Recently announced enhancements to the Ontario Electricity Support Program (OESP) is welcome news to Tina Jackson, executive director of Highlands East’s Central Food Network (CFN), though she believes the County’s lowest income residents require further support.
The Ontario Energy Board announced effective March 1 income eligibility thresholds will increase by up to 35 per cent, making the program accessible to thousands more households.
The OESP provides a monthly hydro credit for eligible customers based on household income and size. Credits are applied directly to customers’ monthly bills once an application is approved, Jackson said.
“I don’t want in any way to not celebrate this, because it is an enhancement, but I think more help is needed,” she told The Highlander. “People are being hit on all sides in terms of increased cost of living, not simply just increases in their hydro bill.”
Under the new criteria, single people with an after-tax income of up to $38,000, and couples with an after-tax income of up to $54,000, will qualify. Credits range from $35 to $75 per month. Higher credits are provided to customers who use certain medical devices, those who heat their home with electricity, or are Indigenous or living with Indigenous family members.
Jackson said CFN has processed 540 applications, unlocking close to $350,000 in hydro credits for local households since OESP launched in 2016.
“It is application-based, so people have to know about it, they have to apply for the money to get it. The same is true for the increase,” Jackson said, saying those already enrolled will need to reapply. Local staff can assist with any application, she said, noting Heat Bank Haliburton – a CFN program – is an OEB-authorized intake agency.
Thresholds for the Low-Income Energy Assistance Program (LEAP) will match the new OESP levels. Jackson said LEAP provides emergency financial help to households in hydro-related arrears. Effective March 1, LEAP grants for households who heat their home using electricity will increase to $780, from $600, with those who use other methods jumping to $650, from $500.
Bigger picture ‘bleak’
Jackson said CFN has seen increased demand across all programs over the past year. In 2023, food banks the organization has in Cardiff and Wilberforce saw a monthly average of 217 unique visitors – a 37 per cent increase from 2021.
“I feel like I say this every year, but we are now serving the greatest number of people we have ever served. I don’t see that changing any time soon,” Jackson said.
CFN has been able to meet this increased demand by developing connections with other food banks across the province. Whenever some of these other facilities, often located in larger urban areas, has too much, they connect with CFN who then arranges to pick up and transport the food to the Highlands.
It’s a similar story for the heat bank. Typically, CFN serves around 120 households each year, but from April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023 they served 156 households – a 27 per cent increase. Jackson said that number would likely have been up again if not for this winter’s mild weather.
Jackson said the situation isn’t likely to change until Ontario beefs up other social assistance programs such as Ontario Works (OW) and the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP). The base monthly rate for those on OW is $733 a month, with ODSP paying $1,308 – only $556 of which can be applied to shelter/accommodation costs.
“It would be next to impossible to find an apartment in Haliburton while also putting food on the table, paying for transportation and utilities – it just doesn’t add up, which is why so many are struggling,” Jackson said.
Those on ODSP are further restricted by what Jackson called outdated rules preventing them, or anyone else, living in their household, from topping up a collective income with other revenue streams.
“It’s all income tested, so if you or anyone else you live with is in receipt of other income, your benefits are reduced. Even if somebody was getting money from the Canada Pension Plan, that is deducted dollar for dollar off their ODSP cheque,” Jackson said. “So, really, if you rely on ODSP you are basically forced to live in poverty.”
For more information, visit centralfoodnetwork.org or call 705-306-0565.
