Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Northwest Territories has established a way to help elders with home heating costs over the fall and winter months. Eligible residents 60 years of age and older can benefit from the seniors home heating subsidy. This program has been in place for a long time now.
Last year 448 households applied for a subsidy that provides assistance for the cost of heating fuel, cut wood, pellets and electricity. This is a good program. I can see that a lot of thought has gone into updating it to reflect the cost of living in the North and to refine it to make it fair to residents. However, there are still challenges.
Lately some elders in my riding received notices that they are ineligible for the subsidy because they have other people living in their home. In one case there are three elder siblings living in one home, each receiving old age pensions. The policy is such that the total household income is assessed and if it exceeds a certain limit, they are not entitled to the benefit. In this situation I believe the policy is being applied unfairly. These people live together to reduce their overall cost of living and find ways to support one another. They are being unreasonably disqualified from the very program designed to assist with their needs.
There are also an increasing number of situations where children and grandchildren live with grandparents. Some younger adults live with their parents and grandparents because of limited opportunities for employment or because of unfortunate experiences that impact their housing situation, rental arrears, evictions or domestic violence. We are all too familiar with the cases of younger people taking advantage of the benefits that older family members may receive.
It is important to protect seniors from elder abuse, but it is the custom in more traditional cultures for two or three generations of a family to share one home. We need to find realistic solutions to accommodate elders who have immediate and extended family living with them, especially if a younger family member is caring for an elder as well as working outside the home.
The Department of Education, Culture and Employment works with an average of 467 home heating subsidy cases every year. Our population is aging and the cost of heating our homes continues to rise. I’m also concerned about how long we’ll be able to sustain the program at its current level. This is an important subsidy and it should be available to eligible applicants in a fair and consistent manner. We need to help our elders continue to live independently, and contribute to our families and communities in meaningful ways.
Thank you, Mr. Nadli. The Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
