Canadian propane costs soar due to supply chain issues
There are 1.5 million households in Canada that rely on propane for heating.
Now those homeowners will have to pay a lot more to stay warm this winter following a price hike in propane costs.
A couple from Ennismore, Ont., north of Peterborough, has to get their propane tank filled about four times a year and they recently got their new propane fixed billing contract.
The price last year was 67 cents per litre for propane. The new price is 86 cents -- about 28 per cent higher.
The increase means they’ll end up spending $300 a month on propane, almost double the $176 they are used to paying.
“As seniors and someone with a disability, we feel we can't handle that type of increase," Warren Bussey told CTV News Toronto.
RELATED: Tips for saving on your heating bill as gas prices spike
The couple says with inflation, increasing food prices, gas and other items, they're having a hard enough time paying their bills as it is.
“It's pushing us over the edge. I can't sleep at night. I worry about what's going to happen to us," Jacki Cumming said.
In a statement to CTV News Toronto, Teresa Crosato, senior manager of marketing communications with Superior Propane, (which services the home) said the price increase is the “reality” across the energy sector.
"Increased demand is outpacing supply which in turn is raising energy prices around the world.” Crosato said. "Price increases are impacting not just propane but also furnace oil, gasoline and diesel. Increased demand is outpacing supply which in turn is raising energy prices around the world.”
- Download our app to get local alerts to your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
Shannon Watt with the Canadian Propane Association said it’s hearing from concerned homeowners about the price hike and is calling on provincial governments to bring in rebate programs to help propane users get through the winter.
“Propane is not immune to inflationary pressures that we are seeing elsewhere. I would recommend that consumers who are concerned about this winter heating season to be reaching out to their politicians."
Bussey and Cumming say they're not sure how they'll be able to afford their propane costs and are hoping the government will bring in a plan to help them stay warm this winter.
Meanwhile, the Alberta government has introduced a rebate program to help people pay their energy bills. The Propane Association says it's hoping Ontario can introduce something similar to help customers deal with the price hikes.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Oh my God, you're my brother': Man in his 70s discovers 6 unknown siblings
After receiving a DNA kit one Christmas from his son-in-law, Hugh McCormick soon discovered that he had six unknown siblings, with whom he shared the same birth parents.
No refund for travellers who cancelled flight already scrapped by airline: regulator
Four years on, the controversy over whether airlines owed refunds to passengers after cancelling hundreds of thousands of flights during the pandemic continues to simmer, aggravated by a sluggish, opaque complaints process.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Rates of cancer declining in Canada, but more work needed to save lives: projections
A new study projecting declining rates of cancer cases and deaths in Canada demonstrates the success of prevention and early detection programs, but also highlights areas where more work is needed to save and prolong lives, researchers say.
Canucks hold off Oilers for 4-3 win in Game 3
Brock Boeser had two goals and an assist, and the Vancouver Canucks hung on for a 4-3 win over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 3 of their second-round Stanley Cup playoff series.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Man fatally 'slashed in the neck' in downtown Toronto, suspect outstanding
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise's disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.