Help renters ‘beat the heat’ amid record-breaking temperatures, ACORN tells government

Anti-poverty activists rallied in cities across the country on Wednesday, calling for more government action against preventable deaths caused by extreme heat.

ACORN Canada, a grassroots association of low- to moderate-income people, said that actions took place in 11 cities, including Moncton, Fredericton, and Halifax.

The group’s New Brunswick chapter has called on the provincial government to introduce a free air conditioner program for low-income renters.

One downtown Moncton resident on a fixed income said that she recently purchased a used A/C unit for about $100. That modest purchase meant that she had to cut back on groceries.

“I personally had to go and purchase a second-hand air conditioner to beat the heat this summer, and it took away from my grocery money,” Carla Robinson said following a rally on Main Street.

“It’s a damned if you do, damned if you don’t situation here in the Maritimes especially.”

Robinson said there isn’t enough support available for low-income renters who are making hard choices between utility payments, groceries and rent.

Many older people suffer “because they’re afraid to turn on their air conditioning unit, because they can’t afford the hydro bill as it is,” she added.

ACORN has also called for energy rebates for low-income households to offset heating and cooling costs, upgrades to rental housing to reduce dangerous indoor temperatures, and local cooling centres that can be activated during extreme heat events.

Peter Jongeneelen, chair of Moncton ACORN, was hospitalized for heat exhaustion in June 2025, as temperatures reached 34 C with a humidex of 44 C.

Jongeneelen was eventually able to install an air conditioner in his apartment but noted that many can’t afford the expense.

He added that green energy is crucial to provide cooling without contributing to pollution.

Scientists have repeatedly warned that drastic reductions in greenhouse gas emissions are needed to avoid the worst consequences of global climate change.

Broken temperature records have become commonplace as the climate crisis has intensified.

For example, on Wednesday alone, Environment Canada reported multiple record-breaking daily maximum temperatures across Ontario, and one in the Fort Providence area of the Northwest Territories.

It’s unclear how many deaths result from extreme heat annually across the country, because there is no federal coroner’s service and reporting practices vary across Canada, the CBC reported this week. About 600 deaths were attributed to extreme heat in B.C. in 2021.

In response to queries from the NB Media Co-op, the Department of Social Development provided an emailed statement.

Department spokesperson Judy Winter said, in part, that Housing NB is installing heat pumps in all new social housing units to help with heating and cooling.

The agency “encourages its tenants to reach out if they have additional medical needs related to cooling so that options can be explored,” Winter said.

Resources in New Brunswick include “several homelessness hubs, cooling centres and misting stations around the province during periods of extreme heat,” she added.

Asked about the issue at an unrelated media conference on Wednesday, Minister of Health John Dornan acknowledged that the province is facing increasing temperatures.

“And as a public health service, we do need to prepare for that,” he said. “We do warn people about times when the heat is going to be quite high, and we give people suggestions about staying indoors, particularly when there’s wildfire or smoke.”

However, he declined to comment about ACORN’s campaign.

Last week, NB Power launched a new program providing rebates to landlords for energy efficiency upgrades, including the installation of devices such as heat pumps.

Tenants’ rights advocates have argued that the program doesn’t guarantee benefits to renters, and that landlords might use it as a pretext for rent hikes.

David Gordon Koch is a journalist with the NB Media Co-op. This reporting has been made possible in part by the Government of Canada, via the Local Journalism Initiative.