Energy poverty in Ontario — Mel and John’s story

Melanie (Mel) and her husband, John, live with their two preschool children in a 3 bedroom bungalow just south of Owen Sound.  Mel and John both work full-time while her mother cares for their children.

“Day care is totally out of the question,” she says.  “We have to save every extra penny for our hydro bills.”

They haven’t been disconnected yet, but regularly receive disconnect notices.  “We just eat a lot of eggs or canned soup for a week, so that we can get that bill paid.”

The one thing Mel and John argue the most about is electricity and trying to find more ways to cut their usage.  They have electric heat which is turned almost completely off during the day.

At night, the heat in the rest of the house is turned all the way down and they use a kerosene heater for warmth in the bedroom.  Mel worries about…