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Opinion: The leading cause of 'heat poverty' on Canada’s reserves? Politics

Ottawa helps many First Nations with their heating costs but its bias against natural gas leaves the job incomplete and over-costly

Canada has some of the most affordable natural gas in the world. Yet many First Nations and rural communities heat their homes with more expensive, higher-emitting fuels simply because they lack access to natural gas. There’s a real human cost to this. Chief Christine Longjohn of Sturgeon Lake First Nation calls it “heat poverty”: families having to choose between groceries and a warm home. In some communities, heating bills can approach $1,000 a month.

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