Harriston...and Winter in Wellington County

Two weeks ago, we were back in Harriston. Talking to our friends at the Early Years Centre in Harriston, it appears that they are on the move!! A new building is currently being constructed for them in Mount Forest and it is anticipated that the hub of their operations will be moving to the Forest within the next year. Programs will continue to run at the Early Years Centre in Harriston but obviously these will be reduced as their operations shift to the Forest.

In addition to the library with its free internet access, Harriston has a food bank run through the local churches and of course the EYC is available to provide free childcare services. Of course, there are also many specific challenges that low-income county residents face which should not be overlooked. Chief among these – and hard to imagine on a glorious day like today with the temperature at 30C plus – is the cold Ontario winter.

The winter brings with it a host of challenges, foremost of which are rising energy costs. Those on a fixed income, such as recipients of OW and ODSP face higher prices each year for basic necessities including electricity, natural gas and hot water and in view of the rising oil prices, it is almost inevitable that these rates will again jump considerably this winter. These budgetary demands reduce the funds available to spend on other necessities including food, clothing, shelter and medicine.

One of the many organisations that is working to support low-income individuals that suffer from ‘energy poverty’ is the Low Income Energy Network (LIEN) (www.lowincomeenergy.ca). In April, they were successful in obtaining an Ontario Divisional Court decision which ruled that the Ontario Energy Board (OEB) has the ‘jurisdiction to establish a rate affordability assistance program for low income individuals’. It remains to be seen whether the OEB creates such a program before this winter. Nevertheless, the Legal Clinic will be replete with resources this winter that will be aimed at giving clients who are having problems paying their utility bills as large a range of alternatives as possible.

Perhaps the other greatest challenge that the winter brings to those living in Wellington North is simply the ability to get around. Staff at the EYC told us that they were forced to cancel a number of programs in the winter as they were unable to travel to the communities where the programs were to be offered because of the hazardous road conditions. While those in Toronto complain about the time it takes to plough their streets, residents living in Wellington North often face multiple highway closures, instituted by the Ontario Provincial Police for safety reasons, and have to clear their own driveways and residential streets of snow. It can’t be much fun to try to do this and then find either that there is simply too much snow to move or that they will have to miss work or vital appointments in Guelph because of road closures.

Devin and I will be in Mount Forest on Tuesday 8th and Wednesday 9th, where Devin will hopefully have time to blog about our day in Palmerston last week.