Alberta homeowner questions unexpected, shockingly high power bills after deferring payments The program’s intention was to provide relief to those hardest hit by the pandemic while having a minimal impact on utility bills for consumers as a whole.“The initial economic shock of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in many Albertans being unable to pay their electricity bills and natural gas bills,” said Associate Minister of Natural Gas and Electricity Dale Nally in a news release Friday.“This is why Alberta’s government created the Utility Payment Deferral Program, which successfully supported hundreds of thousands of Albertans.