ATAMANENKO: Home heating costs: make or break
By Alex Atamanenko
When I think of winter coming, I imagine cosy weekends filled with children’s laughter and hot chocolate shared in the warm glow of a living room. But for too many people here in the BC Southern Interior, that first snowfall may feel a little more ominous. For some of our friends and neighbours—maybe even your family—staying warm this winter could mean skipping bill payments, skipping lunches or pulling the kids out of hockey.
Our prime minister is badly out of touch if he thinks soaring bank profits mean the recession is over. Many families are still weathering this crisis and living paycheque-to-paycheque. Too many have lost their jobs – mills have closed under slashing Conservative policies. Many others are worried about their jobs, their savings, their unpaid bills, and next spring’s college tuition. Now, with home heating prices already rising, that first cold snap will make life even less affordable.
As an interim measure, the federal NDP is proposing that the federal government take the 5% federal portion of the HST off home heating fuel. As part of a permanent long-term strategy, we ask the federal government to restore the EcoEnergy Retrofit program to cut utility bills by making homes more energy efficient. The idea here is to make a commitment to work on a permanent energy efficient strategy while immediately giving home owners, especially those on fixed incomes, a break.
NDP Leader, Jack Layton is calling on the prime minister to implement this plan now, before furnaces start running overtime this winter. Getting this done will cost one third of what Stephen Harper plans to hand oil companies next year in subsidies. Instead of rewarding those big polluters who gouge you on your heating bill, Mr. Harper could join with New Democrats to redirect those funds to help families like yours.
After all, this is the prime minister who promised to make your life more affordable! But four years later, life is more expensive than ever: payroll EI tax contributions are increasing and the 7% HST hike is adding to the cost of many goods and services such as restaurant meals and haircuts. Pensions are not increasing and many unemployed workers are ineligible to collect EI. At the same time, the federal government will spend $9-billion on prisons we don’t need, $16-billion on untendered fighter jet contracts, and $21-billion on tax cuts for corporations that don’t need the help.
With our home heating plan, we are asking the prime minister to do the right thing and offer Canadians some help now.
Will this plan end the affordability crisis? No. But it’s a start, and with winter coming, we could begin now. Our home heating plan is an achievable solution to a basic problem shared by millions of Canadians. It is not perfect and is only a short term answer, but it is possible to implement.
This is rural BC and it can get cold. Heating our homes shouldn’t be the nudge that pushes families over the edge. Let’s do something about it now before it’s too late.
Join the campaign for a break on home heating costs.
Alex Atamanenko is the MP for the BC Southern Interior.
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