IRC Establishes Consumer Relations Committee

Dominica’s regulator of the electricity sector has established a Consumer Relations Committee (CRC), as it seeks to expand its community outreach.

The ten-member CRC is meant to be the Independent Regulatory Commission’s (IRC) direct link to electricity consumers. The CRC will fulfill some key objectives that include identifying issues within communities concerning the electricity supply and service and providing recommendations to the IRC on changes to policies that would benefit the consumer based on consumer feedback.

The IRC believes that an effective consumer body will address consumers’ needs and concerns and provide a useful resource in the conduct of its duties.

Each of the individuals selected by the Commission represents a parish across the island. They met at an Orientation Meeting on October 11, 2022, where they were introduced to IRC’s staff. An election to appoint members to leadership roles took place at a subsequent meeting, on Monday, October 24, 2022.

The CRC members are:

• Vernon O’Brien – Chairperson (St. Mark)
• Dorothy Durand – Vice Chairperson (St. George)
• Jillian La Rocque – Secretary (St. Peter)
• Judy Lawrence-Larocque – Assistant Secretary (St. John)
• Jerome Bardouille (St. Luke)
• Bertrand Telemacque (St. Andrew)
• Calma Louis (St. Joseph)
• Philmon Mathew (St. Paul)
• Marian Jno Finn (St. David)
• Vanya Eloi (St. Patrick)

These members bring varying professional experiences to the Committee in information technology, environmental health, real estate, human resource management, social media strategy, education, accounting, and fire and electrical safety.

The IRC has sought the cooperation of local government organizations in supporting the members’ outreach activities within their relevant communities.

Further, the IRC is hopeful that the Committee will help increase the reach of its messages during the review of electricity rates for Dominica Electricity Services (DOMLEC) Ltd.