Hunger report: Ontario's poor families struggle with hydro - Action News
Home WebMail Monday, November 11, 2024, 05:49 AM | Calgary | -1.6°C | Regions Advertise Login | Our platform is in maintenance mode. Some URLs may not be available. |
Windsor

Hunger report: Ontario's poor families struggle with hydro

The Ontario Association of Food Banks says high electricity bills are having a "devastating impact" on the lives of low-income families around the province, according to a report released Monday.
Ontario Association of Food Banks, on Monday, released its annual Hunger Report, which shows hydro rates in the province continue to be a financial hit to low-income families. (CBC)

Ontario food banks want the provincial government to raise social assistance rates to help impoverished families with overwhelmingly high electricity bills.

The Ontario Association of Food Banks says high hydro rates are having a "devastating impact" on the lives of low-income families around the province, according to the group's annual Hunger Reportreleased Monday.

An estimated60,000 homes were disconnected from hydro last yearbecause people fell behind on paying their bills, explainedCarolyn Stewart from the food banks association.

"When you're receiving higher hydro bills [than your monthly income]...it just becomes virtually impossible for people to make ends meet," she said. "Anything that's putting Ontario's vulnerable citizens more at risk is of concern for us."

Many food banks around the province have stepped in to offer their own hydro payment plans to clients.