The office of Guelph MPP Liz Sandals says residents of Guelph can expect access to a new retrofit program from the province’s Green Investment Fund.
Late last week, Ontario’s Environment and Climate Change Minister Glen Murray announced $100 Million funding to help homeowners served by Enbridge Gas Distribution and Union Gas to upgrade their furnaces, water heaters and the insulation in their homes.
There were immediate questions about just who would be eligible for funding from the program, given its limited scope. Only about 37,000 homes served by Enbridge and Union Gas are eligible, and so far it appears not to be available to those who use other suppliers.
“Since Guelph is serviced by Union Gas, it is not an issue here,” said Sandals’ executive assistant Jenny Waterston in an email Tuesday.
She said that while the specific details of the program have not been finalized, the Ontario government is “working with Enbridge and Union to explore opportunities to offer the program in communities outside of Union and Enbridge service territories.”
Those communities include nearby Kitchener, and to homeowners who heat their homes with electricity, oil or propane, she indicated.
Kitchener Centre MPP Daiene Vernile said in a Wire Service release Monday that she received assurances that users of natural gas in that city and across the province will have access to the program. The program is in the early stages of development, she said in the release. Kitchener has a municipally-run gas utility, but buys wholesale from Union Gas.
The $100 million from the Green Investment Fund is part of a broader goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, create jobs and lower heating costs for Ontario families, the government said last week in announcing the program.
The program’s start date, eligibility rules and rebate offers will be announced in the coming weeks as details are finalized.
Enbridge Gas Distribution and Union Gas distribute gas to 97 per cent of the province's natural gas customers, and 62 per cent of Ontario homes use natural gas for heating.
"This investment will help homeowners upgrade their homes and save money, while keeping Ontario on the path toward a low carbon future," Murray said last week.
