NB Update: Low-income woman with disabilities forced from her home by surging energy prices | NBCC researchers complete accessibility study

This edition of the NB Update focusses on disability rights, energy poverty, and accessibility in New Brunswick.

Last week, NB Power won another rate increase at the Energy and Utilities Board. The exact rate hike hasn’t yet been determined, but it’s expected to be upwards of four per cent. It’s the latest in a series of annual rate hikes that have exceeded inflation amid a larger cost-of-living crisis.

The surging prices are especially hard to manage for low-income people with disabilities like Moncton resident Maddie Mitton. She says that high electricity costs are forcing her to leave an apartment building where she has lived for more than 18 years.

The good news is that she’s secured a unit in a housing complex for people with disabilities who want to keep living independently. Mitton said she’s been on the waiting list for close to 20 years, and she’s only being accepted now due to her dire financial situation and multiple health problems. 

But many other people in New Brunswick are also facing an energy affordability crisis, says Shelley Petit, chair of the NB Coalition of Persons with Disabilities. 

“We’re seeing this coming from everywhere, whether it’s seniors, persons with disabilities, people who are working two and three jobs at minimum wage, and they just simply cannot afford it,” she said. “And they have to make some really serious choices. Canada is too wealthy of a country, people should not have to choose between medications and heat, or food and heat.” 

The NB Coalition of Persons with Disabilities is calling for changes including an end to winter disconnections province-wide. The group has also launched a petition calling on New Brunswick to implement a program like one in Ontario called the Low-Income Energy Assistance Program, which provides up to $780 in emergency assistance to people who are behind on their bills. 

NB Power spokesperson Elizabeth Fraser said in a statement that the utility “remains committed to providing safe, reliable energy for our customers while keeping rates as low as possible.”

The utility’s goal “is always to work with customers to avoid disconnecting service,” Fraser added. “If customers are unable to pay, we urge them to reach out to our Customer Care team directly, so we can explore financial assistance programs and find a solution that avoids disconnection.”

Fraser added, in part, that last year “the Vulnerable Populations Committee was also launched with government departments and social groups to find more ways to support those struggling with affordability.” You can read the full statement from NB Power here.

Go Barrier Free

This episode also features an interview with researchers from New Brunswick Community College who have just wrapped up a three-year study of federal accessibility standards. The project, called Go Barrier Free, focuses on the built environment, transportation, and information and communication technologies. The research involved interviews, questionnaires, and site visits in various parts of Saint John.

“We’re really hoping with this information being public that we can help create more inclusive policies and practices going forward to help people with disabilities have a better quality of life,” said Kaitlyn Massey, a disability rights advocate and NB Media Co-op contributor. Massey led the study alongside Bill McIver, who recently retired from the college.

NB Media Co-op volunteer Matthew Wright — who was among the research participants — joined Massey and research assistant Andrew Urquhart, for a conversation about obstacles to accessibility in New Brunswick. The 77-page report is available online in English and French. For more information, contact NBCC’s College Office of Research Enterprise (CORE) at Research@NBCC.ca.

This report was updated to include a response from NB Power at 11:40 p.m. on April 9, 2026. 

The NB Update is a collaboration between the NB Media Co-op and CHCO TV. This reporting has been made possible in part by the Government of Canada, via the Local Journalism Initiative.