As many as one in five Canadian households face “energy poverty” due to high energy costs, according to research from McGill University.
More Canadians “potentially suffer” from energy poverty than from food insecurity, with 6 to 19 percent of Canadian households affected, research from McGill University’s geography department has found.
Energy poverty, the inability to “maintain healthy indoor temperatures” year-round is significantly higher in Canada’s rural areas where the population tends to be older, living in larger houses, and facing greater income insecurity, said the research paper, first obtained by Blacklock’s Reporter.
“Earlier research has shown that a cold indoor temperature is associated with an exacerbation of some chronic diseases, so energy poverty is cause for concern,” Canada Research chair in housing, community and health Mylène Riva said in a statement.
“In another study we are conducting in a small town in rural Canada, as many as 8 percent of participants reported having seen their breath inside their homes in winter,” added Ms. Riva, who is an associate professor in McGill’s geography department.
Some small communities are disproportionately impacted, the study found. In one such Nova Scotia town, approximately 40 percent of the population lived in energy poverty, with one in three households having to dip into their grocery budget to pay their utility bills.
The study didn’t name the carbon tax or the country’s Clean Fuel Standard as a cause for high energy costs, but said climate programs have an impact on affordability. The report also referenced a 2023 report published in The Canadian Journal of Public Health.
“As Canada transitions towards cleaner energy and a lower carbon economy it will be important to ensure energy prices remain affordable especially for households in situations of vulnerability,” the report authored by Ms. Riva said.
The study also found programs targeting energy efficiency in the housing sector tend to be more accessible to homeowners rather than renters, creating “social and health inequities” for that segment of the population.
The research paper linked energy poverty to higher levels of physical and mental illness and an increased risk of hospitalization and death.
“To prevent and reduce energy poverty and increase energy security across the country, programs and policies should address the main drivers of energy poverty, factors such as dwelling conditions and their energy efficiency, lower incomes, and the energy costs borne by ratepayers and end-users,” Ms. Riva said.
“Given the high proportion of Canadian households facing energy poverty, with demonstrated implications for population health, the results from this study make a strong case for energy poverty to be included in discussions about a just energy transition towards future climate resilience in Canada.”
A 2022 report from the Environment Department conceded climate programs made energy unaffordable for some Canadians.
“Some measures may have a disproportionate impact on lower income Canadians if they lead to increased energy or vehicle costs,” the report said, adding that it had no statistics based on the unintended consequences of its program.
A 2020 government report contained a similar warning of “energy poverty in the future” if gasoline, propane, heating oil and diesel were replaced with more expensive alternatives.
