This Sunday’s (Nov. 15) Heat Bank dinner and auction at Bonnie View is again sold out, with Central Food Network’s Tina Jackson saying the Highlands is in a “crisis” when it comes to energy poverty.
The event is at the Lake Kashagawigamog resort for a second year, after moving from Rhubarb in Carnarvon.
Jackson said they limit the number of tickets to 100, which makes the event “special” and “quite intimate.”
She added, “there is just something about the coming together of really kind-hearted individuals and businesses. It’s really magical. This is a special time of the year where I just feel the love of our community. It’s just so incredible knowing that it’s not just our clients who are struggling or experiencing increased costs. We are all seeing how much more expensive things such as food and fuel are, and yet, local businesses and artists are still contributing. It speaks to how incredible we are as a community, and just how generous Haliburton County folks are.”
Jackson said Heat Bank saw a “massive” increase in demand last year.
“Like almost double the amount of calls over 2024. Up until the end of July 2024, generally speaking, we were receiving about 220 calls annually and then in 2025, we were at 413.” She added they are seeing a 19 per cent increase year-over-year right now from people needing help with heating.
“I cannot emphasize [enough] that we’re in a crisis. This is so indicative of how much people are struggling locally and that what people have to live on isn’t enough.”
She said their clients living on social assistance alone are having to make difficult decisions. “They are not just juggling ‘are we going to be able to do activities this week, maybe we should cut back on eating out’ it’s quite literally heat or hydro or food, and in some cases, it’s only one of the three.”
She said they are getting calls from people who are working full-time, “but when your income isn’t increasing at the same rate as the cost of food, transportation, everything, what do you do?”
Asked during an interview on Tuesday (Nov. 10) about calls so far that day, Jackson said staff travelled to a potential client who reached out about a hydro application; there was an energy assistance referral, regarding a free program for energy efficiency upgrades; trying to coordinate firewood; and a call about fuel oil.
She said the dinner is important.
“We have already exhausted our annual budget for client assistance [for the entire organization]. It’s gone. We used that by September.”
