LEAP has three components:
- Emergency financial assistance (rolled out in January 1, 2011)
- More flexible customer service rules for low-income consumers (came into force on October 1, 2011)
- Targeted energy conservation programs offered by gas and electric utilities (staggered rollout)

The webinar presentations will be given by staff at the Ontario Energy Board, Ontario Power Authority, Enbridge Gas, Union Gas and LIEN.

Space is limited so please register today!

Webinar 1: Thursday, November 10, from noon – 1pm
- LIEN’s energy poverty strategy
- LEAP emergency financial assistance, new customer service rules, compliance & enforcement issues
Presenters: Zee Bhanji/Mary Todorow, Lenore Dougan, Donna Kinapen
Facilitator: Barb De Ruyter

* Registration for webinar 1: https://cc.readytalk.com/cc/s/showReg?udc=7d4x80h9tkxc

UPDATE: For the audio recording and presentation slides, please go to: http://yourlegalrights.on.ca/webinar/83055

Webinar 2: Tuesday, November 15, from noon – 1pm
- LIEN’s energy poverty strategy
- OPA low-income conservation programs
- Gas utilities’ low-income conservation programs
Presenters: Zee Bhanji/Mary Todorow, Nicole Hynum, Erika Lontoc, Tracey Brooks
Facilitator: Barb De Ruyter

* Registration for webinar 2: https://cc.readytalk.com/cc/s/showReg?udc=est16qmg68f2

UPDATE: For the audio recording and presentation slides, please go to: http://yourlegalrights.on.ca/webinar/83068

Date: Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Time: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Location: Harbourfront Community Centre, Dance Studio, 627 Queens Quay West

CONFERENCE MATERIALS
Conference kit
Agenda for LIEN 2011 conference

LIEN_energy poverty manual_

2009 Ont stats on appliances by income quintile 
2009 Ontario stats on heating equipment 
List of participants 
Speaker biographies
Breakout session questions 
Evaluation form 

Presentations
The OEB’s LEAP program – Takis Plagiannakos 
Low-Income Energy Conservation and Efficiency: An Update from the OPA – Andrew Pride 
The impact of suite metering on low-income consumers – Mary Todorow 
Customer service code amendments for low-income consumers – Jennifer Lopinski 
Enbridge Gas low-income programs – Bill Chihata 

Union Gas low-income programs – Tracey Brooks

LIEN is focusing on building the capacity of its network members and other organizations to become “experts” or “resource people” on low-income energy issues in their communities. To facilitate this, LIEN is in the process of developing an Energy Poverty Training Manual/Toolkit.

This FREE workshop offers great networking opportunities, activities, and an opportunity to provide feedback on LIEN’s draft manual.

The LIEN workshop will be facilitated by Barb De Ruyter and hosted by the Sisters of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul.

Workshop participants may come from a wide range of experience and organizations. Ideally they will include:

• Staff or community members who are well-positioned to train others in using the toolkit and who also want to be better able to assist low-income consumers in their own communities
• Individuals who are actively involved in energy awareness and conservation campaigns and want to explore certain topics in greater depth

The workshop and subsequent manual will enable you to:

• Provide up-to-date and targeted advice on energy poverty to low-income households, groups and agencies across Ontario in order to raise awareness
• Provide energy efficiency advice and conservation tips to encourage the reduction in energy consumption (and therefore a reduction in energy bills)
• Support groups and agencies that provide advice to low-income energy consumers so as to ensure maximum take-up of available programs

Date: Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. (lunch will be provided)
Location: 1200 Princess Street, Sisters of Providence Motherhouse, Kingston

Register Now!

Fill in the online registration form below:

Background:
LIEN is focusing on building the capacity of its network members and other organizations to become “experts” or “resource people” on low-income energy issues in their communities. To facilitate this, LIEN is in the process of developing an Energy Poverty Training Manual/Toolkit.

