“Young families and seniors in my riding saw their Enbridge bills double last year. That volatility wreaks havoc on household budgets and pushes those on fixed incomes to the brink.” – St. Cathraines NDP MPP Jennie Stevens
A News Release from the Constituency Office of St. Catharines NDP MPP Jennie Stevens
Posted October 23rd, 2024 on Niagara At Large
St. Catharines NDP MPP Jennie Stevens
QUEEN’S PARK – Official Opposition NDP MPP Jennie Stevens (St. Catharines) introduced legislation this October 23rd, 2024 that would help families and seniors keep the cost of home heating low in an affordability crisis.
“Across Ontario, seniors and young families are grappling with rising home heating costs”, said Stevens. “No one should be forced to choose between heating their home and putting food on the table, especially seniors already on a fixed income.”
The Affordable Home Heating Act would establish a Heating Support Program that would offer on-bill relief for eligible households who heat with natural gas, similar to the Ontario Electricity Support Program (OESP).
“Young families and seniors in my riding saw their Enbridge bills double last year,” said Stevens. “That volatility wreaks havoc on household budgets and pushes those on fixed incomes to the brink. We have a cost-of-living crisis on our hands, and people are already struggling. We need to do everything we can to support them.”
This legislation puts into place recommendations from the Low-Income Energy Network, (https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/low-income-support-energy-bills-1.6790042) which addressed the critical need for inclusive on-bill support programs in their 2023 report, a Pathway Out of Energy Poverty (https://www.lowincomeenergy.ca/pathway-out-of-energy-poverty-in-northern-ontario-an-assessment-in-northern-ontario-and-recommendations-on-next-steps/) .
“I’m calling on the Ford government to immediately pass this solution to ease the burden on seniors and families across Ontario,” said Stevens. “It’s the right thing to do.”
The Affordable Home Heating Act is co-sponsored by NDP MPPs Tom Rakocevic (Humber River – Black Creek), Guy Bourgouin (Mushkegowuk – James Bay), and Official Opposition Energy critic, Peter Tabuns (Toronto – Danforth).
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