For Immediate Release
June 30, 2023
NL NDP MHA Lela Evans (Torngat Mountains) is calling on the provincial and federal governments to immediately finalize and announce cost of living relief for residents of Torngat Mountains who are excluded from the oil-to-electric incentives announced this week.
“It’s disappointing and frustrating for both levels of government to continue to treat the people of my district like an afterthought,” said Evans. “They knew these increases were coming, we have told them of the crisis happening on the North Coast of Labrador – why didn’t they do the work and have these incentives ready?”
The cost of electricity in the district is $0.19 a kilowatt hour (above the life block) which prevents residents from being able to heat their homes with electricity. This cost forces them to rely on less efficient sources of fuel to heat their homes such as wood and oil. All winter they were locked into paying $2.39 per litre of stove oil. Now with the price freeze residents are expecting some relief with the drop down to $1.86. But, tomorrow that cost will increase $0.17 per litre from the carbon tax, plus applicable HST, totalling $2.03.
“The failure to treat the people of my district with as equal a priority as other residents of the province is disheartening and insulting,” said Evans. “The crises in healthcare, housing, education, and access to nutritious foods are not new. They existed before the pandemic, all throughout it, and they continue to this day. This government needs to start doing the work and acknowledging that my people need help.”
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For further information, contact Eddy St. Coeur, Director of Communications, NDP Caucus at 729-2137 (o), or eddystcoeur@gov.nl.ca