Montreal— Experts from the Affordability Action Council (AAC) are available for comment following today’s announcement that the Greener Homes program is running out of budget and will be stopping grants soon, which includes a statement pointing to a future focus on low-to-moderate income Canadians.  

In a recent report, the AAC emphasized how existing federal programs leave out individuals living in low-to-moderate income households, recommending that the federal government establish a new free retrofit program aimed at making about 100,000 homes per year more affordable, energy efficient and climate resilient. 

For AAC member and founder of the Kambo Energy Group, Yasmin Abraham, today’s announcement carries some hope: “I applaud the indication that a low-income program may be on the horizon. It’s an important and commendable shift because while lower to moderate income households have the greatest need to improve the efficiency of their home to reduce their bills, many have been unable to access the Greener Homes program due to the upfront capital needed or increased household debt of participation in the financing program.”  

The Affordability Action Council strongly recommends that any low-income program offered by the Federal government tie in to the impactful and community-based programming already occurring across the country. Abraham adds that, “with many organizations already doing this work, we encourage the Federal government to lean on the experts in each province to help design the delivery mechanisms for a low income retrofit program that are most appropriate for their own communities. We welcome this announcement and look forward to engaging with the government further on this.”     

“The next federal budget can make bills affordable for those in energy poverty and reduce the emissions disrupting our climate by making a significant investment in low-income energy retrofits,” says AAC member and Efficiency Canada’s Director of Policy Research, Brendan Haley. 

To book an interview with Brendan Haley or Yasmin Abraham, contact the IRPP’s Director of Communications, Cléa Desjardins: 514-245-2139 or cdesjardins@nullirpp.org.