Heating assistance rebate program in N.S. sees high demand, fewer delays

The Nova Scotia government's heating assistance rebate program is not experiencing the same kind of backlogs it did a year ago, but demand remains high.

Applications for the program, which provides eligible households $600 toward heating costs, opened Oct. 1.

Of the 108,185 applications the province has received so far, 83,426 have been approved, 20,149 are still being assessed, and 4,610 have been denied.

The program runs until March 31, 2025.

Families with household incomes of $75,000 or less after taxes and single-person households earning no more than $55,000 after taxes are eligible for the rebate. It's available to both homeowners and renters.

During the 2023-24 heating season, 129,250 people received the rebate. Some people complained last year about the amount of time it took for their application to be processed. A spokesperson for the province said in a statement that efforts were stepped up to ensure that is not the case this year.

The program started three weeks earlier and the team processing applications was bolstered with additional part-time staff, the spokesperson said.

Community funds also seeing continued demand

Other community organizations that offer assistance to people struggling with the cost of heating their homes also continue to see demand.

Mike MacDonald, a volunteer with the Antigonish Fuel Fund, said they help about 300 households a year. Many of those households are single parents.

"The majority of our clients, if you do a headcount, are children," he said.

The fund offers emergency assistance for heating to single adults with children and low-income families with incomes up to $40,000 a year. Assistance is also available for people with disabilities and seniors whose annual income does not exceed $25,000.

"It's hard-core poverty of a sort that doesn't really change from year to year," said MacDonald.

Struggling to make ends meet

Demand for help has also remained high through the years at the Yarmouth fuel bank, said volunteer Rev. A.D. (Bill) Newell.

Newell said the amount available each year for applicants is based on what is raised in the community. Recipients receive $400 toward the cost of a tank of oil, firewood or electric heat. For a while, the fund was able to raise about $40,000 a year to work with, but Newell said it's reached as high as $70,000 more recently.

"What we give is what we get," he said. "Our community has been excellent in terms of fundraising."

There seems to be more need for help in the community, particularly for those on fixed incomes, as the cost of food and rent also increases, said Newell.

"Even if they're working, they're struggling to make ends meet."

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