Canadians are struggling to heat their homes, thanks to the carbon tax
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Thanks to the carbon tax, Canadians are opening their home heating bills with a sense of dread this month.
Every politician in the warm halls of power should read the painful experiences of Canadians who are struggling to afford the basics. They should ask themselves why any Canadian should be forced to pay the carbon tax for one more minute on an essential like home heating.
When the Canadian Taxpayers Federation asked people to post pictures of their heating bills to show the real cost of the carbon tax, more than 1,000 replies came in.
Some of the messages are tough to read.
“I haven’t been able to afford to fill my propane tank this year, just hoping that no heat doesn’t make my house go mouldy,” Jay told us. He works as a chef just outside Victoria, B.C.
Others are astonishing.
“Our bookkeeper nearly choked; thanks for bringing light to the madness,” Chris wrote while sharing the carbon tax bill for the pub he runs in Peterborough, Ont.
His natural gas bill from last month included a carbon tax charge of $1,044.
Do the Liberal Party leadership candidates grasp what an extra $1,000 bill tacked on to a business does to prices at a pub, let alone to the small-business owner trying to keep people employed?
Most of the residential bills sent in from cities and suburbs across Canada show a carbon tax charge of more than $50 extra per month, with the tax often exceeding the cost of the home heating fuel itself.
Ron, a tech specialist in east Brampton, Ont., said he’s “sick of the virtue signalling” over the carbon tax from the Trudeau government while his natural gas bill shows a monthly charge of more than $80.
“I don’t think there is one Canadian I know that can afford any more taxes,” writes Michel, who lives near Barrie, Ont. “This is $32 alone on gas for the home. Now put that on every single item you buy. It’s disgusting. [Politicians] think we are stupid.”
Michel tries to make ends meet living in a small mobile home with a new furnace, but December’s heat bill still carried a carbon tax charge of $32 for the month. The gas itself only cost $20.
In northern Ontario, where overnight temperatures typically drop to -20C, a young mother, Kelly, posted her household’s December natural gas bill showing a $134 carbon tax charge.
The list goes on.
In Manitoba, where winter resembles the ice planet Hoth from Star Wars, the carbon tax on home heating is severe.
Lilly, who lives outside Winnipeg, shared a December bill showing a carbon tax charge of $140 for the month, while Cory, from the southern part of the province, had a monthly charge of $70 for his home heating.
Cynthia struggles to stay warm in eastern Ontario while facing high bills for her propane furnace.
“I keep my thermostat at [16 C] to conserve fuel. Is it cold? Yes! I bundle up, wear layers and use blankets to keep warm. Basically, don’t want my pipes to freeze,” she told us while sharing her monthly propane bill showing a carbon tax charge of $70.
Many people who use propane for home heating do so because they live in remote locations such as rural farms or mountainsides, or they are trying to save money by living in mobile homes or campers.
Saskatchewan residents are getting a reprieve this winter thanks to Premier Scott Moe’s refusal to collect Ottawa’s carbon tax on home heating. Some people still showed their cancelled carbon tax bill and praised Moe for the savings, which ranged from $50 to $80 per month.
In Alberta, the carbon tax causes quite a ruckus. Alberta’s electric power plants are fuelled by natural gas, which is subject to the carbon tax. Home heating is also almost exclusively natural gas, often resulting in high carbon tax bills.
Shawn, a working father of twins living in Edmonton, sent in his natural gas bill, which showed a carbon tax charge of $136.
“You should see what I spend a week on carbon tax for gas,” Shawn said. “It’s 200 litres every week, 17 cents a litre carbon tax, 34 bucks a week, $1,768 per year. Just in carbon tax on gas for my truck. It’s ridiculous.”
And back in B.C., Jay still can’t afford propane.
That province’s carbon tax is seriously damaging the finances of people trying to afford to live in one of the most expensive places on the planet.
Ken, the owner of two Springer Spaniel dogs in the central Okanagan, paid over $65 in carbon tax last month. In December, Bret had to pay over $50 in carbon tax to heat his small rancher near Vancouver. And in Dawson Creek, where the temperature is often below -20 C overnight, Josh’s family home just received a carbon tax bill of more than $200 for two months.
Josh told us he “sees right through” the Liberal government’s assurance that Canadians “get more back than they pay out” in the carbon tax.
So does the Parliamentary Budget Officer. In three separate reports, the PBO has shown that the carbon tax costs average families hundreds of dollars more every year than the rebates they receive.
Jay, Cynthia, Ron, Josh and millions of other Canadians should not have to pay the carbon tax charge on their home heating bill for one more day.
The carbon tax is an expensive failure.
Scrap it now before people open one more bill.
Kris Sims is the Alberta director for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.
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