The aim of the webinar will be to:
1. Introduce key concepts of the manual so as to enable us to develop a draft based on feedback
2. Enable participants to highlight issues relevant to their organizations or communities so that they are reflected in the manual

Space is limited so register now! For further details, including registration, please visit http://www.cleonet.ca/events/1666

Date: Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Time: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Location: Thomas Lounge, Oakham House, 63 Gould Street

CONFERENCE MATERIALS
Conference kit

Agenda
LIEN 2-pager
Closing the gaps
Info sheet on low-income energy efficiency/conservation programs
Info sheet on low-income energy assistance programs
Breakout session questions
Acronyms
Evaluation Form

Presentations

Keynote address – Bruce Pearce (Vice Chair, GCC; Vice President, CHRA)

Reports from the regulatory frontlines – Paul Manning (Willms & Shier Environmental Lawyers)

Out of the Red: financial emergency energy assistance – Jennifer Lopinski (APCH), Debra Johnston (Salvation Army Centre of Hope)

Into the Green:energy conservation and efficiency in low-income housing [part 1] – Theresa McClenaghan (CELA)

Into the Green:energy conservation and efficiency in low-income housing [part 2] – Bridget Doherty (Sisters of Providence)

Protecting Low-Income Energy Consumers – Mary Todorow (ACTO)

CPCHE/CELA Healthy Retrofits Project – Erica Phipps

This free workshop offers great networking opportunities, activities, and an inside peek at how tenants can take the lead to save energy, money, and make their neighbourhoods a better place to live! The workshop is led by Toronto Environmental Alliance, supported by LIEN, and hosted by hosted by Homeless Coalition Windsor-Essex.

What to expect

• Get inspired by real-life examples of how tenants have successfully run their own energy conservation programs.
• Learn step-by-step how you could kick-start your own energy conservation program.
• Collect ideas, advice, tools, and resources to help you along the way.
• Participate in breakout sessions and activities.
• Relate what you’ve been learning to your own   neighbourhood.
• Network with fellow tenant advocates and activists.

Date: Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Location: College Avenue Community Centre, 3325 College Avenue, Windsor

Register Now!
Option 1: Fill in the online registration form: www.torontoenvironment.org/workshops
Option 2: Email or fax the registration form to the LIEN Coordinator.

Contact information for LIEN Coordinator
Call toll free: 1-866-245-4182 ext. 5167
Email: bhanjiz@lao.on.ca
Fax: 1-416-597-5821

This free workshop offers great networking opportunities, activities, and an inside peek at how tenants can take the lead to save energy, money, and make their neighbourhoods a better place to live! The workshop is led by Toronto Environmental Alliance, supported by LIEN, and hosted by Nepean, Rideau and Osgoode Community Resource Centre

What to expect

• Get inspired by real-life examples of how tenants have successfully run their own energy conservation programs.
• Learn step-by-step how you could kick-start your own energy conservation program.
• Collect ideas, advice, tools, and resources to help you along the way.
• Participate in breakout sessions and activities.
• Relate what you’ve been learning to your own   neighbourhood.
• Network with fellow tenant advocates and activists.

Date: Thursday, October 9, 2008

Time: 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Location: Jim Durrell Complex, 1265 Walkley Road, Ottawa

Register Now!
Option 1: Fill in the online registration form: www.torontoenvironment.org/workshops
Option 2: Email or fax the registration form to the LIEN Coordinator.

Contact information for LIEN Coordinator
Call toll free: 1-866-245-4182 ext. 5167
Email: bhanjiz@lao.on.ca
Fax: 1-416-597-5821

Where: Thomas Lounge, Oakham House, Ryerson University Campus
Date: Tuesday, June 10th, 2008
Time: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
What: A gathering for anti-poverty, affordable housing and environmental advocates to share experiences and engage in an action agenda on low-income energy issues such as:

• Rising energy prices and the need for a low-income rate affordability program
• The impact of smart sub-metering on low-income tenants
• Addressing energy affordability within the context of Ontario’s poverty reduction, long-term affordable housing, and climate change strategies
• Reducing bills and pollution through energy conservation programs for low-income consumers

Who should attend?
Anyone interested in low-income energy issues, or who wants to get involved. No special expertise required – bring your questions and your experiences to share with others.

Why you should attend:
It’s free! And you will leave the conference with new connections, resources, and knowledge – ready to successfully take on the challenges in your own community.

