Hydro cutoffs rise 22 per cent in 4 years
By Craig Pearson, The Windsor Star October 22, 2009
WINDSOR, Ont. — Utility disconnections are rising in Windsor while energy consumption is falling, which experts call the latest sign of a community weakened by an economic crisis.
Enwin Utilities, owned by the City of Windsor but run as a stand-alone corporation as required by provincial law, provided numbers to The Star that show disconnections have risen from 1,840 in 2006 to a projected 2,237 for this year, an increase of almost 22 per cent.
Meanwhile, electricity consumption from January through June over the same period has dropped from 1.6 billion kilowatt hours to 1.2 billion kilowatt hours, or 25 per cent.
“When you look at the statistics in our community, they’re very alarming,” said Marion Overholt, a lawyer for Legal Assistance Windsor
“Social assistance rates don’t meet basic expenses. When people fall behind, they fall behind on hydro bills and rent bills. They try to conserve energy as much as they can to keep their bills in line. But it’s hard to stay up when you’re not getting enough money.”
Overholt notes that some 24,000 people in Windsor and Essex County collect unemployment insurance while a record 9,000-plus families are on welfare rolls.
“There is a record demand for services from food banks,” Overholt said. “Now that we’re moving into the colder season, there’s going to be more demand on services and more concern about whether people can pay their monthly bills.”
http://www.windsorstar.com/technology/Hydro+cutoffs+rise+cent+years/2134249/story.html
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