A P.E.I. legislature committee is suggesting people need legal help when appearing before the Island's regulatory agency in opposition to large corporations.

The committee on community affairs and economic development was looking at how the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission oversees energy costs and rent increases. Several recommendations came out of the discussions. Committee chair Robbie Henderson, MLA for O'Leary-Inverness, said one recommendation is the hiring of someone to provide advice to Islanders dealing with IRAC.

"In a number of cases when issues had come to IRAC by general citizens, they were up against large corporate lawyers on the other side," said Henderson.

"They may have difficulty in advocating for themselves, so we felt by providing some funding for a public intervener to represent people or to at least advise people when they take on larger corporations, it would just make the playing field a little more level."

Another recommendation is to have unscheduled fuel price-adjustments eliminated. Currently IRAC reviews petroleum product prices, such as heating oil and gasoline, twice a month, but is free to make a price adjustment at any time.

The committee can only recommend changes, and any actual changes would have to go through the legislature first.