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A London city councillor is hoping to help seniors stay cool in the summer by proposing a new program that will offer free or subsidized air conditioning units.
Ward 11 Coun. Skylar Franke is putting forward the motion at the Corporate and Protective Services committee meeting on Monday.
“Seniors are the most likely to die from extreme heat, the most likely to suffer from heat exhaustion and sunstroke, so it’s particularly important for those demographics to have areas that are cold within their house where they can cool down,” Franke said.
If passed by the committee and later full council, city staff would be required to create a report about how a program of this nature would work, how much it would cost and who is eligible. They would need to report back to council by early 2027.
Ward 11 Coun. Skylar Franke says seniors are susceptible to several health risks in extreme heat. That’s why she’s proposing a plan for more affordable or free AC units. (Alessio Donnini/CBC News)
Senior Deborah Rātz lives in a community housing apartment on Marconi Boulevard and has spent most of the summer without air conditioning.
“When we open the doors and windows, because it’s so hot outside, it makes it hotter in here,” she said. “I have quite a few health problems so it bothers me a lot.”
Rātz said she’s heard of other seniors who face similar challenges.
“The way the heat wave is now, they’re having more seniors admitted to the hospital because of breathing and other things like that. The places are too hot and one little fan is not going to do it,” she said.
Last week, the Middlesex-London Paramedic Service reported an eight per cent increase in heat-related calls, with many coming from elderly people.
Financial support gap
Franke said that while there are some programs that support low-income seniors with purchasing air conditioners, not everyone is eligible.
People can use Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) and Ontario Works (OW) discretionary benefits to support up to $450 on an AC unit. Franke said requests in London have been increasing over the years, with more than 250 units approved by city staff last year.
“A gap that I found was that seniors who are just above the low-income cutoff are not eligible for that and therefore, some of them are struggling financially to buy air conditioners,” Franke said.
Rātz is one of those people. She got her last AC unit through ODSP but when she tried to reapply this year, she said her application was rejected because her income is too high.
WATCH | How Toronto is supporting seniors with air conditioning:
Toronto is installing AC units for senior tenants, but some say it’s not enough
Toronto is working to install portable air conditioners for low-income tenants. CBC’s Mercedes Gaztambide speaks to some tenants on what solutions they want to see from the city.
Still, it’s not high enough to buy a $300 to $600 AC unit, she said.
“People think you have a lot of money, but you’ve got to consider your bills and food and medical stuff,” she said.
Rātz said that just this week, a friend gave her an old partially-functioning AC unit, which has helped with cooling. Still, she wants to purchase a working unit of her own.
That’s why she’s in favour of Franke’s motion.
“I do think that would be amazing for a lot of people who can’t afford them. There are so many people out there barely getting by as far as food and stuff. To add that extra thing is a struggle.”
Franke said she’s received positive feedback about the motion so far and is hopeful the city committee is receptive too.
“Anything we can do … to help reduce some of the costs and provide essentially, a healthcare service to make sure they’re OK is important.”
