Advocates calling for full cost of utilities to be covered by social assistance

People living on the streets have become more visible in some Saskatchewan neighbourhoods. Advocates believe one contributing factor are changes to the Saskatchewan Income Support program known as SIS.

“The biggest growth in our casework is related to people having their utilities cut off for being in significant arrears but this is the first time that we have actually seen a big picture number,” said Peter Gilmer, advocate with the Regina Anti-Poverty Ministry.

Last week, the provincial auditor found that almost one third of assistance recipients are in arrears to SaskPower and SaskEnergy.

“Over 5,000 SIS clients had not paid their SaskEnergy or SaskPower bills for more than 30 days with amounts owing greater than $100. This amounted to almost $4.2 million,” said Tara Clemett, provincial auditor of Saskatchewan.

Owing money to utility companies can lead to eviction and difficulty securing further housing.

“So you’re putting folks in an impossible situation. They can’t find and maintain housing. They’re being put in arrears in utilities which makes it impossible for them to catch up,” said NDP MLA Meara Conway.

The government does have a trustee program to assist those who don’t handle budgeting well. The utility companies also offer repayment plans.

“We work closely with any customer who is in arrears to try to come up with a plan that works both for them and for the company to avoid disconnection,” said Joel Cherry, spokesperson for SaskPower.

Saskatchewan urban municipalities have passed a resolution calling for changes to SIS. Advocates agree.

“The solution there is to go back to covering the actual cost of basic utilities to make sure that people’s energy, power, water, basic phone that those are things that are covered,” Gilmer said.

The provincial auditor sees merit in social assistance recipients learning to budget by handling their own utility bills. However, she feels the government needs to delve deeper into why it’s not working for many.