With the chill of winter back in the air and the Churchill Falls energy rebate potentially delayed until May, NDP Leader Jim Dinn (St. John’s Centre) is calling on the provincial government to use some of the $500 million in oil revenue to remove the provincial HST from all forms of home heating immediately.
Premier Wakeham told media this week that the energy rebate tied to the Churchill Falls deal may not be available until the spring, as Quebec’s newly elected Parti Québécois government takes time to review the deal. Dinn says the rebate should never have been tied to Churchill Falls in the first place, and that people need relief now, not months from now.
“This is something the NDP has been calling for since 2023, and when we finally see some movement on getting relief for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, we are told we possibly have to wait until May to see that benefit,” said Dinn. “Instead of dangling this over people’s heads to convince them of the PC’s so called ‘New and Better Deal’, government should have recognized the need to help people stay warm and implemented this as an affordability measure. Affordability was a key promise the PCs campaigned on, but we have yet to see them make a meaningful difference in people’s lives.”
“As the nights get colder, so does the anxiety of how people will afford to keep their homes warm this winter. Whether it’s seniors on fixed incomes, families working multiple jobs to get by, or students trying to make ends meet while completing their studies, everyone would benefit from this relief. The government has just announced a $500 million surplus from oil revenue. That money should be used to help people across this province afford to stay warm this winter.”
Dinn also calls on the government to expand the benefit to include all forms of home heating – something the NDP’s Private Members Motion included.
“After having this policy shut down time and time again by the former Liberal government, we then see them run on it in the election – but it would just be for electricity. That is not good enough,” said Dinn. “Many people across our province are heating their home with oil and suffering under the skyrocketing cost trying to keep warm. If we want to alleviate some of the strain, it has to be more far-reaching.”