Who/What is the Low-Income Energy Network?
The Low-Income Energy Network (LIEN) is a network of community organizations that was formed to raise awareness of implications for low-income households of increases in energy prices and to propose solutions.
LIEN aims to ensure universal access to adequate energy as a basic necessity, while minimizing the impacts on health and on the local and global environment of meeting the essential energy and conservation needs of all Ontarians.
LIEN promotes programs and policies which tackle the problems of energy poverty and homelessness, reduce Ontario’s contribution to smog and climate change, and promote a healthy economy through the more efficient use of energy, a transition to renewable sources of energy, education and consumer protection.

LIEN currently has over 70 member organizations and a steering committee made up of representatives from:

• Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario (ACTO)
• Canadian Environmental Law Association (CELA)
• Income Security Advocacy Centre (ISAC)
• Share the Warmth (STW)
• Toronto Disaster Relief Committee (TDRC)
• Toronto Environmental Alliance (TEA)

For background information and copies of presentations made at the conference, please refer to the documents posted below.

CONFERENCE MATERIALS

Conference kit

Agenda

LIEN 2-pager

LIEN submission to Cabinet Committee on Poverty Reduction

Information energy assistance programs

Information on energy efficiency/conservation programs

Energy Poverty Factsheet

Smart sub-meter tenant infomation flyer

Smart sub-meter FAQs

Who does what on energy policy in Ontario

Acronyms

Evaluation form

Presentations

Keynote address – A message from Peter Love, Ontario’s Chief Energy Conservation Officer

Linking energy poverty to Ontario’s poverty reduction and affordable housing strategies – Michael Shapcott

LIEN advocacy activities update – Mary Truemner (ACTO) and Theresa McClenaghan (CELA)

Low-income energy retrofits: The Ontario experience and a national vision – Clifford Maynes and Bruce Pearce (GCC)

Smart sub-metering in the multi-residential rental sector – Mary Todorow (ACTO)

Low-income tenant led energy conservation – the LITES project – Franz Hartmann (TEA)

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Directions and Registration

Oakham House is located on the southwest corner of Church Street and Gould Street. It is a 2 minute walk east of Yonge Street, just north of the Dundas subway station.
In keeping with the theme of the conference, if feasible, organizers would encourage the use of public transit or car pooling. There are several paid public parking lots also nearby.
Please register by Friday, May 30, 2008.

There is no registration fee for the conference and lunch will be provided, but we ask that you register as soon as possible so that we can order the food.

Click here to view the Registration Form

Where: Oakham Lounge, Oakham House, Ryerson University Campus
Date: Wednesday, June 11th, 2008
Time: 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM

What can you expect?
This will be a full-day workshop run by the Toronto Environmental Alliance (TEA), a LIEN steering committee member. The workshop lays out the steps for tenants to start a custom-made energy saving program in their own apartment building.

This is how the day will look:
• To start off, we’ll use real-life examples of how tenants have successfully run their own energy conservation programs.
• Then we’ll outline how you can do this in your own building or neighbourhood using a number of simple steps.
• You’ll be given lots of examples and advice on how to follow each of the steps, including special tools or tactics that can help you along the way.
• Since every neighbourhood and building is different, there will be some time near the end to break out into groups and apply what you’ve been learning to your own neighbourhood situation.

Who should attend?
• Anyone who lives in Ontario – this is not just for Torontonians!
• Active tenants living in apartment buildings
• Neighbourhood and community groups working with or for tenants
• People looking to find new ways to save energy in their apartment building

Why you should attend?
• It’s free and you’ll have a chance to talk with other tenant activists
• You’ll feel refreshed and motivated to try out some new ways to bring tenants together and take action on an important issue.
• You’ll gain an impressive ‘tool kit’ to kick start energy conservation activities in your neighbourhood
• What you learn at the workshop can be used time and time again to take action on other neighbourhood concerns

WORKSHOP MATERIALS

Presentation

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Directions and Registration

Oakham House is located on the southwest corner of Church Street and Gould Street. It is a 2 minute walk east of Yonge Street, just north of the Dundas subway station.
In keeping with the theme of the workshop, if feasible, organizers would encourage the use of public transit or car pooling. There are several paid public parking lots also nearby.
Please register by Friday, May 30, 2008.

There is no registration fee for the workshop and lunch will be provided, but we ask that you register as soon as possible so that we can order the food.

Click here to view the Registration Form