NS Power, Emera Donate $1-Million To Coronavirus Relief
HALIFAX — Nova Scotia Power and its parent company Emera Inc. are donating a combined $1 million to two programs designed to help people financially hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Emera announced today it will give $500,000 to the United Way’s Atlantic Compassion Fund. The fund supports people in vulnerable populations who have been most impacted by public health measures designed to slow the spread of the virus.
Through the fund, the United Way helps people who are precariously employed or experiencing homelessness, mental illness, or food insecurity meet their basic needs.
“The global COVID-19 pandemic is resulting in extraordinary challenges for Atlantic Canada,” said Emera president and CEO Scott Balfour. “We understand the pressures this pandemic is creating for many, and we want to do our part right now to help those who need it most.”
Nova Scotia Power, meanwhile, is giving $500,000 of its own to the Home Energy Assistance Top-up (HEAT) Fund.
Run by the Salvation Army, the provincial government, and Nova Scotia Power, the HEAT fund helps low-income Nova Scotians with home heating costs during the winter. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the program got rid of its application deadline and the restriction on applying only every 24 months, meaning customers who received funding in 2019 may also apply in 2020.
“We understand our customers are concerned about the future, their jobs and their ability to pay their bills. The last thing we want them to worry about is going without power during this tough time,” says Wayne O’Connor, Nova Scotia Power president and CEO.”
More information about the HEAT Fund is available here and more on the Atlantic Compassion Fund can be found here.
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