Key takeaways:
- Newfoundland and Labrador government will reveal the budget Thursday.
- The price of filling a 900-liter oil tank has gone up by nearly $1,000.
Michael Olawumi could take his vehicle to the Village Shopping Centre to run chores but keep it parked at his house and wait to board the city bus.
“To save cash, I only take my car to school because it’s near,” stated the St. John’s man Tuesday.
It’s not just how he gets about that has transformed recently due to skyrocketing gas costs. Olawumi said his diet has also been impacted by the growing price of the worth of groceries.
He is purchasing more inexpensive items, not necessarily the most healthy ones.
“If we could get some help from the government … it would be fine.”
With the Liberal government set to release the 2022 budget Thursday, the regional NDP says they want to see concrete plans to manage people’s issues across the region.
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“Those living at the margins have been given no expectancy that their life will enhance shortly,” said interim Leader Jim Dinn.
In March, the Liberal government declared an expense of living plan with $22 million in the new budget for the regional income supplement, income help, seniors’ benefits, electric car rebates, and a refund for transitioning from oil to electric heating.
But analysts said the budget, while a good beginning, isn’t sufficient — and noted many people couldn’t afford to purchase a new electrical vehicle or upgrade their home heating systems.
The price of furnace oil has gone up almost 75 percent since the start of the year.
To fill a 900-liter tank costs about $1,900 this week. A year ago, the cost was approximately $900.
The region’s Opposition said Thursday’s funding is an opportunity for the Liberals “to correct their mistakes and reveal a real expense of the living plan.”
Source – cbc.ca
