Families could save up to $2,500 per year on home heating
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
Ontario’s provincial government is taking steps to help rural families heat their homes and run their businesses at lower costs.
This morning, Monte McNaughton, Ontario’s infrastructure minister, announced the passing of Bill 32, The Access to Natural Gas Act.
The legislation will help up to 78 communities and 33,000 households receive access to natural gas, while saving money in the process.
Switching from other forms of heating to natural gas can save an average home between $800 and $2,500 per year, the government said.
And increased access to natural gas can have several benefits in rural Ontario, said Ernie Hardeman, minister of agriculture, food and rural affairs.
"The passage of this legislation is important for families and businesses in rural Ontario," he said in a statement today. “Providing more access to natural gas will help lower the cost of living. It will give people more money to re-invest in the local economy, and help Ontario communities attract more businesses, create jobs and ensure that Ontario is open for business.”
Ontario’s ag community supports the legislation.
Expanded access to natural gas is part of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture’s (OFA’s) Producing Prosperity platform.
Watching the government commit to helping rural families is exciting, said Keith Currie, president of the OFA.
“Natural gas is something we’ve been talking about for the last six or seven years,” he told Farms.com. “I was on site for the announcement today, and it’s exciting to know that there’s going to be tools in place to help get natural gas throughout the province, especially in the rural areas.”
Minister MacNaughton made the announcement on Duane Ferguson’s farm in Warwick, Ont.
Using natural gas to dry his grain instead of industrial heaters could lead to thousands of dollars in savings, Ferguson said.
“With natural gas, I’d be saving about half my $50,000 heating bill,” he said in a statement. “For me and my family, that’s an unbelievable savings.”
The provincial government will work with the Ontario Energy Board to develop details for the natural gas expansion.