1 in 5 Canadian Households Facing ‘Energy Poverty’

As many as one in five Canadian households face “energy poverty” due to high energy costs, according to research from McGill University. More Canadians “potentially suffer” from energy poverty than from food insecurity, with 6 to 19 percent of Canadian households affected, research from McGill University’s geography department has found. Energy poverty, the inability to “maintain healthy indoor temperatures” year-round is significantly higher in Canada’s rural areas where the population tends to be older, living in larger houses, and facing greater income insecurity, said the research paper, first obtained by Blacklock’s Reporter.  “Earlier research has shown that a cold indoor temperature is associated with an exacerbation of some chronic diseases, so energy poverty is cause for concern,” Canada Research chair in housing, community and health Mylène Riva said in a statement....