Should London expand eligibility so more low-income seniors qualify for free a/c units?

Council considers expanding funding for a program that pays for air conditioning for the less fortunate and vulnerable. CTV London’s Daryl Newcombe explains.

High temperatures and low incomes puts the lives of too many seniors at risk each summer because they’re unable to afford a basic air conditioner.

A motion by Coun. Skylar Franke aims to broaden the income eligibility for subsidizing the cost of window-mounted air conditioning units for seniors in London.

“We know a lot of seniors are struggling financially, and seniors are the most likely to die or be impacted by heat stroke and heat exhaustion,” Franke told CTV News.

Discretionary benefits through Ontario Works (OW) and the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) will provide funding towards the purchase of an air conditioner for people at the very lowest income level, below what’s called the Low Income Cut Off (LICO).

Seniors who earn marginally more than the LICO limit do not qualify, but often still cannot afford to buy an a/c unit.

“I’m asking [city] staff to look into a pilot project,” Franke said about her motion. “See if there’s a mechanism where we can provide a subsidy, or air conditioning units, for seniors who aren’t qualifying for the other programs that exist.”

There were 258 a/c units approved by city staff through the existing OW and ODSP programs in 2025, at a total cost of $93,000.

Franke says requests have been increasing over the past few years as extreme heat events become more common.

Middlesex-London Paramedic Services (MLPS) reports that the recent heatwave triggered an increase in calls for seniors, children, and people with disabilities experiencing heat-related illnesses.

“We saw an eight per cent increase in the calls that are directly related to heat illnesses,” explained Adam Bennett, director of Paramedic Services.

Franke believes there could be a long-term financial benefit for the municipality, “An upfront investment of a one-time cost for an air conditioning unit would actually prevent some ongoing operational costs that we see in our health care sector and our ambulance costs.”

She believes the frequency of extreme heat events justifies using funds already set aside by council to address climate change.

“Since we are seeing the extreme heatwaves, it might be a good use of our climate change reserve fund money, say $50,000 for a pilot project,” Franke explained. “There’s just over a million dollars sitting in that budget, so I think that this would actually be a tangible action that we could use that funding for.”

Franke would like city staff to report back to Council by Q1 of 2027, so there’s enough time to potentially launch an expanded eligibility program for free or subsidized a/c units before next summer.

The staff report would include:

• Program design options, eligibility criteria and key performance indicators to measure the program’s impact
• Cost estimates and potential funding sources, including external partnerships
• Consultation with relevant community organizations including Middlesex-London Health Unit, LifeSpin, the Housing Stability Bank, ACORN, and other.

A council committee will consider Franke’s motion next week.