Ontario Electricity Board issued a letter asking all other utilities to check if their billing systems were making the same error. Utilities across Ontario that had overcharged in error then issued assurances of voluntary compliance detailing how much they were refunding to customers. Elexicon is refunding nearly $2.7 million to more than 200,000 customers. Residential customers who were overcharged in 2021 in the Veridian rate zone will receive an $18.79 refund, while residents in the Whitby rate zone will receive $4.46. Commercial and industrial customers will also receive refunds based on their usage category. Meanwhile, Oshawa Power will refund just over $1 million with residential customers receiving $16.26. The credit will be applied to customers' bills in a lump sum within 90 days. Elexicon was assessed a $7,500 administrative penalty for the error by the Ontario Energy Board, while Oshawa Power received a $10,000 penalty. ELEXICON AND OSHAWA POWER CUSTOMERS TO GET A REFUND FOR OVERBILLING REKA SZEKELY rszekely@ durhamregion.com Elexicon is issuing a refund of up to $19 to residential customers due to a billing system error. @elexicon/Twitter photo NEWS