Some Norman Wells residents don’t know how they’ll cover their heating bill this winter
As winter quickly approaches, N.W.T. residents are bracing for the impact higher oil heating prices will have on their wallets.
As of Monday, prices are sitting around $2.30 per litre compared to $1.40 per litre last winter, according to Bluewave Energy.
Garett Ashlie, a Yellowknife resident who’s been a homeowner for five years, said the price tag associated with heating oil could push some people to the brink.
“If people are going to choose between paying a heating bill and buying groceries for their family, what do you think they’re gonna choose?”
While Ashlie said he’s in a fortunate position with a stable income, it’s still putting a strain on his financial future. He calculated oil would likely cost him $8,500 for the winter and so he’d have to pull back on investments until warmer weather comes around again.
A government buffer for some communities
For other communities in the N.W.T., the severity of the situation depends on location.
In Wekweètì, a fly-in community of around 150 people that sits 200 kilometres north of Yellowknife, price surges are somewhat more controlled.
The government of the Northwest Territories supplies fuel to Wekweètì, along with 15 other communities that are not serviced by the private market.
According to the government’s Petroleum Products Program webpage, prices are adjusted twice a year and vary among the serviced communities.
That system is currently advantageous to people living in those communities, says Fred Behrens, Wekweètì’s senior administrative officer.
But that might not always be the case.
Currently, the price for heating fuel is around $2.54 per litre, but if the government buys fuel when the prices are high, it could all of a sudden jump by a dollar or two next year, he explained.
“[It would] be one heck of a shock.”
Still, Behrens said, most homes in the community are equipped with a wood stove, so it isn’t as reliant on heating oil as some others.
‘People are worried’
For other small communities in the N.W.T., the reality is much more dire.
In Norman Wells, there are ongoing discussions around which buildings are worth heating throughout the winter and which ones to close for the season, said Joshua Earls, the president of the Norman Wells District Chamber of Commerce.
“People are worried,” he said. “Community members might [go] and live with other members of their family to make ends meet here.”
Norman Wells is not covered by the territory’s Petroleum Products Program.
Among those unsure of how they’ll be able to cover this winter’s heating bills is the community’s mayor, Frank Pope.
CBC News reached out to various departments to ask whether there will be any additional support to respond to the high price of heating oil this year.
The Department of Infrastructure pointed to the senior home heating subsidy to help low-to modest-income seniors with heating costs.
Pope said he makes a few dollars over the threshold to qualify for the subsidy.
The department also acknowledged that higher fuel costs can put additional pressure on the cost of living in remote communities and that prices are influenced by several factors.
Paying up front to hopefully save down the line
In Yellowknife, Ashlie has decided to change his boiler to use propane instead of oil.
Although he’s still waiting on a quote, he believes the cost to convert his three stage cast iron boiler will come out to $3,000 or $4,000.
He believes the expense up front will help mitigate the high price of oil down the line.
“There are still a lot of people in this town that are on heating oil,” Ashlie said. “Paying that amount for a basic necessity … is insane to me. There needs to be something done right away.”
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Norman Wells, N.W.T. facing ‘impossible’ costs as fuel prices skyrocket: mayor, CBC News
