Hunger report: Ontario's poor families struggle with hydro

Ontario food banks want the provincial government to raise social assistance rates to help impoverished families with overwhelmingly high electricity bills.

• Hydro costs slashing profits of Windsor region businesses

The Ontario Association of Food Banks says high hydro rates are having a "devastating impact" on the lives of low-income families around the province, according to the group's annual Hunger Reportreleased Monday.

An estimated60,000 homes were disconnected from hydro last yearbecause people fell behind on paying their bills, explainedCarolyn Stewart from the food banks association.

"When you're receiving higher hydro bills [than your monthly income]...it just becomes virtually impossible for people to make ends meet," she said. "Anything that's putting Ontario's vulnerable citizens more at risk is of concern for us."

Many food banks around the province have stepped in to offer their own hydro payment plans to clients.