News Clippings Courtesy of CBC.CA
Since the month of February, people with disabilities are being represented as a unified group by New Brunswick Coalition of Persons with Disabilities’ Chair, Shelley Petit at the EUB (Energy & Utilities Board) hearings that will determine whether N.B. Power should be allowed to raise its electricity rates by nearly 20 per cent over two years.
NBCPD represents all who have a disability in NB, regardless of the type of disability – visible or non-visible. This counts for 35.3% (Stats Can 2023) of the population of the province, a number that simply cannot be ignored! Shelley points out in an article from CBC: “I know that for my members, that $25 is going to mean disconnect. They can’t afford their power bills now. They’re going without food. They’re going without medications”.
Shelley has been sitting-in at hearings, speaking up for people with disabilities who are low income. Also defending the rights of low-income individuals at the hearings is Randy Hatfield, Executive Director of Human Development Council Saint John, who wants New Brunswick to create a low-income energy rebate program similar to those found in (some) other provinces. According to the Council’s research, 36.3% New Brunswickers are considered “energy poor” – which means they pay more than 6% of their incomes towards heating and lighting.
Featured Articles
N.B. Power proposal to end urban, rural rates would add 15% to service charge for some
N.B. Power seeking to split 19.4% rate increase evenly over 2 years
Low-income electricity customers in N.B. made to compete with others for help | CBC News
Énergie NB critiquée pour son manque d’aide envers ses clients à faible revenu | Radio-Canada
Power for people with disabilities should be a priority during outages, advocates say | CBC News