A tenants’ rights group is demanding action on rising electricity rates and energy poverty.
New Brunswick ACORN held rallies in Moncton and Fredericton over the noon hour on Tuesday.
The rallies were held the same day that NB Power’s latest 9.7 per cent rate hike went into effect.
“We cannot afford the energy. We cannot afford the hikes,” Nichola Taylor, chair of NB ACORN, said in an interview.
This is the second substantial increase that NB Power customers have seen in the past year.
A similar 9.7 per cent increase for residential customers went into effect on April 1, 2024.
“People are afraid because, as we all know, everything’s gone up in the last few years, including rents,” said Taylor.
“People who are on low to moderate incomes, they’re having to make very tough choices … do I put food on the table or do I pay for my heat and lights?”
Figures from Efficiency Canada show that New Brunswick has one of the highest energy poverty rates in Canada.
Just over one-in-four households spend six per cent or more of their household income on energy, according to the group.
“This is just going to push a lot more people into that percentage, sadly,” Taylor said of NB Power’s latest rate hike.
With the province set to launch a review of NB Power, the advocacy group said privatizing the Crown corporation should not be on the table.
“It should remain under the government control. However, the whole top management needs to be reorganized because there’s a lot of mismanagement going on there,” added Taylor.
NB ACORN is also calling for “real investment” in renewable energy, energy rebates and protections for low-income ratepayers.
