Photos courtesy of the Hamilton Spectator’s Poverty Project: www.thespec.com

The Face Of

Energy Poverty in

Hamilton

Presentation by Tom Cooper, McQuesten Legal & Community Services

Hamilton, Ontario, 1907: ‘The Electric City’

• 100 years ago, Canadian cities exploded in growth

• Hamilton took advantage of affordable local hydro power to expand industry / benefits to residents

• According to promotional brochures in the 1920s "Hamilton was home to the cheapest hydro power in the entire world.“

• Jobs were plentiful, ‘Steeltown’ boomed

Hamilton, Ontario 2007:

• Highest Poverty rate in Province of Ontario

• 96,000 residents live below low income cutoff – (enough to fill Copps Coliseum more than 5 times)

• Heat, hydro costs are escalating and driving more Hamiltonians into deep poverty

Tonight, 400 men, women and children will sleep in an emergency shelter in Hamilton

Photo courtesy of Wesley Centre, Hamilton

14,200 families in the City are at risk of homelessness because they pay too much

for housing & utilities

There are 15,000 visits to Food Banks every month in Hamilton; one out of four Children are

growing up in poverty

Photo courtesy of the Hamilton Spectator

What is Poverty in Hamilton?

From a Hamilton Mother:“A lot of people I work with at ..(local donut store) are single moms who have trouble feeding their kids. This store used to let us take home food that they were going to throw away; I used to take home bagels so that I could feed my kids. At the store we’re not allowed to take food home anymore”

Who is Poor in Hamilton?

Chart courtesy of SPRC & the Hamilton Roundtable For Poverty Reduction

Need

• HOUSING EMERGENCY LOAN PROGRAM—

Over the last three months 75 low income Hamiltonians received interest-free loans from the Housing Emergency Loan Program to maintain utilities

• CITY OF HAMILTON UTILITY ARREARS PROGRAM

693 low income households (OW, ODSP and working poor families) have received assistance from a partnership of Share the Warmth and the City of Hamilton’s Community Services Dept.

Energy ‘In’Security355 Melvin Ave., March 2005

Hamilton: Hundreds of tenants without heat & hot water for more than a week when landlord doesn’t pay hydro bill – leads to push for a local vital services bylaw

-Utility companies are supposed to inform City when landlord does not pay and service cut-off is imminent

-City will pay bill and go after landlord for outstanding monies, so that tenants are protected

Energy Poverty

It’s not just about the Cold

Hamilton needs an effective heat strategy

At Risk Residents—

Seniors, Persons with Disabilities (incl. mental health illnesses), young children, people who are homeless and people living in low-income housing & unable to afford ‘cooling costs’ to help maintain health

Hamilton has third highest annual humidex (above 35 degrees) in Canada