Low-income renters press governments for ways to cool apartments in heat waves
CANADA, AUG 6 – Low-income renters with health conditions face barriers to government aid for cooling amid rising heat-related illnesses; 27,500 free AC units installed in BC, officials said.
- Amid soaring temperatures, low-income renters across Canada urged governments to fund air conditioners, with Walsh saying it has been over two months since she requested help.
- Last year, Julie Leggett won an appeal, but the Nova Scotia Department of Social Development maintains its policy of refusing to cover air conditioners for low-income residents with health conditions, leaving others without funding.
- A 46-year-old woman with progressive lung disease said high humidity made her gasp for air and `Even taking frequent, cold showers isn't really helping.`
- Nova Scotia's Department of Social Development said its policy of refusing to cover air conditioner costs for low-income people with health conditions remains unchanged and that caseworkers may refer individuals to local charities for assistance.
- Yoon, University of British Columbia researcher, advocates for public cooling centres and free transit, as heat-related cases rose from about 600 in 2004 to about 1,100 in 2023.
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Low-income renters press governments for ways to cool apartments in heat waves - The Turtle Island News
By Michael Tutton Sandra Walsh was struggling to breathe in her apartment when temperatures across Nova Scotia soared in July, but the woman on social assistance says her pleas for a government-funded air conditioner have been ignored. “With the high humidity, it effects my breathing and I have to gasp for air,” says the 46-year-old woman, recently diagnosed with a progressive lung disease. “Even taking frequent, cold showers isn’t really helpin…
Low-income renters press governments for ways to cool apartments in heat waves – 105.9 The Region
HALIFAX — Sandra Walsh was struggling to breathe in her apartment when temperatures across Nova Scotia soared in July, but the woman on social assistance says her pleas for a government-funded air conditioner have been ignored. “With the high humidity, it effects my breathing and I have to gasp for air,” says the 46-year-old woman, recently diagnosed with a progressive lung disease. “Even taking frequent, cold showers isn’t really helping.” The …
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