‘Low-income tenants can’t keep their lights on,’ activists tell NB Power [video]

Anti-poverty campaigners from NB ACORN are calling for a moratorium on NB Power rate hikes and a ban on winter disconnections for residential ratepayers. They launched an “affordable energy platform” on Tuesday, with rallies in Moncton and Fredericton.

The protests came as residential rates increased by 9.7 per cent in New Brunswick, the latest in a series of price shocks affecting households across the province. It contributed to an overall increase of about 30 per cent over three years. 

Local residents told the NB Media Co-op about their struggles to make ends meet as they rallied in the rainy weather in downtown Moncton. 

“It’s hard even for two people, like my wife and I,” said Doug Forbes. He explained that his wife is on disability, meaning that he is only allowed to earn limited employment revenue under New Brunswick’s household income policy. 

“Even after that, our rent is like $1,200, and you pay power and you pay for food – we’re left with maybe $60, $70 a month.” 

In recent emails to customers announcing the increase, NB Power said that for “an urban home that uses an average of 1,700 kWh of electricity per month, the April 1 rate change will make a difference of approximately $25.21/month.” 

That works out to about $300 annually, not counting a hike in monthly service charges, which will rise by $2.60 to reach $29.55 per month. The increases were approved by the provincial Energy and Utilities Board in November 2024. 

Talen Ripko, who waved a red NB ACORN flag at the Moncton rally, said the cost of living is going up faster than his wages. 

He credited ACORN with pressuring the provincial government to implement a rent cap, meaning that his rent increased by $30 per month this year, compared to $100 per month last year. 

He said that a 10 per cent increase on rent or utilities “doesn’t sound like a lot until you realize you’re paying a hundred more dollars, which is a whole grocery cart of food for at least a month for a single person.” 

NB Power has pointed to various programs and services to ease the pain of higher rates, including payment plans for people in arrears. 

But that’s cold comfort to NB ACORN co-chair Peter Jongeneelen. “People are going, wow, what is gonna happen if I can’t pay my bill?” he said. “Payment plans won’t do it.” 

He said the government of Premier Susan Holt should look at some of the energy policies that exist in Ontario, including an “emergency lifeline so people do not have their electricity shut off during the winter months.”

Research from the Saint John-based Human Development Council indicates that New Brunswick has one of the highest rates of “energy poverty” in the country. 

More than 40,000 residential accounts were in arrears by the end of March 2023, according to NB Power figures cited in a 2024 Human Development Council report. That represents 13 per cent of all residential accounts, with average arrears reaching more than $250. 

In 2022-23, arrears led to disconnections for 3,580 households, representing one per cent of residential accounts. For those customers, the average arrears reached about $1,174. 

“Low-income tenants can’t keep their lights on, and some are being left in the cold, literally,” Moncton resident Ronald Pitre told the crowd.  

Another protester, Sylvain Comeau of the group Maritimes Against Climate Change, noted that he and his partner are between jobs and receiving EI benefits. “We need to pay rent and everything else on top of this hike,” he said. “It’s really going to strain us.”

People in attendance at the protest included Serge Landry, NDP candidate for Moncton–Dieppe in the federal election.

The full NB ACORN “affordable energy platform” calls for NB Power and the provincial government to:

• implement a moratorium on rate hikes for residential ratepayers;
• ban winter disconnections for residential ratepayers;
• prioritize investments in renewable energy, instead of fossil fuels;
• create a low-income energy rebate program;
• “fully fund” an existing program that provides free heat pumps and insulation to eligible households;
• prioritize energy retrofit incentive programs for low- and moderate-income rental buildings, and;
• create a program for people in arrears “based on ability to pay, with flexible payment options and debt forgiveness.”

David Gordon Koch is a staff reporter with the NB Media Co-op. This reporting has been made possible in part by the Government of Canada, administered by the Canadian Association of Community Television Users and Stations (CACTUS).