'A vicious cycle': N.S. non-profits say demand for help with power bills is through the roof

In her work as a household navigator for a non-profit on Nova Scotia's South Shore, Elyse Leefe sees clients who live with no electricity for months because they can't afford to pay their arrears.

She sees people who can't keep shared custody of their children because they have no power, or who don't turn on lights or electric heat all year in a desperate attempt to keep their bills affordable. 

"We provide as much support as we can to help them get reconnected and on a budget plan that they can sustain over the long term because that's the ideal goal," Leefe said in a recent interview. 

"But I mean, if the cost is still rising, in the end they're just going to be behind again, and it's just a vicious cycle."

A Nova Scotia Power rate increase of 6.5 per cent came into effect Jan. 1, and low-income customers are feeling the effects as they grapple with the rising cost of living.

Leefe said her organization, the South Shore Open Doors Association in Bridgewater, is seeing more people who need help with power bills and higher arrears than in years past. 

Community organizations across the province are echoing this, with their own data painting a bleak picture. 

Already surpassed last year's demand

Adsum for Women and Children in Halifax provided data to CBC News that shows in the first four months of this year, it has given more money to clients to help with power arrears to prevent disconnection than throughout the entire year last year. 

The organization, which receives funding from the province and from its own fundraising efforts, spent $21,221 on power arrears in 2023. This year, it has already provided $25,849 to clients for power arrears. 

Erin Austin, Adsum's diversion manager, said it's not just power bills. People are struggling to pay their rent and their grocery bills, and often have to choose between them.

"It's just the cost of living is so high," Austin said. "So it's not just one cost going up, but it's all three. And all three are basic needs, so when all of them are inflated, there's a problem because it isn't sustainable."

Power company says disconnections not rising

Nova Scotia Power said the amount of power disconnections across the province in 2023 was just above the average of 3,000 households annually.

A spokesperson said the utility doesn't disconnect power through the winter months, and started disconnections again in May. In the first two weeks of the month, 137 people had their power disconnected. 

"This only happens after several months of reminders, notices and attempts to work with the customer," said spokesperson Hannah Langille.

Langille said Nova Scotia Power has a dedicated low-income advocate who works with charitable organizations and the provincial Department of Community Services to find solutions for individual customers facing arrears. 

The utility would not make the low-income advocate available for an interview. 

But non-profits say disconnections aren't rising because they're stepping in. 

Chebucto Connections in Spryfield said last year it provided on average $464 monthly to clients who needed help with power bills. This year, the average has almost doubled, to $830 a month. 

The South Shore Open Doors Association has seen its clients' power arrears more than double. In April of last year, the arrears for eight people totalled $4,600. This April, 12 people owed $10,796.

When asked about arrears growing, Nova Scotia Power's spokesperson said the average amount is approximately $600, which is comparable to prior years. She said 4.5 per cent of customers are in arrears. 

Calling on government 

Nova Scotia Legal Aid said it is also seeing a "very unsettling" rise in people needing help, and is calling on the province to step in. 

"We want to encourage the government to look at this issue and really come up with not Band-Aid solutions, but with a plan to address energy poverty in the province," said Tara Kinch, a social justice support worker at Nova Scotia Legal Aid. 

No one from the province was available for an interview.

A spokesperson said the Department of Community Services provides $980,000 in diversion funding annually. A one-time payment of nearly $500,000 was made last fall to organizations across the province to help clients pay power and rental arrears. 

"We know the cost of living, including electricity, has become more expensive, and some Nova Scotians are struggling," spokesperson Rachel Boomer wrote in an email. "Government has been working across departments and with community organizations to provide solutions."

Boomer said 63,616 Nova Scotians received rebates to help with electric heat this year, and the Salvation Army HEAT Fund and other rebate programs helped hundreds of thousands more households with their energy bills.